Summer associate bag/brief ideas Forum

[Anonymous User]

2L SA coming up, and I'm trying to find any excuse to put off studying for my last final.

I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations as to what kind of bag/brief I should get for the summer. I've been planning on getting a slim briefcase - something canvas or brushed leather (not too formal looking). I'm just concerned that a slim brief might not be big enough (think like 2-3 inch depth). How much paper/docs do people take home with them?

If it'd be smarter to have something a little bigger, I was thinking of going with a messenger bag. Would a messenger bag be too informal? I'm working at a more conservative firm, but a West Coast office that is business casual.

What do you guys think?

[TheDogWhisperer]

ask first if you actually need this.. at mine, you don't

[mr.hands]

I bought one last year and didn't use it even once during my 12 week summer. Not a single day.

[Anonymous User]

So you never really had to bring anything to/from the office? Kind of like being at a bar without a drink, I always feel a little empty-handed when I come into work without a bag of some kind.

[UnicornHunter]

[mr.hands]

So you never really had to bring anything to/from the office? Kind of like being at a bar without a drink, I always feel a little empty-handed when I come into work without a bag of some kind.

No. There's just nothing for you to bring. I wouldn't spend $100+ buying a bag just for the sake of having something to bring in. You can get one when you start working for real

[moonman157]

Tagging. I also feel weird not bringing a bag, especially since I love to spend the subway ride reading a book and don't want to look like a tool walking in with a book in my hand every day. I have a black backpack but I'm not sure if that's "fancy" enough, but I feel like I would look way too formal with a briefcase or something. Is a messenger bag TCR?

[Br3v]

Do we bring our own laptop or just use a computer there?

[03152016]

Tagging. I also feel weird not bringing a bag, especially since I love to spend the subway ride reading a book and don't want to look like a tool walking in with a book in my hand every day. I have a black backpack but I'm not sure if that's "fancy" enough, but I feel like I would look way too formal with a briefcase or something. Is a messenger bag TCR?

ya same
i have a black chrome backpack
idk if it's formal enough

if it's true we don't need a bag that would be cool

[A. Nony Mouse]

Do we bring our own laptop or just use a computer there?

You use a computer there, because of security and file management systems and so on.

[nsideirish]

What about bringing a bag w/ a change of clothes or whatever if you plan on going straight out to the bars from work? My apartment is a 20 min train ride in the opposite direction from the nightlife area so I'd rather not have to take the train home, change, and then train it right back into the city.

[dixiecupdrinking]

It's really hard to convey how little anyone at your summer firms will care about what you're wearing or carrying to work. It's natural to overthink this stuff because it's a big deal from your perspective, but you have to remember you will barely penetrate the awareness of anyone important all summer. If you want to bring a change of clothes, bring it in a plain backpack or a messenger bag or literally anything that doesn't call undue attention to yourself and you will be absolutely fine.

[shock259]

What about bringing a bag w/ a change of clothes or whatever if you plan on going straight out to the bars from work? My apartment is a 20 min train ride in the opposite direction from the nightlife area so I'd rather not have to take the train home, change, and then train it right back into the city.

Can you not just wear the clothes you have on...?

Also, when I was a summer we were explicitly told that we were not permitted to bring work home for liability reasons. AKA they were think we're idiots and don't trust us.

[Anonymous User]

I'm an associate at a business casual, West Coast law firm. I carry my laptop to/from work in the laptop bag my firm gave me on my first day. I'm thinking of getting a laptop backpack instead for ergo reasons. I almost never carry papers to/from work because I prefer to work electronically/look at docs on my second monitor. I have never noticed or cared what (if anything) a summer associate was carrying to or from work. Nor do I think the partners notice/care what I am carrying to/from work, except that culturally, it might seem weird if an associate never took their laptop home.

[Anonymous User]

What about bringing a bag w/ a change of clothes or whatever if you plan on going straight out to the bars from work? My apartment is a 20 min train ride in the opposite direction from the nightlife area so I'd rather not have to take the train home, change, and then train it right back into the city.

When I needed a change of clothes for an event, I brought them in a (non-ratty) gym bag and never felt awkward about it.
Edit: accedental anon