Best Summer Associate Event Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi All,

I am on my firm's recruitment committee (hence, the anonymous post). I am trying to get ideas for the remainder of our summer calendar. Since I am old and washed up, I'm trying to get feedback from current/recent summer associates on events that you enjoyed (or those that you didn't). Any feedback/ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Arad]

I really enjoyed summer bonuses.

[MurdockLLP2]

I really enjoyed summer bonuses.

Seconding this - its the only real answer.

[whosinthehousejc]

Rented out the local major league stadium for batting practice.

[Samark45]

Trapeze! A Broadway show is also always appreciated.

[jhett]

What city/region? If it's CA, best events I've done are surf lessons, and spa day at a beachside resort. If it's NY, then K-town dinner and karaoke, and renting out Central Park Zoo.

[JohnnieSockran]

I wish firms would do golf events, but seems uncommon. There's no reason you have to be good at golf, and you get to spend time in a smaller setting of 4 people so I feel like it would be a good way to get to know a few people pretty well.

[Dunnkirk85]

Anything that happens during the work day, for example going to a 1pm baseball game with an open bar/food, and to get there you have to leave by 11:30AM. Oh, and money.

[BasilHallward]

Anything that happens during the work day, for example going to a 1pm baseball game with an open bar/food, and to get there you have to leave by 11:30AM. Oh, and money.

This, except PGA event. We left the office at 10 and took an Uber back home. $$$

[icansortofmath]

Anything that involved non-bougie food and no alcohol during work hours.

[aspire2esquire]

Recommend Topgolf if there is a location by your firm

More inspo: https://www.vault.com/blogs/vaults-law- ... ate-events

[JohnnieSockran]

Anything that involved non-bougie food and no alcohol during work hours.

Ew.

[Anonymous User]

We recently did an after-hours tour at a museum and I seriously loved it.

[Anonymous User]

Ice cream social and lots of happy hours!

[Anonymous User]

Flew all the partners and summers to New Orleans for 24 hours of debauchery. Gambling, drinking, beignets, and even a god damn parade from bar to bar with police escort.

Firm? Putting together my bidlist and this seems relevant.

[TestAccount12345]

Flew all the partners and summers to New Orleans for 24 hours of debauchery. Gambling, drinking, beignets, and even a god damn parade from bar to bar with police escort.

Firm? Putting together my bidlist and this seems relevant.

lol highly relevant! K&E Houston. The lineup of events has been insane (NOLA, laser tag, improv, on-field suite for the Astros game, crawfish boil, skeet shooting, margarita lunches, casino night, wine tasting, countless happy hours and steak dinners...)

[Anonymous User]

Flew all the partners and summers to New Orleans for 24 hours of debauchery. Gambling, drinking, beignets, and even a god damn parade from bar to bar with police escort.

Firm? Putting together my bidlist and this seems relevant.

Kirkland & Ellis

[Wubbles]

I wish firms would do golf events, but seems uncommon. There's no reason you have to be good at golf, and you get to spend time in a smaller setting of 4 people so I feel like it would be a good way to get to know a few people pretty well.

Can confirm golfing in a charity golf outing (wasn't a planned summer event, a partner had to back out and knew I golfed) was my favorite event of the summer. Whole day off work, course I wasn't able to afford to play on until summering and still wouldn't pay for personally, and a nice small setting with coworkers (and met a client, which was cool). Didn't hurt that I got props for carrying the foursome in best ball as a fill-in with the cheapest set of clubs

[papermateflair]

I think you should aim for a mix of events - and perhaps allow summers to gracefully excuse themselves from events that are not in their wheelhouse (perhaps some sort of free pass from one event?). For example, a weekend of drinking in NOLA sounds absolutely terrible to me - if I had known in advance that would be happening at the firm I was going to, I would have done everything in my power to avoid having to go. Lots of summers aren't golfers, and some may not want to spend their time heavily drinking (or drinking at all) for various reasons. Try and be as inclusive as you can - it might *sound* fund to fly everyone to Jamaica and spend the weekend getting spa treatments, but if one of your summer associates is a single parent, that's really going to make it difficult for them to attend.

Ultimately, almost all of your summers are going to come back as associates, regardless of the events you have - the 3L job market isn't great! - and sometimes it's not about having the event that 3/4 of the summers will remember forever, while the other 1/4 is miserable. It's about having consistent opportunities for the summers to meet people and feel like a part of the firm. I fully recognize that I might be in the minority of people who *hated* the "fun" events as a summer associate - obviously we're all different, and there's no pleasing everyone.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now I've had a great time at more low-key events, like taco truck tours, paint-nites, cooking competitions, escape rooms, going to a play, etc. The museum idea sounds great too - I would have really enjoyed that.

[janereacher]

Hi All,

I am on my firm's recruitment committee (hence, the anonymous post). I am trying to get ideas for the remainder of our summer calendar. Since I am old and washed up, I'm trying to get feedback from current/recent summer associates on events that you enjoyed (or those that you didn't). Any feedback/ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Paint 'n Sip (Wine and painting). Very low pressure, no skills required, can elect not to drink and not feel awkward since you're still painting!

[miskellyjohnson]

I think you should aim for a mix of events - and perhaps allow summers to gracefully excuse themselves from events that are not in their wheelhouse (perhaps some sort of free pass from one event?). For example, a weekend of drinking in NOLA sounds absolutely terrible to me - if I had known in advance that would be happening at the firm I was going to, I would have done everything in my power to avoid having to go. Lots of summers aren't golfers, and some may not want to spend their time heavily drinking (or drinking at all) for various reasons. Try and be as inclusive as you can - it might *sound* fund to fly everyone to Jamaica and spend the weekend getting spa treatments, but if one of your summer associates is a single parent, that's really going to make it difficult for them to attend.

Ultimately, almost all of your summers are going to come back as associates, regardless of the events you have - the 3L job market isn't great! - and sometimes it's not about having the event that 3/4 of the summers will remember forever, while the other 1/4 is miserable. It's about having consistent opportunities for the summers to meet people and feel like a part of the firm. I fully recognize that I might be in the minority of people who *hated* the "fun" events as a summer associate - obviously we're all different, and there's no pleasing everyone.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now I've had a great time at more low-key events, like taco truck tours, paint-nites, cooking competitions, escape rooms, going to a play, etc. The museum idea sounds great too - I would have really enjoyed that.

Yes, this x 1000. I hated feeling like events were mandatory, and I especially I would hate having to pretend like I am having fun at a golf outing. "24 hours of debauchery in New Orleans with the partners" sounds like an invitation to inappropriate behavior, and I am actually surprised a firm would take a risk like that given the current atmosphere. I also enjoyed the more low key things (museum night / painting night / etc), otherwise the events just felt too much like a frat party to me .

[icansortofmath]

As an Asian man with really bad Asian flush (well beyond Zantac’s ability to help and I don’t want cancer anyway), I have always disliked events where drinking significant amount of alcohol seemed almost required.

That’s one of the reasons I preferred low key non alcoholic events and I know many other Asian associates felt the same way.

After hours or not isn’t important. It’s just almost every after hours event seems to expect alcohol drinking.

[Idontwanttomakeaname]

Hi All,

I am on my firm's recruitment committee (hence, the anonymous post). I am trying to get ideas for the remainder of our summer calendar. Since I am old and washed up, I'm trying to get feedback from current/recent summer associates on events that you enjoyed (or those that you didn't). Any feedback/ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

My firm had a day where they bussed us out to a partner's beachhouse where we had lunch and were then free to wander around the town/the beach in the afternoon followed by dinner at a local restaurant. Was absolutely the highlight of the summer.

[Anonymous User]

I may be in the minority here but I don't love the spin class/exercise class-type events. I do work out pretty regularly (and enjoy the free exercise class itself cause I can't afford that shit) but it can still be awkward, especially as a woman I just feel weird working out in front of my full-of-dudes office, idk... and it is probably also awkward for folks that aren't used to working out.

[icansortofmath]

Yeah. Workout events are just straight weird. A sign up sheet for a weekend 5k run with partners with the option to wait at a BBQ at the finish line sounds more like it.