How much time did you have outside the firm during your SA? Forum

[bluthmodelhome]

I have an opportunity to continue some work that I did my 1L summer. It is remote work and consists mostly of checking for typos and ensuring standardized citations, so not mentally draining at all and I actually quite like it. Will I have time to do this for 10-15 hours per week? I will be an SA in California biglaw. Or will I be busier socializing than I realize? For context, I am already Working Part Time during Law School.

[Mullens]

There's a very good chance your firm won't allow this. At my firm we were explicitly told that we couldn't do any outside paid work.

You also likely won't have time to do this. Firms pack your social calendar and it's surprisingly exhausting to put on your happy face all the time.

[Anonymous User]

I have an opportunity to continue some work that I did my 1L summer. It is remote work and consists mostly of checking for typos and ensuring standardized citations, so not mentally draining at all and I actually quite like it. Will I have time to do this for 10-15 hours per week? I will be an SA in California biglaw. Or will I be busier socializing than I realize? For context, I am already working part time during law school.

I had one of the easier, definitely non-working leave at 5 almost every day type SAs, and I wouldn't have wanted to do it. Sure, I would have had plenty of time to do 10-15 hours of outside work, but I found being constantly "on" and sociable to be pretty exhausting in and of itself despite having few actual work responsibilities. I needed my weekends to recharge. But YMMV.

[Anonymous User]

My SA was similar to my first year, extremely busy. There is no chance I would have been able to fit 10-15 hours of work in. I wasn't even able to get a 2 hour journal assignment done over the weekend so I had to farm it out.

[RaceJudicata]

Enjoy your SA, and enjoy the money. No need to extend yourself - even if you have time and your firm allows it. If you have an interest in keeping in contact with 1L firm, i think it would be better to ask if you could come back 3L fall rather than do the work and flake out over the summer if things get too busy at the SA firm.

[albanach]

Let's imagine you take on the extra work and end the summer no-offered. Even if the firm gives a different reason, you'll be forever wondering if those hours spent on the second job could somehow have made a difference.

[TheSpanishMain]

I wouldn't. As others have said, you could make it work, but most firms compete with each other to have the most "fun" program, so they pack a lot of "voluntary" social activities into your schedule.

[bluthmodelhome]

Thanks for the responses guys. I will be turning down the opportunity.

[Anonymous User]

Everyone here is lame. If you find going out to dope lunches and drinking good booze for free while mingling with (mostly) interesting people in a similar social sphere to yours "exhausting" then yes you should probably drop this opportunity so you can recharge. If you everything just mentioned sounds awesome and you can fit 10 extra hours of work into a week that really is never more than 30 hours or so of actually doing stuff, then by all means make the extra cash, use it to go to Vegas or something in August.

I found my SA summer to be incredibly relaxing and a great time. YMMV, but it seems like most of the responses ITT are from more introverted folks who found the social aspects to be a negative. Personally I quite like drinking single malts and eating fancy foods for free. I definitely could have used some more work during the summer--although it was nice to have time for reading/watching Netflix.

[Anonymous User]

would people advise against living at home about ~hour commute from their firm for the summer? I will have couches to crash on in the city for late night social events but I wouldnt want to make that into a regular thing

[clouded.memory]

would people advise against living at home about ~hour commute from their firm for the summer? I will have couches to crash on in the city for late night social events but I wouldnt want to make that into a regular thing

I lived at home during my SA and took the bus about 30-45 minutes into town each day for work. It worked out pretty well, I'd say. The firm also paid for Ubers home if there was a social event that would keep me out late. And there weren't so many social events that I had to make Uber-ing or taking the late bus home a regular thing.

[favabeansoup]

would people advise against living at home about ~hour commute from their firm for the summer? I will have couches to crash on in the city for late night social events but I wouldnt want to make that into a regular thing

For the summer that sounds fine to me. You only have to do the commute for the 3 months, and you'll save a lot on rent assuming it's a major market.

When you're an associate, I would try to make it a smaller commute.

[Anonymous User]

YMMV but I was in a similar position this past summer and chose to take on the extra work. I didn't do any of it at the SA office and I found that I was able to attend the social events and manage my workload pretty well ( especially since I didn't have much to do during the SA workday anyway). I guess it depends on how drained you think you'll be after having to be "on" all day long.

[RaceJudicata]

YMMV but I was in a similar position this past summer and chose to take on the extra work. I didn't do any of it at the SA office and I found that I was able to attend the social events and manage my workload pretty well ( especially since I didn't have much to do during the SA workday anyway). I guess it depends on how drained you think you'll be after having to be "on" all day long.

Did you clear it with the firm beforehand? If so, then all is well. But if not, this could have caused serious, serious issues.

[Anonymous User]

I summered in CA big law this past year, worked 10-15 hours part-time for a professor doing research, and was on the board of law review doing 5-10 hours a week. I never missed a social event and went to HH whenever I was invited. I never had to put my part-time stuff before my summer work. I did not take any weekend trips or do much of anything on the weekend besides chores ands my part-time work. Though I was normally done by 6pm and went out a few times with my fellow summers. It sucked at times, but avoiding extra debt was well worth it. I had significant work experience before law school, so If I was a K-JD or close to it, I would recommend to probably just have more fun. Also, the SA is only 10 weeks and summer last like 14 weeks, so you will have plenty of time to travel before or after the SA.

[Avian]

Everyone here is lame. If you find going out to dope lunches and drinking good booze for free while mingling with (mostly) interesting people in a similar social sphere to yours "exhausting" then yes you should probably drop this opportunity so you can recharge. If you everything just mentioned sounds awesome and you can fit 10 extra hours of work into a week that really is never more than 30 hours or so of actually doing stuff, then by all means make the extra cash, use it to go to Vegas or something in August.

I found my SA summer to be incredibly relaxing and a great time. YMMV, but it seems like most of the responses ITT are from more introverted folks who found the social aspects to be a negative. Personally I quite like drinking single malts and eating fancy foods for free. I definitely could have used some more work during the summer--although it was nice to have time for reading/watching Netflix.

It's not necessarily about not enjoying partying, it just gets tiring staying up late most nights and drinking heavily. I liked having some recovery time and working 15 hours a week on the side would cut into that. My summer was very much 9 - 5 (not including events) , and even not working 100% of the time you're still there 40 hours a week. It's not like OP is going to be doing this work while at the firm, so that's still a big chunk of time that will probably come out of time to relax on the weekends.

[RaceJudicata]

What is the benefit of continuing to work for the 1L firm? extra money? maintain relationship? I'm confused on that part of the equation.

[jbagelboy]

This doesn't sound like a good idea. Do it this spring or after the SA summer is over in August.

I did continue to be paid as an RA and do research work over the summer, but that was encouraged as in the same vein as mandatory summer LR/journal assignments. So I wouldn't rule out that 10-15 add'l hours per week exist at the firm if you make room for them. But you shouldn't spend that time completing assignments for another private sector employer.

[bluthmodelhome]

What is the benefit of continuing to work for the 1L firm? extra money? maintain relationship? I'm confused on that part of the equation.

This doesn't sound like a good idea. Do it this spring or after the SA summer is over in August.

I did continue to be paid as an RA and do research work over the summer, but that was encouraged as in the same vein as mandatory summer LR/journal assignments. So I wouldn't rule out that 10-15 add'l hours per week exist at the firm if you make room for them. But you shouldn't spend that time completing assignments for another private sector employer.

It is not for a firm, it was a paid research assistant position for a professor. But as I said above, I've already turned it down.

[jbagelboy]

What is the benefit of continuing to work for the 1L firm? extra money? maintain relationship? I'm confused on that part of the equation.

This doesn't sound like a good idea. Do it this spring or after the SA summer is over in August.

I did continue to be paid as an RA and do research work over the summer, but that was encouraged as in the same vein as mandatory summer LR/journal assignments. So I wouldn't rule out that 10-15 add'l hours per week exist at the firm if you make room for them. But you shouldn't spend that time completing assignments for another private sector employer.

It is not for a firm, it was a paid research assistant position for a professor. But as I said above, I've already turned it down.

Oh. Well you should have made that clear. I would not have turned that down.