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Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2021 7:03 pm
by JimComeyGhost
I have a big law job lined up for Fall 2021 in New York. It just occurred to me that while studying for the bar it's unclear whether it's required/encouraged to get some sort of internship before starting. Does anyone have any insight here from past experiences?
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:39 pm
by nixy
No, the expectation is that you'll graduate, study for and take the bar, and then start your biglaw job some time after that (often with enough time between to take a bar trip).
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:42 pm
by Anonymous User
When do you recommend an incoming associate sign a lease in the city we move to? I am a little nervous about signing an expensive lease in a big city before passing the bar..
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2021 11:10 am
by CanadianWolf
JimComeyGhost wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 7:03 pm
I have a big law job lined up for Fall 2021 in New York. It just occurred to me that while studying for the bar it's unclear whether it's required/encouraged to get some sort of internship before starting. Does anyone have any insight here from past experiences?
Assuming that this is a serious question, law firms expect one to study for & pass the bar exam.
Any internships or other type of work done during this time might result in a conflict with your future firm's clients.
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:10 pm
by Anonymous User
I am in bankruptcy now and I worked at a distressed products desk of a hedge fund before I started at big law. One of the best career choices I’ve made.
No one at your firm is gonna care about the conflict arising out of an internship. I literally worked on a case where I used to intern at one of the opposing investors for the same debtor. Nobody gave a shit.
And you don’t need to spend the summer studying for the bar. Any intelligent graduate of a good law school can pass the bar with two weeks of cramming. All the pressure to overstudy only comes from the toxic risk aversion mentality of law students. Most of the student on this forum don’t know more than you do.
If you think you would benefit more from a break, take a bar trip. If you think you would benefit more from an internship related to your practice, be a gunner. I did my gig before big law because I believe in the latter. It served me well.
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:14 pm
by nixy
There’s nothing wrong with finding some kind of law gig during your bar summer, but it’s certainly not required or encouraged (in that I don’t think any biglaw employer actively wants you to do this. They don’t care).
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2021 3:56 pm
by CanadianWolf
I would ask your future employer if the firm has any concerns about possible conflicts that may arise during interim employment. This is important.
Usual expectation is that you will spend time on bar passage/membership related activities, relocation, and relaxing. No one expects you to do any type of interim work.
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:14 pm
by RX_distressed
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:10 pm
I am in bankruptcy now and I worked at a distressed products desk of a hedge fund before I started at big law. One of the best career choices I’ve made.
No one at your firm is gonna care about the conflict arising out of an internship. I literally worked on a case where I used to intern at one of the opposing investors for the same debtor. Nobody gave a shit.
And you don’t need to spend the summer studying for the bar. Any intelligent graduate of a good law school can pass the bar with two weeks of cramming. All the pressure to overstudy only comes from the toxic risk aversion mentality of law students. Most of the student on this forum don’t know more than you do.
If you think you would benefit more from a break, take a bar trip. If you think you would benefit more from an internship related to your practice, be a gunner. I did my gig before big law because I believe in the latter. It served me well.
Hi - can you PM me? I'm heading to restructuring practice this summer and I was thinking about doing the same in my final year of law school. I'd love to hear from you about how it served you well in your career progression. Thank you!
Re: Summer Between Graduation and Start of BigLaw Associateship
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 11:25 pm
by 4LTsPointingNorth
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:42 pm
When do you recommend an incoming associate sign a lease in the city we move to? I am a little nervous about signing an expensive lease in a big city before passing the bar..
I would move in a couple weeks before your start date to have time to fully settle in/furnish the place/etc.
If you're going into Biglaw then I wouldn't really worry about whether you passed the bar or not as a reason to time your moving decision. Of a Biglaw class of 100 associates, two or three people typically fail the bar their first time almost every year. They retake the next available administration and most people at the firm never know anything about it.