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I'm a current 1L and was offered summer position with a USAO office for this upcoming summer. I have a week to accept this offer. I got the position without grades and grades still have not been released. However, I want to apply to few firms and diversity scholarships and participate in Spring OCI for 1Ls. Is it wrong to accept the USAO offer now and then turn it down later if I get a firm offer? Should I ask for an extension? Not sure what to do. Advice would be appreciated.

DO NOT accept and then turn it down. It reflects extremely poorly on your professionalism and the USAO is incredibly prestigious and filled with well-connected lawyers who will have connections at whatever firm you go to. I can tell you that a USAO is very competitive, and you will not be at a disadvantage for a 2L job by going there instead of a firm. Asking for an extension is a bit iffy--my thought is you can always ask and they say no, and if you accept they won't really care if you asked for an extension. It's a bit awkward, but I say give it a shot in the most polite way possible.

Assuming you prefer the firm job, whether you accept depends on how good a shot you have at getting a firm job--you should reach out to 2Ls at your school who were in your position last year (i.e., who applied to diversity programs) to ask their advice. They'll be able to tell you your chance of getting a position better than those at this forum, and although I'm sure grades will play a part in that, I know minorities who got 1L firm jobs with middling grades, so they may not be totally determinative.

Grades haven't been released yet (no idea when they will be). Most of these minority scholarships at firms don't interview until Feb and I have to accept this position by next week. I guess my best bet is to just ask for an extension?

I would much prefer a firm job over the USAO. It's the difference between making $30K for the summer and making $3K.

Is it wrong to accept the USAO offer now and then turn it down later if I get a firm offer?

Yes.

Should I ask for an extension?

For a few days, sure. But unless you already have an interview scheduled with a firm, I wouldn't. How long of an extension do you really want?

You're getting off on the wrong foot by suggesting, "Hey, yeah, I'll work for you guys, but if something better comes along I'm going to do that instead." Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine they said to you, the applicant, "Hey, yeah, we like you OK, but we're going to keep interviewing for two more weeks. If we don't get anyone better, we'll go with you. Oh, and you have to put your search on hold for two weeks." I've known employers who basically do this, and it puts a bad taste in your mouth. Friend of mine accepted with a firm who strung her along. Would you guess the partners were crappy and the place wasn't great to work at? She quit after a few months.

Not sure what to do. Advice would be appreciated.

Accept the job or reject the job.

wait till the deadline, if nothing new just accept the job and enjoy the certainty of having a very cool 1L job. No need to make a head ache out of a good thing

Borhas wrote:wait till the deadline, if nothing new just accept the job and enjoy the certainty of having a very cool 1L job. No need to make a head ache out of a good thing

This.

Anonymous User wrote:I'm a current 1L and was offered summer position with a USAO office for this upcoming summer. I have a week to accept this offer. I got the position without grades and grades still have not been released. However, I want to apply to few firms and diversity scholarships and participate in Spring OCI for 1Ls. Is it wrong to accept the USAO offer now and then turn it down later if I get a firm offer? Should I ask for an extension? Not sure what to do. Advice would be appreciated.

May I ask how long from interview to offer? I recently interviewed with ASAO and haven't heard back. If you interviewed for the same division I did, I say turn it down in case I am next in line.

In all seriousness - I would not turn the offer down. I would maybe ask about their split summer possibility, but I wouldn't turn it down. Besides a sure thing before grades are released takes a lot of pressure off.

I was in this situation last year, except it was after grades were out and I wanted to wait to accept so I could go on callbacks at firms. I asked for an extension, and they said they couldn't give me one, but that they could put me on a waitlist where I could call them if I wanted another offer and they'd give me one if they still had space.

I took the risk (largely because I had a third back-up offer with no firm acceptance deadline), went on two callbacks, didn't get offers, and then accepted the USAO position off the waitlist about five weeks after my original offer.

I'm not necessarily recommending you take the same risk I did, but maybe you could at least ask if your USAO does the same waitlist thing that mine did.

have most people who've applied to USA0 internships heard back already? I applied - not sure if it is appropriate to contact summer intern coordinator there. anyone familiar with when they typically respond to applicants? I applied in mid-December. is it worth an email to someone? thanks

The AUSA I applied to told us that the last week of January is when he typically begins evaluating applications, so I'm expecting to hear something within the next two weeks (it's not a very competitive district, however).

ndirish2010 wrote:The AUSA I applied to told us that the last week of January is when he typically begins evaluating applications, so I'm expecting to hear something within the next two weeks (it's not a very competitive district, however).

I will be a 1L next year do you have any advice on how you got accepted before you even got your grades back. What did you do during the first half of the years ie clubs community services? It might be a stupid question.

stintez wrote:

ndirish2010 wrote:The AUSA I applied to told us that the last week of January is when he typically begins evaluating applications, so I'm expecting to hear something within the next two weeks (it's not a very competitive district, however).

I will be a 1L next year do you have any advice on how you got accepted before you even got your grades back. What did you do during the first half of the years ie clubs community services? It might be a stupid question.

I applied after I had my grades...so I'm not really sure.

ndirish2010 wrote:

stintez wrote:

ndirish2010 wrote:The AUSA I applied to told us that the last week of January is when he typically begins evaluating applications, so I'm expecting to hear something within the next two weeks (it's not a very competitive district, however).

I will be a 1L next year do you have any advice on how you got accepted before you even got your grades back. What did you do during the first half of the years ie clubs community services? It might be a stupid question.

I applied after I had my grades...so I'm not really sure.

oh opps i meant the question for OP. But just out of curiosity what kind of grades did you have. Im 100% sure I want to be a JAG post LS.

stintez wrote:

ndirish2010 wrote:

stintez wrote:

ndirish2010 wrote:The AUSA I applied to told us that the last week of January is when he typically begins evaluating applications, so I'm expecting to hear something within the next two weeks (it's not a very competitive district, however).

I will be a 1L next year do you have any advice on how you got accepted before you even got your grades back. What did you do during the first half of the years ie clubs community services? It might be a stupid question.

I applied after I had my grades...so I'm not really sure.

oh opps i meant the question for OP. But just out of curiosity what kind of grades did you have. Im 100% sure I want to be a JAG post LS.

I'm about top quarter-ish (at least top 1/3, but we don't rank) at a T30.