Reneging on verbal acceptance Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm a 1L SA and I was extended an offer to return next summer. I verbally committed to returning but regretted it immediately. If I don't have any other options outside of the market this firm is in, I would return but I would strongly prefer to live and work on the other side of the country. Is there anyway to gracefully fix this?

[TheThriller]

Tell them that you have TheThriller lined up to take your place

[Anonymous User]

That's good. You have one in the bag. Try your hand at OCI, etc. If you get something in your ideal market, accept it and tell Firm 1 that for personal reasons, you want to work across the country. If you don't find something, you have an SA. If you renege, that's just biz. Just know you probably can't ever work for them again.

Don't renege until you have something else!

Edit: did not mean to be anon. - mvpforme

[hoos89]

Better not let them see you doing OCI.

[lawhopeful10]

You could just tell them you appreciate the opportunity but you have decided to spend the summer somewhere else. Say sorry for any inconvenience and then move on. Things like this happen. Make sure you have another offer first though.

[JamMasterJ]

try to split summers

[igo2northwestern]

Tread carefully here. I'd clear things up first before OCI; one call to your school and I'm pretty sure that's the end of your OCI interviews (and your current offer). Interviewing after accepting an offer is a huge no-no.

[Nammertat]

Tread carefully here. I'd clear things up first before OCI; one call to your school and I'm pretty sure that's the end of your OCI interviews (and your current offer). Interviewing after accepting an offer is a huge no-no.

Not exactly. You're confusing this with 2L OCI. As a 1L, he'll have the opportunity to still return 2L summer, but split with another firm... effectively keeping his word.

[igo2northwestern]

Tread carefully here. I'd clear things up first before OCI; one call to your school and I'm pretty sure that's the end of your OCI interviews (and your current offer). Interviewing after accepting an offer is a huge no-no.

Not exactly. You're confusing this with 2L OCI. As a 1L, he'll have the opportunity to still return 2L summer, but split with another firm... effectively keeping his word.

Oooh right. Sorry about that, hope I didn't scare ya, OP.

[Anonymous User]

Tread carefully here. I'd clear things up first before OCI; one call to your school and I'm pretty sure that's the end of your OCI interviews (and your current offer). Interviewing after accepting an offer is a huge no-no.

Not exactly. You're confusing this with 2L OCI. As a 1L, he'll have the opportunity to still return 2L summer, but split with another firm... effectively keeping his word.

Oooh right. Sorry about that, hope I didn't scare ya, OP.

You did!

As far as splitting is concerned, how would I go about arranging that?

I'd ideally prefer to work somewhere else entirely next summer but it seems like there may be negative repercussions if I reneg. The firm was in contact with my school shortly after I accepted their offer for this summer.

[philly33]

Tread carefully here. I'd clear things up first before OCI; one call to your school and I'm pretty sure that's the end of your OCI interviews (and your current offer). Interviewing after accepting an offer is a huge no-no.

Not exactly. You're confusing this with 2L OCI. As a 1L, he'll have the opportunity to still return 2L summer, but split with another firm... effectively keeping his word.

Oooh right. Sorry about that, hope I didn't scare ya, OP.

You did!

As far as splitting is concerned, how would I go about arranging that?

I'd ideally prefer to work somewhere else entirely next summer but it seems like there may be negative repercussions if I reneg. The firm was in contact with my school shortly after I accepted their offer for this summer.

Unless you absolutely hate your firm/market, I'd say split. If you work it right, it's 3 or 4 weeks of extra SA pay and it gives you a good backup plan if the firm you go to isn't what you expected.

[igo2northwestern]

Tread carefully here. I'd clear things up first before OCI; one call to your school and I'm pretty sure that's the end of your OCI interviews (and your current offer). Interviewing after accepting an offer is a huge no-no.

Not exactly. You're confusing this with 2L OCI. As a 1L, he'll have the opportunity to still return 2L summer, but split with another firm... effectively keeping his word.

Oooh right. Sorry about that, hope I didn't scare ya, OP.

You did!

As far as splitting is concerned, how would I go about arranging that?

I'd ideally prefer to work somewhere else entirely next summer but it seems like there may be negative repercussions if I reneg. The firm was in contact with my school shortly after I accepted their offer for this summer.

Genuinely sorry about that--I understand how stressful the process is, and I'm sure that wasn't helpful. A thousand pardons.