Another Annoying Summer Associate Work Question Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi y'all

Hoping for some advice/reassurance about my workload as a summer associate. I am at a V50 in NYC that typically offers all of their summer associates. However, my billing has been pretty low so far (like 5-6 hours a day) versus my peers who claim they are doing like 7-9 hours a day. Is this going to be a big problem? I have reached out to associates and partners in my practice group for work but it doesn't seem like they really have anything for me to do. For example, last Wednesday I just sat around waiting for the assigning associate to get off a call to give me work.

I love the firm so far, but I am incredibly nervous that my work products and efficiency are lagging behind my peers. Furthermore, I don't know if it counts for anything, but I had a HUGE GPA boost after last semester (first 4.0 in law school woot woot, im also a transfer so one semester has a pretty big impact).

Any thoughts or suggestions on how to improve would be great. Thanks for your time!

[Anonymous User]

I’ve only had like 5-6 billable hours a week so far, even after reaching out for work, so I think you’re fine. Or else I’m royally screwed.

[papermateflair]

Do you have an assigned mentor you can ask about this? I think a lot of firms wouldn't really care about your particular hours as long as you're doing good work and actually working, but I summered at a Big Law firm that was really insistent that we hit 7-8 hours a day of billable (or pro bono) time, and you should definitely figure out what type of firm you're at. I think most folks here would tell you not to worry about your hours so much, and that's probably the best advice you need, but I'll give some advice on the assumption that after you talk to someone you confirm that your firm actually cares and wants you billing in the 7-9 range instead of 5-6.

Keep the work assignment coordinator in the loop about what's going on, or talk to the summer associate coordinator and get a sense from them if this is normal for the group you're assigned to. Are you allowed to do work outside of your assigned practice group? If so, maybe ask permission from the group (chat with a mentor or someone in the know first so you aren't doing something out of line with the group's expectations) to add in a couple projects from other groups. Also consider whether you can do nonbillable work for your group - writing legal alerts or articles for them may be just as valuable as billable work. Ultimately, you want to be able to show that you are spending your time doing productive work for the group, whatever that is.

[bajablast]

I have a hard time believing summer associates are billing 7-9 hours a day (especially within the first 2-3 weeks of starting?), they are probably padding their numbers....I really wouldn't worry that much about billing during your summer, just focus on learning what you enjoy and don't do anything weird.

[goanchors]

A lot of places will ask you to bill all the social events, networking, lunches, etc. to a general summer associate number, so that could be where they are getting those extra hours.

[Anonymous User]

You should be accounting for 7 hours a day at least, but you should probably be filing that time with non-billable codes (like lunches or "professional reading" when you are just sitting around).

Don't worry about billing at all, I know multiple people who had weeks as a summer who billed 0-5 hours of actual work and had no issues getting an offer.

[nealric]

I don't think anybody really cares about summer associate billables. Most of your time (if not all) is going to be written off anyways. What matters is whether people you've worked with liked your work product and like working with you.

[Anonymous User]

If a Summer is billing 7-9 hours a day they aren’t doing summer right. I billed 50 hours total over an 10 week period my summer.

[whats an updog]

agree with the people above that you should be billing your summer activities and meetings and lunches to the appropriate numbers.

[Anonymous User]

If you have free time either (1) get social and get to know more people (without bugging or distracting them if they are clearly busy) because that's more people to support the decision to offer you and (2) read practical law articles or other summaries put out by your firm and Practical Law, etc. on your related practice.

And bill your time for all of that.

My take is that personality and social credit is much more effective at snagging an offer than billables... obviously if you can get some substantive projects and one on one time with folks that's great too.

[Anonymous User]

I’m a midlevel associate and I’m barely billing 7-9 hours a day (I’m on the lower end of my firm, obviously). I would be surprised if summers are actually billing 7-9 hours.

[existentialcrisis]

Basically zero chance your firm cares about Summers’ billables.

Also extraordinarily unlikely that your firm is actually billing clients for that work.

[tlsguy2020]

You’ll get an offer but you’re certainly off of partner track due to your low summer associate billables

[Bosque]

Hi y'all

Hoping for some advice/reassurance about my workload as a summer associate. I am at a V50 in NYC that typically offers all of their summer associates. However, my billing has been pretty low so far (like 5-6 hours a day) versus my peers who claim they are doing like 7-9 hours a day. Is this going to be a big problem? I have reached out to associates and partners in my practice group for work but it doesn't seem like they really have anything for me to do. For example, last Wednesday I just sat around waiting for the assigning associate to get off a call to give me work.

I love the firm so far, but I am incredibly nervous that my work products and efficiency are lagging behind my peers. Furthermore, I don't know if it counts for anything, but I had a HUGE GPA boost after last semester (first 4.0 in law school woot woot, im also a transfer so one semester has a pretty big impact).

Any thoughts or suggestions on how to improve would be great. Thanks for your time!

If you are billing 5-6 hours and the other summers are billing 7-9, it is far more likely that they are being inefficient, not you. 5-6 hours is fine, it's hard to find things for summers to do. Clients don't like to pay for them so it takes special effort to think of a summer appropriate project, and everyone else is probably swamped (it takes time to think of work for you and provide instructions). Firms don't hire summmers because they need the extra help now, they hire summers because they eventually need first year associates.

As long as you are being responsive, recording your time, and volunteering when the opportunity comes up, you should be fine.