2L Worried About BigLaw Assignments Forum

[TLSNYC]

Have an SA lined up for this summer w/ big law firm in NYC. Recently started reading up on what the litigation department does and am a little bit worried/freaked out. Some of the causes of actions and factual descriptions of cases confuse the heck out of me. I've taken corporations but struggle a bit with grasping some of the concepts. Am I right to be worried or am I overreacting? As a first year associate (I'm not as worried about the summer since I feel the bar is lower), will there be some hand holding if you don't understand some complex litigation surrounding hardcore financial transactions or whatever? I realize this probably varies by firm, but just looking for general reflections.

[Anonymous User]

.

[BeenDidThat]

Have an SA lined up for this summer w/ big law firm in NYC. Recently started reading up on what the litigation department does and am a little bit worried/freaked out. Some of the causes of actions and factual descriptions of cases confuse the heck out of me. I've taken corporations but struggle a bit with grasping some of the concepts. Am I right to be worried or am I overreacting? As a first year associate (I'm not as worried about the summer since I feel the bar is lower), will there be some hand holding if you don't understand some complex litigation surrounding hardcore financial transactions or whatever? I realize this probably varies by firm, but just looking for general reflections.

They won't hold your hand, but they also know you're not going to be an expert in everything straight out of law school. You need to be able to do research in order to understand things that you don't already understand. No partner is going to sit there for two hours describing the contours of the law surrounding, say, minority shareholder oppression, but they will make sure you know the key things that start you down the road of researching/understanding/analyzing/transmitting the knowledge or arguments you need to transmit.

Most everyone with good grades in law school has the brains to do the work, but has little knowledge of the practice of law. You just need to understand your role in the organization in which you are working and take responsibility for your work. It's not simple stuff; it's mentally taxing. But you can do it if you commit to working hard and don't have an attitude.

[09042014]

Use secondary sources to learn the general law surrounding the issue.

SA assignments are like 2/3 babywork, and 1/3 fishing expedition that nobody expects you to find anything.