How to get a 3L, pre-clerkship SA? Forum

[davidagnew]

Suddenly wondering whether I should enter OCI and try and get one of those unusual 3L SA gigs. I haven't done OCI at all before. My upcoming 2L summer is will be at the leading plaintiff's firm in a mid-size city (not in NY/CA/IL/DC). My clerkship is a two-year term, a place I am happy living in for two years, but also not a major legal market. I'm T14, top 1/3, no LR or journal.

Totally thrilled to have this clerkship, but having my first post-grad employment set is also making me think more vividly and concretely about what comes after that. Like my wish for soul-nurturing legal employment might not be realistic, and I should have some actual knowledge of biglaw. (I don't have any yet, except I often hear people say they hate it all except the money).

My typical 3L SA problem: What about the bar exam? Will firms really be cool about letting me walk in to an SA, work a cushier-yet schedule that lets me study for the bar, etc?

My goals: earn money my pre-clerk summer; gain useful first-hand knowledge of how I might feel about being a firm attorney; have a secure post-clerkship employment option; get bar expenses/stipend.

Does it matter that I didn't even try to do OCI for my 2L summer?

[Anonymous User]

Similar boat: I tested the waters and found firms weren't receptive to a 3L with two years of clerkships lined up. Pre-clerk SAs suck because they are studying for the bar and two years out is a long time to leave an offer waiting. Most firms told me to hit them up when I got into the second year of clerking.

[Anonymous User]

Similar boat: I tested the waters and found firms weren't receptive to a 3L with two years of clerkships lined up. Pre-clerk SAs suck because they are studying for the bar and two years out is a long time to leave an offer waiting. Most firms told me to hit them up when I got into the second year of clerking.

Does this mean you looked and found totally nothing, or looked and found it to be difficult?

Also, what's the appropriate time to be mass-mailing?

[mogwli]

Has this ever been a thing where 3Ls can do an SA before they start their clerkship? Legitimate question as I have NEVER heard of someone doing this nor can I imagine why a firm would in the first place. Firms lose substantial amount of money on SAs, and they only do it because the SAs are more than likely coming back in <2 years to recoup their investment.

Giving an pre-2year clerk SA to a just graduating 3L, in which he will just be totally checked out because hes studying for the bar, won't be back for 2+ years, and more than likely won't choose that firm to come back to (given more options becoming available) just seems nuts to me. Obviously a dream for anyone going to a clerkship but there doesn't seem to be really any benefit to the firm. This isn't pre-2007 where firms went bonkers and hired everyone, classes are substantially smaller across the board.

I would be legitimately amazed if this was a thing except for the a truly special snowflake.

[Anonymous User]

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[A. Nony Mouse]

I have seen people here report that this has happened, although I think it is pretty rare (and maybe becoming rarer? Like it makes sense to me that it was more of a thing before the recession, but that's a guess). I've never heard of it happening for a 2-year clerk and I've never actually met anyone who's done this.

[Anonymous User]

Similar boat: I tested the waters and found firms weren't receptive to a 3L with two years of clerkships lined up. Pre-clerk SAs suck because they are studying for the bar and two years out is a long time to leave an offer waiting. Most firms told me to hit them up when I got into the second year of clerking.

Does this mean you looked and found totally nothing, or looked and found it to be difficult?

Also, what's the appropriate time to be mass-mailing?

The only one willing to do a pre clerkship SA was my summer firm (in a market I was looking to get out of, hence the testing the waters elsewhere).

Based on your description, you can safely save your time--you arn't getting a pre clerkship SA (they really arn't a thing unless you are trying to decide between offers and the firm wants to woo you).

[Anonymous User]

I'm actually doing this starting later this month for about six weeks. It's a smaller litigation boutique (25-50 lawyers) in a mid-size market. I split my previous summer with a large firms NYC office and their satellite office in the mid-size market. Landed it purely through networking but would be a good landing spot if I decide not to return to NYC following the clerkship.

[thsmthcrmnl]

The NYC biglaw firm I 2L summered at let me come back for a pre-clerk, 3L summer. It was amazing. I was explicitly told to spend half my time studying for the bar.

EDIT: But I was going to clerk for only one year.

[gerrydawg]

The NYC biglaw firm I 2L summered at let me come back for a pre-clerk, 3L summer. It was amazing. I was explicitly told to spend half my time studying for the bar.

EDIT: But I was going to clerk for only one year.

What firm is this? Even if you won't answer that, how did you go about even asking about this? Have a clerkship lined up after I graduate, and could definitely use the extra cash that summer while studying for the bar. Going to NYC biglaw this summer.

[Anonymous User]

The NYC biglaw firm I 2L summered at let me come back for a pre-clerk, 3L summer. It was amazing. I was explicitly told to spend half my time studying for the bar.

EDIT: But I was going to clerk for only one year.

What firm is this? Even if you won't answer that, how did you go about even asking about this? Have a clerkship lined up after I graduate, and could definitely use the extra cash that summer while studying for the bar. Going to NYC biglaw this summer.

S&c has this

[Anonymous User]

The NYC biglaw firm I 2L summered at let me come back for a pre-clerk, 3L summer. It was amazing. I was explicitly told to spend half my time studying for the bar.

EDIT: But I was going to clerk for only one year.

What firm is this? Even if you won't answer that, how did you go about even asking about this? Have a clerkship lined up after I graduate, and could definitely use the extra cash that summer while studying for the bar. Going to NYC biglaw this summer.

S&c has this

I can confirm there are a handful of preclerks doing SAs this summer at S&C's NYC office.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, I knew someone who did this at S & C a few years ago. He was HLS, law review, magna cum laude with a circuit clerkship lined up. Sounded like he he got paid to study for the bar.

[EvelynS]

Yep. A friend of mine did 3L pre-clerkship SA at S&C. I believe that unless you did your 2L SA with that firms, no firm will be interested in doing that. I may be wrong though.

[Anonymous User]

I had an offer to do one of these, but I didn't take it. I was a summer in 2010, and it wasn't clear whether I'd get a full time offer because lol at the job market in 2010. I landed a circuit clerkship and decided to look for a pre-clerkship SA in case my previous summer firm didn't come through. I sent out 100+ resumes and landed one interview at a regional firm (i.e. the biggest bestest firm in a state you've probably never even considered going to). Basically my pitch was that my wife was from their state and I had significant pre-law school work experience in a field that they specialized in. They bought it and gave me an offer. The next week bar results came out and a guy I knew and respected failed the bar. The possibility of bar failure became real and I decided it wasn't worth the risk to make a few grand in the middle of nowhere.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, I knew someone who did this at S & C a few years ago. He was HLS, law review, magna cum laude with a circuit clerkship lined up. Sounded like he he got paid to study for the bar.

The people I know doing this are at CLS and HLS, but I don't think their pedigree--which is impressive of course--has much to do with it beyond the generally high level anyone in that position has to obtain the clerkship/the job at SullCrom. (Which is to say for OP/lurkers, don't *not* ask because you feel underqualified.)