Not to get too far ahead of myself, but when do these generally take place? 1L at a lower T14 and absolutely focusing on grades > employment options right now, but my significant other was talking Christmas break vacation plans and I thought I read somewhere some take place around Christmas time.
Also, is it true that offers are often given out before first semester grades are released? I know these positions are rare, but I'm a double minority of sorts, with good/interesting WE. I'd like to target SoCal (medium-strength ties) or NY if possible.
Any insight into the hiring process or assessment of my prospects is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
1L SA Interviews Forum
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
-
BigZuck
- Posts: 11730
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:53 am
Re: 1L SA Interviews
Yes some interviews do take place during Christmas break and yes some 1L SAs are handed out before grades are released. I go to UT which probably has more 1L SAs than any other school and by and large it seemed like most interviews were done during second semester after first semester grades were released.
It's up to you whether you want to potentially count that chicken now, before the egg has even been laid (let alone hatched). Given that you're thinking of non-TX markets (and, honestly, even if you were thinking of TX markets) I would go ahead and proceed with life plans and then cross that bridge when and if it hatches.
It's up to you whether you want to potentially count that chicken now, before the egg has even been laid (let alone hatched). Given that you're thinking of non-TX markets (and, honestly, even if you were thinking of TX markets) I would go ahead and proceed with life plans and then cross that bridge when and if it hatches.
-
graphia
- Posts: 98
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 5:00 pm
Re: 1L SA Interviews
A lot of 1L SA interviews do tend to happen in late December. On the other hand, many of these are people interviewing in their home market who were going to be in town visiting family anyway. Side note: if you'll be in town during the break, include this information in your cover letter ("I will be in town from December X through December Y, and am available to meet at your convenience," etc). It's less risk for the firm to bring you in for an interview. They don't have to pay airfare/hotel costs to bring you in, so their only real expense is the attorneys' time spent interviewing you.
1L SA'S don't necessarily turn into a 2L SA or full-time offer, but worst case scenario it's still good experience (to the limited extent this matters for 1L summer) and pays ~30k. Your next best alternative will likely pay ~10k. Best case scenario, it turns into a full-time offer and you can either trade up during OCI or cruise through your 2L and 3L years secure in the knowledge you won't be unemployed with six figure debt.
It's ultimately a judgment call. You're entering a profession where you will likely be expected to sacrifice a significant chunk of your personal life to the altar of the career gods. Some will say you might as well get used to it now, and others will say you should enjoy the freedom while you can. Both are reasonable.
I understand and mostly agree with Zuck's advice not to count your chickens, but even if it's far from a sure thing, prioritizing the trip over interviews still decreases (however slightly) the chances of a desirable outcome. I missed a family member's wedding to interview with an organization I ended up striking out with. I felt like an idiot, and I felt like an asshole. But it was my dream job, and I wouldn't have even had the opportunity to screw it up if I went to the wedding instead. Take this with a massive grain of salt, but I feel I made the right decision, even though the outcome would have been the same either way.
Bottom line: unless this trip is extremely important to you, I would advise prioritizing interviews.
1L SA'S don't necessarily turn into a 2L SA or full-time offer, but worst case scenario it's still good experience (to the limited extent this matters for 1L summer) and pays ~30k. Your next best alternative will likely pay ~10k. Best case scenario, it turns into a full-time offer and you can either trade up during OCI or cruise through your 2L and 3L years secure in the knowledge you won't be unemployed with six figure debt.
It's ultimately a judgment call. You're entering a profession where you will likely be expected to sacrifice a significant chunk of your personal life to the altar of the career gods. Some will say you might as well get used to it now, and others will say you should enjoy the freedom while you can. Both are reasonable.
I understand and mostly agree with Zuck's advice not to count your chickens, but even if it's far from a sure thing, prioritizing the trip over interviews still decreases (however slightly) the chances of a desirable outcome. I missed a family member's wedding to interview with an organization I ended up striking out with. I felt like an idiot, and I felt like an asshole. But it was my dream job, and I wouldn't have even had the opportunity to screw it up if I went to the wedding instead. Take this with a massive grain of salt, but I feel I made the right decision, even though the outcome would have been the same either way.
Bottom line: unless this trip is extremely important to you, I would advise prioritizing interviews.
