Does 2L Summer Matter for Appellate Work? Forum

[Lisbontoo]

Hey everyone, wanted to get your insight on this. I'm currently deciding between offers two biglaw firms in Chicago for 2L summer. Firm A is definitely my preferred choice, but Firm B (Mayer) has a recognized appellate practice. I'd love to do appellate work, but it seems like you can't expect to do any appellate work at Mayer unless you have a COA clerkship. Considering this is the case, is there any reason to summer at Mayer? If I did score a COA clerkship down the line (a possibility with my stats but obviously not an easy path), do you think I'd be able to return if I turn them down for the summer?

[bk1]

It's not merely CoA, it's more along the lines of feeder CoA is what you should get to have a good shot at appellate lit. It really is that competitive. I would suggest picking between your options without regard to appellate lit since that is an unlikely outcome, unless your 1L grades are high enough to make a feeder a possibility.

Could you return to Mayer or some other firm that does appellate work after doing a clerkship? Quite possibly but it depends. If you have a clerkship it is likely that firms will want to hire you, but that isn't set in stone. Even clerks sometimes struggle to find a job (whether they have an offer from a firm or are trying to trade firms) because their job search often hinges on what the firm needs and in what practice area does it need it right now (since clerks are often hired at most months in advance, if not just a few weeks in advance).

[Law Sauce]

Whats the other firm? Why is it your preferred choice and how do you know?

[Elston Gunn]

It's not merely CoA, it's more along the lines of feeder CoA is what you should get to have a good shot at appellate lit. It really is that competitive. I would suggest picking between your options without regard to appellate lit since that is an unlikely outcome, unless your 1L grades are high enough to make a feeder a possibility.

Could you return to Mayer or some other firm that does appellate work after doing a clerkship? Quite possibly but it depends. If you have a clerkship it is likely that firms will want to hire you, but that isn't set in stone. Even clerks sometimes struggle to find a job (whether they have an offer from a firm or are trying to trade firms) because their job search often hinges on what the firm needs and in what practice area does it need it right now (since clerks are often hired at most months in advance, if not just a few weeks in advance).

I don't know a thing about Mayer Chicago, but I don't think this (needing a feeder) is quite true in Mayer DC. They have a lot of appellate work, and my impression is that the free market means if you're proactive about it you can get plenty.

I kind of doubt though that any firm outside of DC has enough appellate work for anyone, outside of a tiny number of hugely successful partners, to do exclusively appellate. If you're serious about wanting to do as much appellate as possible, you'll probably have to go to one of a few firms in DC post-clerkship, so in that sense it seems fine to take whatever firm you want now.