Kirkland Summer options Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am going to work at kirkland this summer and thought I wanted to do corp and told them that during OCI but now I think i might want to do lit. Are they relatively open to me switching around over the summer and then making my decision? or are they going to hold me to corp?

[Anonymous User]

self bump

[Stressed but blessed]

1L here, so take this for what its worth but from what I have heard from people and from the firms I will be working at this summer is that they try to expose you to as many different practice areas as you would like.

Very few people actually know what they want to do after their first year so they aren't going to force you to do one thing an one thing only. Most likely you will get a broad array of tasks and assignments. Plus it's easier to make project from lit. side for SA's than it is to give a SA like a M&A project or something of the likes

Hope this helps

[Anonymous User]

1L here, so take this for what its worth but from what I have heard from people and from the firms I will be working at this summer is that they try to expose you to as many different practice areas as you would like.

Very few people actually know what they want to do after their first year so they aren't going to force you to do one thing an one thing only. Most likely you will get a broad array of tasks and assignments. Plus it's easier to make project from lit. side for SA's than it is to give a SA like a M&A project or something of the likes

Hope this helps

Do you know of any talk of this from Kirkland specifically or just firms generally

[L’Étranger]

1L here, so take this for what its worth but from what I have heard from people and from the firms I will be working at this summer is that they try to expose you to as many different practice areas as you would like.

Very few people actually know what they want to do after their first year so they aren't going to force you to do one thing an one thing only. Most likely you will get a broad array of tasks and assignments. Plus it's easier to make project from lit. side for SA's than it is to give a SA like a M&A project or something of the likes

Hope this helps

Nah. It's not really like this.

I can't speak specifically to Kirkland but if you were hired to do corp, they expect you to do corp. Most firms have very specific hiring requirements. Switching practice groups or office locations is not super simple at most firms. I'd play it by ear.

[trebekismyhero]

Slightly disagree with the above. If you're going to Kirkland's Chicago or NY office they will likely not care. You might have gotten preference for saying you want to do corporate, but as long as there is still a need in Litigation they will take you. In the summer they'll let you do work in Lit and Corporate and then you preference at the end of the summer. Obviously if the need is greater in corporate you might still end up there.

I do agree, play it by ear though. Not something you need to bring up your first week of your SA.

[Anonymous User]

K&E junior associate here. It will largely depend on whether there is need in lit or not. In other words, you're basically guaranteed (to the extent that's possible in biglaw) a spot in the corporate group; you can probably push your way into lit by just taking on lit projects off of the project database as a summer and then letting the recruiting ppl know throughout the summer that you'd like to switch, but if lit is really dead and will be for the foreseeable future they might push back. I know at least one person in my starting class did the reverse, lit-->corp, but I'm sure the reverse is very do-able too.

[Anonymous User]

Also going to kirkland this summer. does anyone know if their restructuring group is hot right now. not signed up for it currently, but definite interested in giving it a try after taking bankruptcy this semester. might want to do it but would have to switch into it. Hoping their bankruptcy practice is going to be hot so they can take more people.

[Anonymous User]

K&E restructuring is always busy. I know a few people who summered in corp and chose to switch over to bankruptcy, and vice versa. Be prepared to work, but if after speaking with others and getting a few assignments you're still committed then go for it.

[Anonymous User]

Also going to kirkland this summer. does anyone know if their restructuring group is hot right now. not signed up for it currently, but definite interested in giving it a try after taking bankruptcy this semester. might want to do it but would have to switch into it. Hoping their bankruptcy practice is going to be hot so they can take more people.

If you're working in the NY office, "hot" fails to describe how out of control busy they are at the moment. There's a huge need for bodies, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

[Anonymous User]

Also going to kirkland this summer. does anyone know if their restructuring group is hot right now. not signed up for it currently, but definite interested in giving it a try after taking bankruptcy this semester. might want to do it but would have to switch into it. Hoping their bankruptcy practice is going to be hot so they can take more people.

If you're working in the NY office, "hot" fails to describe how out of control busy they are at the moment. There's a huge need for bodies, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

Thanks for the response. Actually heading to Chi. but I assume that that will hold true regardless?

[Anonymous User]

I summered at Kirkland's Chicago office last summer, but not returning. You'll be fine. They'll email u at some point (if they haven't already) asking if u wanna change your practice preference or if u wanna add a second area of interest. Just add litigation and then do some lit work during the summer (get to know ppl in the group). Towards the end of your summer, they'll ask you which way you're leaning.

[Anonymous User]

Also going to kirkland this summer. does anyone know if their restructuring group is hot right now. not signed up for it currently, but definite interested in giving it a try after taking bankruptcy this semester. might want to do it but would have to switch into it. Hoping their bankruptcy practice is going to be hot so they can take more people.

I summered with their bk group. It's super busy. Great associates/partners in that group. Don't have to switch into it up front, just add as second area of interest

[Anonymous User]

So you would not recommend telling them in the beginning that your interest lies in bankruptcy? Instead just go there under the corporate group and then take bankruptcy assignments and pick it at the end?

[Anonymous User]

So you would not recommend telling them in the beginning that your interest lies in bankruptcy? Instead just go there under the corporate group and then take bankruptcy assignments and pick it at the end?

Bump

[Anonymous User]

So you would not recommend telling them in the beginning that your interest lies in bankruptcy? Instead just go there under the corporate group and then take bankruptcy assignments and pick it at the end?

Bump

Also going to K&E - just call and ask them what the options are? Or reach out to the partners/associates you clicked with during the interview to see their thoughts

[Anonymous User]

Incoming restructuring SA. A few of the associates I interviewed with summered in the corporate group and switched over to restructuring, and there were people in the restructuring group who switched over to corporate. So deciding where you want to be at the end of the summer seems pretty straightforward and shouldn't be an issue.

[Anonymous User]

Summer from last year. Each group was basically recruiting us all summer to join their groups. Take assignments in the groups you want, make friends with associates/partners, and pick what you want. That's how it was last summer at least.