Fairly unique situation -- need advice

[Anonymous User]

I accepted employment for the summer (2L) at a V20 firm. Typically 10 week summer program. I also received an offer from a tiny boutique that doesn't have a traditional summer program and I would be able to work at after my 10 week summer program finishes. I told them that I'd love to and would let them know my availability and all that.

As much as I'd love working at the second place for a month this summer, it's not in a place my SO would consider living (and not my ideal place), so odds are I would not work there full time.

Lately I've begun to worry, and some practitioners (within the firm, included) have agreed, that working at two places in a summer could hurt my chances at the first place when it comes to offer time, even if it's not actually splitting.

While I've technically accepted my offer at the latter place, nothing is set in stone, and they said I could work there whenever I'm available and what not.

Should I work at both places, regardless of concerns? Or should I just call up the second place and let them know about the recent concerns expressed and tell them I won't be working there?

[Renzo]

If you don't want the second job, why would you take it?

[Anonymous User]

If you don't want the second job, why would you take it?

Because it's a completely different culture from big law. It's a boutique. Under 25 attorneys. If firm #1 didn't express any concerns, I would absolutely love to experience both types of places to better inform my choice 2 or 3 years down the road when I'm ready to get out of big law (or if I loved the 2nd one that much more, try and land a similar job at a firm in a better city during 3L OCI or post-clerkship).

[Anonymous User]

I did this, but didn't tell the first firm I was doing it. I ended up taking the smaller firm over the bigger firm.

I would say no to the second job. It sounds like it isn't something you would take, so why risk an offer with the firm you really want to go to?

[A'nold]

If you don't want the second job, why would you take it?

Because it's a completely different culture from big law. It's a boutique. Under 25 attorneys. If firm #1 didn't express any concerns, I would absolutely love to experience both types of places to better inform my choice 2 or 3 years down the road when I'm ready to get out of big law (or if I loved the 2nd one that much more, try and land a similar job at a firm in a better city during 3L OCI or post-clerkship).

This sounds like a questionable (and, honestly, kind of a childish) reason to accept a job.

[vamedic03]

I accepted employment for the summer (2L) at a V20 firm. Typically 10 week summer program. I also received an offer from a tiny boutique that doesn't have a traditional summer program and I would be able to work at after my 10 week summer program finishes. I told them that I'd love to and would let them know my availability and all that.

As much as I'd love working at the second place for a month this summer, it's not in a place my SO would consider living (and not my ideal place), so odds are I would not work there full time.

Lately I've begun to worry, and some practitioners (within the firm, included) have agreed, that working at two places in a summer could hurt my chances at the first place when it comes to offer time, even if it's not actually splitting.

While I've technically accepted my offer at the latter place, nothing is set in stone, and they said I could work there whenever I'm available and what not.

Should I work at both places, regardless of concerns? Or should I just call up the second place and let them know about the recent concerns expressed and tell them I won't be working there?

Serious Q: Have you told firm 1 about firm 2? Are there going to be client conflicts?

[Anonymous User]

If you don't want the second job, why would you take it?

Because it's a completely different culture from big law. It's a boutique. Under 25 attorneys. If firm #1 didn't express any concerns, I would absolutely love to experience both types of places to better inform my choice 2 or 3 years down the road when I'm ready to get out of big law (or if I loved the 2nd one that much more, try and land a similar job at a firm in a better city during 3L OCI or post-clerkship).

This sounds like a questionable (and, honestly, kind of a childish) reason to accept a job.

Your response sounds like a naive take on making significant life decisions.

Not everyone is drinking the big law Kool Aid, and the opportunity to experience a different type of law culture to better inform myself before making a career decision seems very valuable.

If you had the opportunity to test drive both a PC and a Mac before deciding which computer to buy, why wouldn't you?

Serious Q: Have you told firm 1 about firm 2? Are there going to be client conflicts?

Yes I told firm 1 (they then expressed their concerns). No client conflicts.

[Renzo]

[

Yes I told firm 1 (they then expressed their concerns). No client conflicts.

But you were all, "fuck it, I don't need this job so bad that I have to listen to what you tell me."

[A'nold]

If you don't want the second job, why would you take it?

Because it's a completely different culture from big law. It's a boutique. Under 25 attorneys. If firm #1 didn't express any concerns, I would absolutely love to experience both types of places to better inform my choice 2 or 3 years down the road when I'm ready to get out of big law (or if I loved the 2nd one that much more, try and land a similar job at a firm in a better city during 3L OCI or post-clerkship).

This sounds like a questionable (and, honestly, kind of a childish) reason to accept a job.

Your response sounds like a naive take on making significant life decisions.

Not everyone is drinking the big law Kool Aid, and the opportunity to experience a different type of law culture to better inform myself before making a career decision seems very valuable.

If you had the opportunity to test drive both a PC and a Mac before deciding which computer to buy, why wouldn't you?

When you know for sure that you want the PC and not the Mac and you risk not being able to get the PC (b/c they are, in this imaginary world EXTREMELY hard to get and once you blow the chance to get one you can basically never get another one) b/c you think that one day like 5 years from now you might want to consider getting a Mac?

Damn I'm good. *Ace Ventura "can you feel it" dance*

[Anonymous User]

[

Yes I told firm 1 (they then expressed their concerns). No client conflicts.

But you were all, "fuck it, I don't need this job so bad that I have to listen to what you tell me."

What?

Here's the order things happened:

1. Smaller firm gives me offer for 4 weeks in the summer whenever I can fit it into my schedule. They don't care if I work elsewhere during the summer. I say cool, that fits in with my schedule and I'll be able to do the full summer program in big law.

2. Big firm gives me offer. I accept for 10 weeks.

3. Big firm's questionnaire asks if you plan to work anywhere else during the summer. I was honest and said yes and where.

4. I then asked about this and whether it would be a big deal to them (perhaps should have been done earlier in the process, but since it wasn't technically splitting, I didn't see the problem).

5. Some concerns were expressed, mostly in the "well, if it comes down to you and another person, it might be a consideration" variety.

When you know for sure that you want the PC and not the Mac and you risk not being able to get the PC (b/c they are, in this imaginary world EXTREMELY hard to get and once you blow the chance to get one you can basically never get another one) b/c you think that one day like 5 years from now you might want to consider getting a Mac?

I didn't know I was risking not getting the PC until recently. See above. And I'd be open to getting a mac if it was that much better.

[vamedic03]

Look, it's too late now – you've accepted both offers.

But, here's the thing - do good work over the summer.

Yup, if you do a good job over the summer, then you'll get offers.

[Anonymous User]

[

Yes I told firm 1 (they then expressed their concerns). No client conflicts.

But you were all, "fuck it, I don't need this job so bad that I have to listen to what you tell me."

What?

Here's the order things happened:

1. Smaller firm gives me offer for 4 weeks in the summer whenever I can fit it into my schedule. They don't care if I work elsewhere during the summer. I say cool, that fits in with my schedule and I'll be able to do the full summer program in big law.

2. Big firm gives me offer. I accept for 10 weeks.

3. Big firm's questionnaire asks if you plan to work anywhere else during the summer. I was honest and said yes and where.

4. I then asked about this and whether it would be a big deal to them (perhaps should have been done earlier in the process, but since it wasn't technically splitting, I didn't see the problem).

5. Some concerns were expressed, mostly in the "well, if it comes down to you and another person, it might be a consideration" variety.

When you know for sure that you want the PC and not the Mac and you risk not being able to get the PC (b/c they are, in this imaginary world EXTREMELY hard to get and once you blow the chance to get one you can basically never get another one) b/c you think that one day like 5 years from now you might want to consider getting a Mac?

I didn't know I was risking not getting the PC until recently. See above. And I'd be open to getting a mac if it was that much better.

Bluster at best, irrelevant at worst. Your performance and schmoozing will determine whether or not you get the offer from the SA position. Second job will have zero effect on first job. None. I would gloss over it completely, don't bring it up henceforth. If they ask, tell them some sob story about how you need the money to support your 17 younger siblings or something. If you give them a reason that's not "I might not want to work for you" can they really hold it against you? And if they do, do you really want to work there??

[A'nold]

[

Yes I told firm 1 (they then expressed their concerns). No client conflicts.

But you were all, "fuck it, I don't need this job so bad that I have to listen to what you tell me."

What?

Here's the order things happened:

1. Smaller firm gives me offer for 4 weeks in the summer whenever I can fit it into my schedule. They don't care if I work elsewhere during the summer. I say cool, that fits in with my schedule and I'll be able to do the full summer program in big law.

2. Big firm gives me offer. I accept for 10 weeks.

3. Big firm's questionnaire asks if you plan to work anywhere else during the summer. I was honest and said yes and where.

4. I then asked about this and whether it would be a big deal to them (perhaps should have been done earlier in the process, but since it wasn't technically splitting, I didn't see the problem).

5. Some concerns were expressed, mostly in the "well, if it comes down to you and another person, it might be a consideration" variety.

When you know for sure that you want the PC and not the Mac and you risk not being able to get the PC (b/c they are, in this imaginary world EXTREMELY hard to get and once you blow the chance to get one you can basically never get another one) b/c you think that one day like 5 years from now you might want to consider getting a Mac?

I didn't know I was risking not getting the PC until recently. See above. And I'd be open to getting a mac if it was that much better.

COSDNEBAP

Change Of Story Does Not Erase Being A'nold Pwned

Seriously, this is a bad idea all around. Your defensiveness is strange considering everything you told us.

Also, the risk of "not getting the rare PC" is not this job specific. Once you miss the 2L OCI train it's all over most of the time for this kind of work.

[Anonymous User]

[

Yes I told firm 1 (they then expressed their concerns). No client conflicts.

But you were all, "fuck it, I don't need this job so bad that I have to listen to what you tell me."

What?

Here's the order things happened:

1. Smaller firm gives me offer for 4 weeks in the summer whenever I can fit it into my schedule. They don't care if I work elsewhere during the summer. I say cool, that fits in with my schedule and I'll be able to do the full summer program in big law.

2. Big firm gives me offer. I accept for 10 weeks.

3. Big firm's questionnaire asks if you plan to work anywhere else during the summer. I was honest and said yes and where.

4. I then asked about this and whether it would be a big deal to them (perhaps should have been done earlier in the process, but since it wasn't technically splitting, I didn't see the problem).

5. Some concerns were expressed, mostly in the "well, if it comes down to you and another person, it might be a consideration" variety.

When you know for sure that you want the PC and not the Mac and you risk not being able to get the PC (b/c they are, in this imaginary world EXTREMELY hard to get and once you blow the chance to get one you can basically never get another one) b/c you think that one day like 5 years from now you might want to consider getting a Mac?

I didn't know I was risking not getting the PC until recently. See above. And I'd be open to getting a mac if it was that much better.

COSDNEBAP

Change Of Story Does Not Erase Being A'nold Pwned

Seriously, this is a bad idea all around. Your defensiveness is strange considering everything you told us.

Also, the risk of "not getting the rare PC" is not this job specific. Once you miss the 2L OCI train it's all over most of the time for this kind of work.

ITRDNAOM

Inability to read does not an ownage make.

From my second post in this thread:

If firm #1 didn't express any concerns, I would absolutely love to experience both types of places to better inform my choice 2 or 3 years down the road when I'm ready to get out of big law (or if I loved the 2nd one that much more, try and land a similar job at a firm in a better city during 3L OCI or post-clerkship).

I asked a question about a future decision, and instead you decided to call the reasoning for my past decisions childish. So yes, I am defensive about that because it's both frustrating and irrelevant.

[A'nold]

But you were all, "fuck it, I don't need this job so bad that I have to listen to what you tell me."

What?

Here's the order things happened:

1. Smaller firm gives me offer for 4 weeks in the summer whenever I can fit it into my schedule. They don't care if I work elsewhere during the summer. I say cool, that fits in with my schedule and I'll be able to do the full summer program in big law.

2. Big firm gives me offer. I accept for 10 weeks.

3. Big firm's questionnaire asks if you plan to work anywhere else during the summer. I was honest and said yes and where.

4. I then asked about this and whether it would be a big deal to them (perhaps should have been done earlier in the process, but since it wasn't technically splitting, I didn't see the problem).

5. Some concerns were expressed, mostly in the "well, if it comes down to you and another person, it might be a consideration" variety.

When you know for sure that you want the PC and not the Mac and you risk not being able to get the PC (b/c they are, in this imaginary world EXTREMELY hard to get and once you blow the chance to get one you can basically never get another one) b/c you think that one day like 5 years from now you might want to consider getting a Mac?

I didn't know I was risking not getting the PC until recently. See above. And I'd be open to getting a mac if it was that much better.

COSDNEBAP

Change Of Story Does Not Erase Being A'nold Pwned

Seriously, this is a bad idea all around. Your defensiveness is strange considering everything you told us.

Also, the risk of "not getting the rare PC" is not this job specific. Once you miss the 2L OCI train it's all over most of the time for this kind of work.

ITRDNAOM

Inability to read does not an ownage make.

From my second post in this thread:

If firm #1 didn't express any concerns, I would absolutely love to experience both types of places to better inform my choice 2 or 3 years down the road when I'm ready to get out of big law (or if I loved the 2nd one that much more, try and land a similar job at a firm in a better city during 3L OCI or post-clerkship).

I asked a question about a future decision, and instead you decided to call the reasoning for my past decisions childish. So yes, I am defensive about that because it's both frustrating and irrelevant.

1. Your quote does not affect anything I said and if you re-read you will (or at least you should) see why that is.
2. I did not say your reasoning was childish directly. The childish part was added in a parenthetical.

But, after reading your future posts, I am actually convinced that you have a lot of growing up to do so I guess I'll stand by that little side note I added in my first post. I hope you figure out how to be a grown up for your own good here op, you decisions in the next few months may very well affect your career trajectory.