Should I be worried? Still no job for 2020 summer Forum

[GxGw1994]

When do most 2Ls tend to get their summer jobs? Is it odd to not have something lined up by late September? I’m kind of ashamed to ask around in case I’m an outlier.

[Wubbles]

Whether it's "odd" really depends on what type of school you're at and what type of job you're looking to get. Schools outside of the T14? Definitely not odd. Non-biglaw? Definitely not odd. Now if you are at a T14 seeking a biglaw position, while it may put you in some sort of minority group to not have a job at this point, plenty of people are in that situation every year and go on to find jobs later in the year, including in biglaw. Lots of hustle and mass mailing will be required though. If you're going for something in government I know a number of departments don't even open applications until October 1st.

[acr]

Whether it's "odd" really depends on what type of school you're at and what type of job you're looking to get. Schools outside of the T14? Definitely not odd. Non-biglaw? Definitely not odd. Now if you are at a T14 seeking a biglaw position, while it may put you in some sort of minority group to not have a job at this point, plenty of people are in that situation every year and go on to find jobs later in the year, including in biglaw. Lots of hustle and mass mailing will be required though. If you're going for something in government I know a number of departments don't even open applications until October 1st.

This. Big law hiring at the largest firms is a game of musical chairs that takes place between late July and mid-September. That doesn't mean you can't land a big firm job later in the year, but it's an uphill battle. Almost everything else in the legal world doesn't follow such a rigid, controlled hiring process. Midsize firms, small firms, government positions, public interest, etc. can all be obtained at any random interval during 3L. You just have to closely follow position postings in the markets you're interested in, work with your Career Services, and reach out to your network to let them know you're looking (family friends, professors, former employers).

[Anonymous User]

If you're looking for Big Law it is late. But, don't give up hope. A week ago at this time I had 0 offers after going on 9 callbacks and getting dinging after 7 of them. Now, I have 2 offers. I know it sounds corny, but you really have to just keep grinding until you get an offer. If I had given up after I struck out at OCI I wouldn't have gotten either of my offers. I won't lie - it was a really awful experience - but it made the joy of getting the offer call that much better. Best of luck, OP!

[JOThompson]

For everything but biglaw and fed, I don't think it's late. Most of my classmates didn't have anything lined up until early spring, but very few of us went to biglaw either.

[JHP]

Whether it's "odd" really depends on what type of school you're at and what type of job you're looking to get. Schools outside of the T14? Definitely not odd. Non-biglaw? Definitely not odd. Now if you are at a T14 seeking a biglaw position, while it may put you in some sort of minority group to not have a job at this point, plenty of people are in that situation every year and go on to find jobs later in the year, including in biglaw. Lots of hustle and mass mailing will be required though. If you're going for something in government I know a number of departments don't even open applications until October 1st.

This. Big law hiring at the largest firms is a game of musical chairs that takes place between late July and mid-September. That doesn't mean you can't land a big firm job later in the year, but it's an uphill battle. Almost everything else in the legal world doesn't follow such a rigid, controlled hiring process. Midsize firms, small firms, government positions, public interest, etc. can all be obtained at any random interval during 3L. You just have to closely follow position postings in the markets you're interested in, work with your Career Services, and reach out to your network to let them know you're looking (family friends, professors, former employers).

Exactly this, word for word.
Like everyone else has said, keep your eye out, look especially for government, smaller/midsize firms (though my experience is that more and more midsize firms recruit on the biglaw time frame). Look for local companies, banks (there are usually compliance or some other legal-related positions for summer) and in-house positions. I know quite a few people had landed these kinds of gigs over the summer.