2L Summer Internship at PE Firm? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi all,

I struck out at OCI at T14 (low-ish grades, didn't bid well). I've been applying to all the jobs I can find and trying to network. I met a corporate lawyer at a big firm in NY for coffee and told him my situation and my desire to work in corporate law.

He explained to me that in his opinion, a great way for me to get good experience in corporate work was to try to find a summer internship at a PE firm (as opposed to going to government route which is all lit).

Has anyone had experience getting a position like this? I haven't heard of anyone doing it, and I can't seem to find too many PE firms who are looking for summer interns.

I'd appreciate all help, thanks.

[Anonymous User]

A number of people at my HYS do this during 1L summer. There's not a lot of work to go around, and obviously these firms are not going to hire straight out of law school. Better than doing nothing, I guess.

[Anonymous User]

One of the top PE firms (KKR/Blackstone/Carlyle) typically hires 1 or 2 people from my T30 and it works out great for them. It'll completely depend on how much you take advantage of the situation though. If you bump up your grades 2L year, network like crazy with outside counsel while you're at the PE firm, then there's a good shot you could secure big law through 3L OCI.

I wouldn't say government is all lit though. If you could secure a regulatory position (non-enforcement or policy at the SEC/CFTC/OCC/Fed) then that might be beneficial to have on your resume, but government doesn't have anywhere close to the networking opportunities that you'd have at a PE firm.

[Anonymous User]

One of the top PE firms (KKR/Blackstone/Carlyle) typically hires 1 or 2 people from my T30 and it works out great for them. It'll completely depend on how much you take advantage of the situation though. If you bump up your grades 2L year, network like crazy with outside counsel while you're at the PE firm, then there's a good shot you could secure big law through 3L OCI.

I wouldn't say government is all lit though. If you could secure a regulatory position (non-enforcement or policy at the SEC/CFTC/OCC/Fed) then that might be beneficial to have on your resume, but government doesn't have anywhere close to the networking opportunities that you'd have at a PE firm.

Typically? Like year after year?

[Anonymous User]

One of the top PE firms (KKR/Blackstone/Carlyle) typically hires 1 or 2 people from my T30 and it works out great for them. It'll completely depend on how much you take advantage of the situation though. If you bump up your grades 2L year, network like crazy with outside counsel while you're at the PE firm, then there's a good shot you could secure big law through 3L OCI.

I wouldn't say government is all lit though. If you could secure a regulatory position (non-enforcement or policy at the SEC/CFTC/OCC/Fed) then that might be beneficial to have on your resume, but government doesn't have anywhere close to the networking opportunities that you'd have at a PE firm.

Typically? Like year after year?

Yea. They conduct on campus interviews every year and do a typical screener for 10-20 people. They've given an offer to someone at least the past 3 years. They've also hired a few grads who didn't have jobs lined up.

[jbagelboy]

I have classmates that worked at Blackrock and some smaller funds during 1L summer; others were at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse (different type of client, though, and these are mostly diversity gigs). These positions exist but I wouldn't say they're common, and the peoole I know who have them all have biglaw-type credentials.