What's the first year timeline once you start in big law? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Do you dive in as soon as you're through with training and know you've passed the bar?

Is there a period where you're only working on one issue at a time?

How long are you a clerk?

[randomthrowaway]

Do you dive in as soon as you're through with training and know you've passed the bar?

Is there a period where you're only working on one issue at a time?

How long are you a clerk?

How long is a piece of string? This is going to vary wildly from firm to firm and practice group to practice group.

You'll generally start in the fall, before you even know whether or not you passed the bar (at least in my state). You'll have a few days to a week or two weeks of training. Then you'll start doing actual work. How much work and what type of work is going to be completely firm and practice group dependent.

By clerk, do you mean summer associate? Most summer associate programs are 10 weeks.

[nixy]

If the OP is talking about the title “clerk” on a firm website - that just means you haven’t been admitted to the bar yet. Once you find out you’ve passed the bar and formally get admitted, you become an associate. It doesn’t have anything to do with your work or training or timeline as an associate beyond that.

[Anonymous User]

If the OP is talking about the title “clerk” on a firm website - that just means you haven’t been admitted to the bar yet. Once you find out you’ve passed the bar and formally get admitted, you become an associate. It doesn’t have anything to do with your work or training or timeline as an associate beyond that.

This is what I meant. Thank you.

[almostperfectt]

In my experience people are slow from starting until around this time of year when a bunch of people quit/lateral. Then people sort into either (1) ramping up to be very busy or (2) falling through the cracks and leaving/coasting.