Quitting Summer Associate Position Forum

[Anonymous User]

The thread title says it all.

I hate it. I don't have any interest in being a lawyer. I have something else lined up for when I graduate law school. It is not a JD-preferred job. The job is with a company that has a project that will be launching in a a year. Right now I am helping with taking that project off the ground in a part time capacity. If I were to leave the SA I could be involved full time.

The job is not legal in any way. The job is not contingent on my SA position being completed.

What are the negative implications that I am not thinking about? As far as I can see, there is no reason to stay at this job over the summer other than making cash.

As to money considerations, I am not attending full ride, but with the part time work that I do and my scholly, I am not taking on anymore debt.

At this point I want to finish because I am pretty far in, but I have contemplated quitting.

[rad lulz]

I'd stay to make easy cash

That's reason enough

[Lateral2013]

What would you do instead? You may hate it today, but love it in two weeks when the paycheck comes. I would really discourage you from burning bridges. A few weeks isn't enough time to decide with any amount of certainty you love or hate anything. I just really see no upside to you in doing it.

Edited to add: the implications: you never know where the attorneys or recruiters you are working with right now will end up. Most people don't stay in law their whole lives, you could find yourself interviewing for your dream job and the final decision comes down to someone who knew you as "That Kid Who Quit After Two Weeks". In addition, many people at your law school will find out about it and you will get a reputation, may not be important now, but as you get more experience (in whatever you do) you will find that your law school connections can help or hurt you immensely. If you have a reputation like that, more than likely, you will ensure your law school connections will be of no help to you later.

[ManOfTheMinute]

isn't it $3k/week cash over the summer? If you can throw away that kind of money...

[Anonymous User]

isn't it $3k/week cash over the summer? If you can throw away that kind of money...

I should have prefaced it by saying this is mid-law in a secondary market, so it is not even close to $3K. Regardless I never went to law school for the cash, so staying at something that I'm not happy with for the cash seems silly.

Lateral - So you're saying I would be giving up too soon correct? I guess I have a hard time believing anyone would fault a person for realizing that this is not what their passion is and moving on to other things. If you are saying the rep would be that I gave up too quickly, I can understand that.

To answer your question, I would start in and give more focus to the field that I will be going in to after graduation. The SA job limits what I can do in that regard. Quitting the job would allow me to put more time and energy into that as opposed to sitting around doing something that I have zero interest in.

[Jsa725]

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[Anonymous User]

Are you K-JD or did you come into LS w/ WE? If you are K-JD, then use this job to build your résumé...

LS w/ 7 years WE.

[Mount Elbrus]

Try to get fired and collect severance pay

[09042014]

Just do a shitty job and take their money.

LOL at not considering money because you didn't "go to law school for the money." Are you stupid or just an occupy chump? Either way, take the mans free money.

[Anonymous User]

Just do a shitty job and take their money.

LOL at not considering money because you didn't "go to law school for the money." Are you stupid or just an occupy chump? Either way, take the mans free money.

Apparently I am just stupid. I mean fuck doing something that you enjoy right? Might as well just sit around and collect that paper.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Lateral - So you're saying I would be giving up too soon correct? I guess I have a hard time believing anyone would fault a person for realizing that this is not what their passion is and moving on to other things. If you are saying the rep would be that I gave up too quickly, I can understand that.

I agree that this would make you look like you're giving up too quickly. Also, it's one thing to realize something isn't your passion and move on, but this is a temporary job. It's what, 10 weeks of your life? If it were a permanent position I could see the value in leaving as soon as you realized it wasn't for you, but since there's a definite end to the job, I would say suck it up and don't burn bridges. The few extra weeks you'd get by quitting now are really not going to make a difference to anything in the long run, and you presumably made a commitment.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Just do a shitty job and take their money.

LOL at not considering money because you didn't "go to law school for the money." Are you stupid or just an occupy chump? Either way, take the mans free money.

Apparently I am just stupid. I mean fuck doing something that you enjoy right? Might as well just sit around and collect that paper.

For a ten-week job? Yes, it would be stupid to quit. Forget "fuck doing something that you enjoy" because your choice right now isn't between something you hate and something you enjoy. It's probably between something you hate and doing jack shit all summer.

Whether you like the job or not, whether it'll be relevant to your future career or not, quitting a three-month job after two weeks makes you look like a flake.

Why wouldn't you stick it out? You hate it so much you can't deal for two months?

[Willsmithjr]

Please read this recent WSJ article that suggests the fallacy of the sage advice of "doing what you love."

http://on.wsj.com/140kWWt

There are other implications of you quitting early. You would set a bad example for those in law school with extensive work experience. This group always has to overcome the perception from hiring partners that they are not committed to the requirements of the job.

Another consequence is that you may miss out on connections you make with clients or partners who may be of assistance to you professionally or as members of your community in your new endeavor, whatever it may be.

My suggestion to you is to finish the job and politely decline their offer for full time employment (if there is one). Do a good job while you are on the job -- not just because you're worried about your reputation but because you have a duty to yourself to do the best job at whatever you do regardless of your motivation. There will be MANY times in your life when you will have to do something because you have to and this is one of them. Prove to yourself that you can still do a good job even when your heart is not in it. Finish what you start.

The only reason you should quit now is if you have an incredible opportunity that you will miss out on if you don't join now. For example, joining a startup that will own Facebook/Google/Apple, working in the White House, marrying a major European Royal figure, attending space camp because you've been selected to be one of the first colonists on Mars, etc. You get the idea. If the opportunity you seek will still be there in 12 weeks, then you bought to finish the job you started.

[09042014]

Just do a shitty job and take their money.

LOL at not considering money because you didn't "go to law school for the money." Are you stupid or just an occupy chump? Either way, take the mans free money.

Apparently I am just stupid. I mean fuck doing something that you enjoy right? Might as well just sit around and collect that paper.

You aren't quitting to "do something you enjoy" you are quitting to sit at home all day. It's what, 8 more weeks? 8 weeks of sitting at a desk 7 hours a day, getting free lunches and getting paid 1500 bucks a week.

I'm not saying to do law forever, I'm saying to finish your SA.

You do appear stupid.

[bceagles182]

Even if you don't want to work there after graduation, it is important to your future employers that you have that "offer extended" line on your resume. Not having that is a black mark that will follow you around.

[Anonymous User]

Just do a shitty job and take their money.

LOL at not considering money because you didn't "go to law school for the money." Are you stupid or just an occupy chump? Either way, take the mans free money.

Apparently I am just stupid. I mean fuck doing something that you enjoy right? Might as well just sit around and collect that paper.

For a ten-week job? Yes, it would be stupid to quit. Forget "fuck doing something that you enjoy" because your choice right now isn't between something you hate and something you enjoy. It's probably between something you hate and doing jack shit all summer.

Whether you like the job or not, whether it'll be relevant to your future career or not, quitting a three-month job after two weeks makes you look like a flake.

Why wouldn't you stick it out? You hate it so much you can't deal for two months?

The choice isn't between jack shit or something I hate. As I said, its between the SA and throwing myself full time into the work I will be doing post graduation. I have been doing this in a part-time capacity and it would be a lot more fulfilling to do it full time. It would be nearly impossible to do that while working at the firm as well.

Thanks to WillSmith for listing the consequences. You're right. Those are something to keep in mind. Yes the opportunity will still be there after the SA. The benefit would be getting involved sooner. The SA just seems entirely pointless and that it is taking my time away from something I would enjoy more and something I will be doing in the future. I appreciate you laying out the other side of the argument.

Also, thank you for the article. I am lucky enough that in addition to being something I enjoy, it will pay well.

[Anonymous User]

Just do a shitty job and take their money.

LOL at not considering money because you didn't "go to law school for the money." Are you stupid or just an occupy chump? Either way, take the mans free money.

Apparently I am just stupid. I mean fuck doing something that you enjoy right? Might as well just sit around and collect that paper.

You aren't quitting to "do something you enjoy" you are quitting to sit at home all day. It's what, 8 more weeks? 8 weeks of sitting at a desk 7 hours a day, getting free lunches and getting paid 1500 bucks a week.

I'm not saying to do law forever, I'm saying to finish your SA.

You do appear stupid.

I thought made it more clear in the initial post, but I can see I did not. My bad.

I would not be quitting to sit at home all day. I am currently working 70 hours a week between the SA and the other opportunity. I would be quitting to be able to put in another 20 hours or so a week to that opportunity.

[Peyton]

The thread title says it all. I hate it. I don't have any interest in being a lawyer. As far as I can see, there is no reason to stay at this job over the summer other than making cash.

If you are at the firm now and writing TLS instead of doing your SA work, do everyone a big favor, Quit today.

[BaiAilian2013]

[ I guess I have a hard time believing anyone would fault a person for realizing that this is not what their passion is and moving on to other things.

Eh, quitting after two weeks at a ten-week SA is pretty poor form. It's not that you made a binding commitment, or that the firm will fall apart without you, but it just.... looks douchey. Or like you have major personal issues. I mean, you made sort of a custom-based commitment. They wanted a certain number of SAs, and if they knew one of them was going to quit, they would have hired someone else. It's rude.

[Anonymous User]

The thread title says it all. I hate it. I don't have any interest in being a lawyer. As far as I can see, there is no reason to stay at this job over the summer other than making cash.

If you are at the firm now and writing TLS instead of doing your SA work, do everyone a big favor, Quit today.

Well that about sums it up. I think we can close the thread now.

[random5483]

Quitting is a bad idea. You don't have to accept a job offer from them. Even getting "no-offered" is better than quitting. If you quit, you lose out on summer work experience, burn bridges with potentially influential attorneys in your region, and negatively impact your resume.

The legal community is small and chances are the attorneys you work with know other attorneys in the region. Quitting your summer associate position could hurt your reputation in the region and impact your chance of getting future offers from other firms.

Stick it out with the firm. You only have 8-12 more weeks to go (most likely 8-10). Make some money to take less student loans. Get some valuable work experience. Look for other jobs in your 3L OCI (assuming 2L SA) or consider applying for other types of positions (smaller firms, government jobs, public interest, etc). If you don't like the work, don't accept the offer for a job if you get one. But don't quit mid summer.

[Jsa725]

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[Anonymous User]

OP, please define:

I have something else lined up for when I graduate law school.

I have a job lined up with a company that has a project that will be launching in a a year. Right now I am helping with taking that project off the ground in a part time capacity. If I were to leave the SA I could be involved full time.

The job is not legal in any way. The job is not contingent on my SA position being completed.

[Jsa725]

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[Anonymous User]

OP, please define:

I have something else lined up for when I graduate law school.

I have a job lined up with a company that has a project that will be launching in a a year. Right now I am helping with taking that project off the ground in a part time capacity. If I were to leave the SA I could be involved full time.

The job is not legal in any way. The job is not contingent on my SA position being completed.

ok ok... and you are 100% certain that a full-time offer awaits post LS?
also, are you interested in doing any type of legal work whatsoever once that project is complete?

Yes. I have it in writing. No I am not interested in law as a back up plan. Once the project is completed I would be managing the project. Sorry for being so vague, just trying to maintain anonymity.