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I am a recent grad with an offer from my 2L summer firm. I've applied to other firms lately due to my firm delaying our starts and not being financially secure. Do these firms contact my 2L firm at all? Concerned that if I decide to stay, the inquiries would look bad.

In a similar position and would love to know (also if there are consequences for reneging)

I'm anonymous because my profile is very outable and I'm commenting on personalities at my office.

With regard to whether it looks bad to renege, yes, but I also think that we're in an increasing atmosphere where firms don't care. You might not ever be able to get a job again (ever) at that particular firm, but you left it for a reason. Then again, if you're a mid-level who has the experience they're seeking, they might even hire you again despite the reneging. I doubt it would have an impact in your career with respect to other firms.

Think about the logistics. You renege on a full-time offer at Firm A. Associate X is absolutely incensed because IDK... they're just weird like that. You go to Firm B. Unless you're particularly awful, you'll probably be at Firm b for 1-3 years. 2 years later, you apply to Firm C. At that point, Associate X may have left the market or biglaw altogether, but let's assume they're still at Firm A. They'd have to 1) somehow hear about your application at a different firm 2) remember some rando reneging 2 years earlier 3) not have cooled down enough or matured enough in the interim to act like an adult 4) have friends at Firm C 5) have so little work to do that they somehow have the free time to fuck with someone else's career 6) reach out to their friend at Firm C and 7) hope that their friend also thinks that it's reasonable to act as they have (most people wouldn't). I have never met a lawyer or recruiter whose personality vaguely suggests that they're that petty and vindictive, and where I work is not exactly known for great personalities. Okay. I have met one lawyer or recruiter with that kind of personality, but my sense was that everyone kind of knew that they were a nasty person and discounted their opinion appropriately.

Some exceptions to the above are if Associate X ends up at Firm C and might even be interviewing you, then yeah, big impact, but that's a lot of bad luck on the draw... Another exception is if a particularly powerful partner intervenes, but come on... partners have better shit to do. Another might be if you're a tiny, tiny market or tightly-knit bar, then yeah, probably big impact.

Are people mass mailing firms in the same market or seeing posts for first year positions?