I received an offer from GAO recently and am pretty excited about the opportunity. When I talked with them, it sounds like they, unlike most government summer programs, have given offers to most of their summer associates in the past.
I am currently considering turning down firm offers to summer at the GAO. I really want government, and I was just going to use a firm as a way to eventually try to exit to government anyway. I'm probably overthinking this, but is there anything I am missing? Does anyone here have any experience with GAO?
Government Accountability Office Forum
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Re: Government Accountability Office
Just as a word of warning, I too turned down multiple firm offers to accept a summer position at a federal agency that typically gave out offers to most of the people in its summer program (about 3 years ago). I had the same thinking as you--I want to go into government anyway, maybe this is how I can skip the biglaw stage. Low and behold, budget cuts happened and they didn't give a single offer. I went from having multiple biglaw offers for 2L summer to being unable to get a single callback 3L year. For a long time, it looked like I would end up unemployed just because of that one decision. Near graduation, I applied to a different federal agency and ended up getting an offer--and I love this job. However, had it not been for some last minute luck, my legal career could very well have been over before it started. Granted, there likely won't be budget cuts that deep for a long time again. But the agency I work in now tries to give all our interns full time offers and there have been some years where we were able to do it, and other years where due to less FTEs or lower departmental budgets--completely random events--we weren't.
If these firms are V100 firms that typically give offers to 100% of the class, take the firm offer. The government offer isn't worth the risk and you'll be able to lateral into government in a few years anyway if you're persistent enough. If these are smaller firms with lower offer rates, than take the GAO offer.
If these firms are V100 firms that typically give offers to 100% of the class, take the firm offer. The government offer isn't worth the risk and you'll be able to lateral into government in a few years anyway if you're persistent enough. If these are smaller firms with lower offer rates, than take the GAO offer.
