Insight needed Forum

[Anonymous User]

It appears I have more or less struck out for a summer associate position. I have mailed every market I'm interested in (at this point most major markets are done anyway) and just received a ding from my last callback yesterday. I have had two screeners in my tertiary market that I have not heard back from yet that I would accept in a heartbeat. I did receive an offer with the Social Security Administration's office of the general counsel in NY. It is unpaid but sounds like an interesting experience. If I thought there was a good possibility it would lead to a full time offer I would not be hesitating to accept but I know that is not a good possibility with this particular agency. Additionally, I do not want to be in NY long term (I would put a year in if it meant I could transfer to the West Coast afterwards). Will a summer with the OGC SSA be a stain on my resume if I later try to go into private practice with a firm? It sounds like Summer's get really substantive work and even get involved in Secomd Circuiy arguments, but I don't want this to be something that pigeonholes me. Would it be a transferable stint if I want to go into L&E at a big firm? Thanks. Any insight would be appreciated. Really freaking out here.

[MKC]

Congratulations on having something lined up 8 months in advance. Seriously. I didn't get my 2L summer offer until late March. Mid-sized firms often hire much later in the cycle, and usually don't advertise openings. Keep networking and mass-mailing your ass off, and you still have a decent shot at landing something in your preferred market.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks but this is unhelpful. I am going to continue to hustle, but I am interested in hearing from people who have insight in how a summer at SSA would be looked upon by firms/government honors programs. I want some insight into whether it would be a resume stain for private practice or a neutral factor.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone? I fel like everyone will talk ad nauseum on this board about anything involving big law but posts regarding public sector employment are invisible... Sigh...

[rpupkin]

Anyone? I fel like everyone will talk ad nauseum on this board about anything involving big law but posts regarding public sector employment are invisible... Sigh...

Pro tip: When someone offers constructive advice (as MarkinKansasCity did) and you dismiss it as unhelpful, others will be less inclined to post. Also, combining confusing prose with a whiny, entitled attitude does not help matters.

[Anonymous User]

I do not think telling me that a lot of firms aren't done hiring when I am asking for insight on how a summer at the OGC of the SSA is viewed by firms later on is helpful. It gave me no insight into what I was asking.

[Anonymous User]

Also, I don't understand why what I asked was confusing.i attempted to clarify what I was interested in knowing once I saw I was given advice that was unhelpful. And I don't understand what was whiny or entitled. I even said "thanks" since he attempted to answer my question. I was simply asking for insight/advice from someone who might have knowledge/experience in regards to this particular situation, which last time I checked was one of the purposes of this board.

[mjb447]

It really hasn't been that long since you posted, particularly given that you've made it clear that you'll only accept a specific piece of information that's not really common knowledge.

[rpupkin]

And I don't understand what was whiny or entitled.

Anyone? I fel like everyone will talk ad nauseum on this board about anything involving big law but posts regarding public sector employment are invisible... Sigh...

[Anonymous User]

After interning at two government agencies and now having worked at an SSA OGC office (not NYC), I think you have an exaggerated idea of what you would work on during the summer. You might get to help a little on a circuit brief with research, but I would actually be extremely surprised if it went beyond anything a paralegal would be expected to do (I would hope they wouldn't let you do anything with those briefs because they're too important). Maybe they do things differently in New York and told you about that work though. Employment work can be slow, so I'm not sure how much you would do during the summer. But I would expect any employment work would be better than none to a firm.

Also, you do seem whiny and a little entitled. You have something lined up already, which is better than most. If this were May and you had no prospects, which will happen to some students, then it would be ok for you to be "really freaking out."

[A. Nony Mouse]

I do not think telling me that a lot of firms aren't done hiring when I am asking for insight on how a summer at the OGC of the SSA is viewed by firms later on is helpful. It gave me no insight into what I was asking.

Since you clearly don't really want to go there and are holding out on firms you haven't heard from yet, it's not entirely out of left field to talk about the possibility of getting other firm jobs before next summer.

I'm not sure how much SSA work would transfer to a L&E firm - benefits come from the government and someone who has an issue with their benefits is largely going to be dealing with the government, so my sense is that the people involved are attorneys who represent people on SS/trying to get SS, and then agencies who administer SS benefits; I'm not sure actual employers really get involved, which is who L&E firms usually represent. I don't think it will be a stain on your resume, but it won't be a direct plus the way that working for another firm or something more directly transferable would be.

[Anonymous User]

SSA OGC offices handle employment work for the agency just like a general counsel would for a company. That part of the job isn't related to disability benefits but to employment decisions made by the agency (hiring, firing, promotion, discipline, etc.). It would give experience in an area like employment discrimination that would transfer for employment defense, especially general skills like discovery. Other parts of employment work would be too government specific for a big law firm, except maybe arbitration since that is skill-based. OGC work is heavily disability benefits cases though, which is all brief writing.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Oh, duh, of course. I'm sorry, I glossed over the OGC part and was picturing something like working with a ALJ on SS appeals and the like. Never mind, you're right.

[Bubbles1012]

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[Minnietron]

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