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SA in large NY firm. What should I hope to "get" out of this summer? I guess another way of asking it is, What should my goals be for this summer? #1 is obviously don't fuck up, but that's not really what I'm asking.

Talk to associates in different practice groups about what their day to day in that group is actually like.

Try and get your hands on as wide a variety of different work as you can. Be proactive about it, tell whoever needs to know that you want broad exposure. Sometimes this isn't an option if your firm is hiring to fill a specific need in a specific group, but try and sample some litigation vs. transnational stuff. You want to learn what sort of work you HATE, so you don't get pigeonholed into doing it forever.

If your firm historically has a 100% offer rate for SAs, use your time to figure out which partners/senior associates are assholes, which practices are busy/slow, who gives you good experience right out of the gate, who gives you client contact and who works people to death.

If your firm doesn't historically have a 100% offer rate, focus 100% of your energy on pleasing everyone and doing A+ work (i.e., work that is well done and on time).

Biglaw_Associate_V20 wrote:If your firm historically has a 100% offer rate for SAs, use your time to figure out which partners/senior associates are assholes, which practices are busy/slow, who gives you good experience right out of the gate, who gives you client contact and who works people to death.

If your firm doesn't historically have a 100% offer rate, focus 100% of your energy on pleasing everyone and doing A+ work (i.e., work that is well done and on time).

180.

Also, if the opportunity is available (I know every firm is different) dabble in various practices areas. I swore I would hate securities litigation but got thrown on a project and have loved it ever since.

When I was a summer, associates told me about their fun projects, because that's what people naturally want to talk about. I wish I had asked someone to take me hour by hour through a typical week. And then maybe a bad one.

OP here, thanks for the responses. Aside from getting a sense of what different practices areas are like, is there anything else I should focus on?

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, thanks for the responses. Aside from getting a sense of what different practices areas are like, is there anything else I should focus on?

Getting to know people. Focus on being social in addition to producing whatever good work product you need to produce.

Friendly bump.