Top Law Schools

A member of my immediate family just had a near fatal heart attack and is still in a coma. It is unclear whether there will be brain damage/whether he will come out of a coma/ how much support he will need when and if he comes back. The problem is we don't really know anything.

I, like a lot of people here, am scheduled to start my 2L SA this coming Monday. First, does anyone know the protocol for discussing this with HR/atty mentor at the firm? I guess it is very possible that things go so poorly with my family member that I can't be at the firm to start the job. Second, if our prayers are answered and he comes back, and my family member needs support over the coming months, is it permissible to perhaps ask for a Friday off to come down and spend some time with him over a 3 day weekend (he is in a city far away from my 2L SA location)?

My underlying fear is the firm gets upset that I accumulate a number of missed days.

Thanks.

Anonymous User wrote:A member of my immediate family just had a near fatal heart attack and is still in a coma. It is unclear whether there will be brain damage/whether he will come out of a coma/ how much support he will need when and if he comes back. The problem is we don't really know anything.

I, like a lot of people here, am scheduled to start my 2L SA this coming Monday. First, does anyone know the protocol for discussing this with HR/atty mentor at the firm? I guess it is very possible that things go so poorly with my family member that I can't be at the firm to start the job. Second, if our prayers are answered and he comes back, and my family member needs support over the coming months, is it permissible to perhaps ask for a Friday off to come down and spend some time with him over a 3 day weekend (he is in a city far away from my 2L SA location)?

My underlying fear is the firm gets upset that I accumulate a number of missed days.

Advice: it is much better to stay away for as long as necessary in the beginning rather than rushing back to start work and then leaving again. It might be easier to just ask for the first week off and see if you can make it up at the end. I would use 4th of July to visit if possible, or don't visit.

I would call HR assuming you don't have a close relationship with a partner.

Sorry to hear about your family member. Sounds awful...

Email your firms recruiting dept. asap to get a delayed start date (ask for a day or two, they'll likely offer more anyways). There's a good chance they have some students starting a week late anyways due to exams. As for taking a day off later in the summer, don't bring it up yet. Wait for that time to come. Most firms are okay with summers taking a day off if necessary (though rule of thumb is that more than this is a bit weird w/o a really good reason).

Send recruiting (and/or the summer associate coordinator and your partner mentor) a brief email explaining the situation. Tell them that you may have to miss time to be with your family. They will likely be very understanding.

Don't stress about this at all. If this is a big law summer program, the firm is not counting on you to deliver substantive work. The firm's Summer Associate program is basically a 10-week long recruiting party. They want you to have a nice time; they want you to return to your law school and say great things about the firm.

The firm will want to evaluate your written work. They can do that after seeing a couple of memos. They will also want to see that you're not a social retard. They can do that if you go to most of the firm's social events. If you have to miss a day (or even a week) because of a family emergency, it's not going to interfere with the firm's ability to evaluate you.

Yeah, email is good too.I would call but email may be better.

Hey everyone, thank you very much for your helpful responses. I went with the brief e-mail and I hope the firm is okay with the situation. I figured HR having it in writing for reference would be convenient and easiest.

Anonymous User wrote:Hey everyone, thank you very much for your helpful responses. I went with the brief e-mail and I hope the firm is okay with the situation. I figured HR having it in writing for reference would be convenient and easiest.

Firm will be more than fine with this. Don't worry about it.

NYSprague wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Hey everyone, thank you very much for your helpful responses. I went with the brief e-mail and I hope the firm is okay with the situation. I figured HR having it in writing for reference would be convenient and easiest.

Firm will be more than fine with this. Don't worry about it.

Yeah - even if you were an associate with responsibilities this is the kind of thing everyone would understand. For a summer it's a non issue. Focus on your family. Good luck.

NYSprague wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Hey everyone, thank you very much for your helpful responses. I went with the brief e-mail and I hope the firm is okay with the situation. I figured HR having it in writing for reference would be convenient and easiest.

Firm will be more than fine with this. Don't worry about it.

This.
Best of luck with your family - hang in there.

nygrrrl wrote:

NYSprague wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Hey everyone, thank you very much for your helpful responses. I went with the brief e-mail and I hope the firm is okay with the situation. I figured HR having it in writing for reference would be convenient and easiest.

Firm will be more than fine with this. Don't worry about it.

This.
Best of luck with your family - hang in there.

As much negative stuff there is in big law, people are decent when true real life emergencies occur.