SEC Observer Program Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hey guys does anyone know how competitive the semester long observer programs with the SEC are?

[Anonymous User]

Minimal. There are about 60-70 interns I believe right now. It's not something that is dominated by students from T14s (other than GULC being a block or two away). Just get the application in early.

[Anonymous User]

Minimal. There are about 60-70 interns I believe right now. It's not something that is dominated by students from T14s (other than GULC being a block or two away). Just get the application in early.

anyone know what kind of grades they are usually lookng for?

[Anonymous User]

I'm in this program now and I would definitely recommend it.

I had an exceptional GPA (3.94) when I applied for it. However, I also thought that I completely bombed my phone interview, but still made it in. That being said, I don't think it is excessively competitive because they accept a lot of people and it requires being in the DC area for a semester. Therefore, there are two main groups of law students who can join the program- (a) students from DC area schools, and (b) students from schools that allow you to get a full semester's worth of credit from an externship. This limited pool of possible applicants inherently reduces the competitiveness.

My advice would be to wait until 3L year to do the program, however, as this increases your chances of getting placed in one of the more substantive offices.

[Anonymous User]

^ I'd probably agree on doing it later on. I'm in it now as well, and I basically just have busy work. Maybe it's a symptom of the group of attorneys I've been assigned to, but I can't say that I'm doing anything overly substantive.

[Anonymous User]

Poster two up here.

I get good work to do- even the work that isn't necessarily legal is still really interesting. My problem is that I'm not assigned to one of the substantive securities law divisions

[Anonymous User]

^ I'll admit to being jealous then. Granted, I was not there consistently at the beginning due to OCI (2L not 3L here), but now that I"m there more full time, I was hoping for at least a little more substance. Don't get me wrong; I'm learning stuff, and I think I've done things that help them out, but it's definitely not equivalent, IMO, to being in a USAO or something that may be a little more dynamic day to day.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, from what I've heard a USAO is great experience but more focused on the criminal side.

My biggest complaint with the LSOP is the Wednesday events. I should play audio of one the night before exams to put me to sleep. Today's was definitely the worst.

[Anonymous User]

Oh, God. It was brutal. Especially the group of speakers. I'd say Parades was the best so far, despite my disagreement with his views.

To the OP -- what you get out of this program will also depend on how many hours you spend there. I'm doing part time since I'm a DC student, so basically 15 hours or so/week on average (15-20 is the preferred). The people who are there full time end up doing more just by virtue of the hour differential.

[Anonymous User]

^ I'd probably agree on doing it later on. I'm in it now as well, and I basically just have busy work. Maybe it's a symptom of the group of attorneys I've been assigned to, but I can't say that I'm doing anything overly substantive.

what kind of grades are they looking for? can you say school range and ~gpa?

do you guys think median -top 1/3 is enough for sec observer from fordham/bc/gw

[Anonymous User]

what kind of grades are they looking for? can you say school range and ~gpa?

do you guys think median -top 1/3 is enough for sec observer from fordham/bc/gw

Yeah that should probably make the cut

[Anonymous User]

That's definitely in the range. I'm T14/Top 10, but I was accepted in March, so I only had like 3 grades when I got the offer. There doesn't seem to be a school cutoff here, by any means, for LSOP.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone received an internship offer from the NY SEC Office for the 2011 Spring Law Student Observer Program?

I interviewed a few weeks ago, and have not been contacted yet. How long does it usually take for a decision to be made? Also, what method do they notify applicants of acceptance or rejection (i.e., phone, email, mail)?

[let/them/eat/cake]

This is very relevant to my interests. Wish i had that cat picture. Also, very encouraging. I'd be applying for the fall semester of my 3L year, and I'm taking business organizations this semester and sec. reg. next semester; from what I'm reading here, that might help me get placed in a division doing slightly more substantive work?

[Anonymous User]

Hi.

I have just applied for the SEC Observer Program. I was wondering if anyone could tell me something about the interviews? Is it just a formality or is it a qualifying round? What sort of questions were asked? How long it was?

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous User]

I got an offer for this program (DC). My experience was this:

I applied via email. They responded about a month later offering me a phone interview. We set up a time and date for that. The phone interview was just about what you'd expect: what draws you to the SEC, do you have an interest in financial law/regulatory stuff? etc. The phone interview seems to be a formality, tbh. They extended the offer to me at the end of the call, so I think at that point it's yours to lose.

I didn't end up taking the position, but from what I've heard it provides some really good experience if you're interested in securities regulation/lit. I don't think it's viewed with the same regard as the summer positions, but at the end of the day, who cares?

[Anonymous User]

I had a phone interview recently, but didn't get an offer at the end of it. Is that a bad sign? Anyone else have insight on interview-to-offer time?

[prezidentv8]

Did it this past year, had a good experience. Feel free to PM/post questions.

[Anonymous User]

Did it this past year, had a good experience. Feel free to PM/post questions.

Which division were you in? Was the work substantive? Did you intern in the Spring or Fall? How soon after your interview did you get an offer? Thanks!!!

[prezidentv8]

Did it this past year, had a good experience. Feel free to PM/post questions.

Which division were you in? Was the work substantive? Did you intern in the Spring or Fall? How soon after your interview did you get an offer? Thanks!!!

Interned in the Spring, offer took a few weeks after the phone interview but the lady who did the interview strongly implied that I'd be able to be a part of the program if I wanted to. There was also a fairly significant and kind of inconvenient amount of paperwork that had to be done between the offer and starting work. Point being: apply early, be on yo' paperwork.

Work was a mix of substantive stuff and grunt work, but the environment around the office was good, and it felt like I got something out of even the grunt work.

Plus, it feels a ton better to do actual work rather than 2L or 3L classes.

PM me if you want the division, just because I don't want to post it publicly.


Edit: I should also mention that I don't think the program was super competitive in the spring, as there were a TON of interns from all over. However, they apparently also got an absolute boatload of applications, which I think could serve as another reason to get the application in early.