Summer Associate Advice Reprised

We are at the mid-point in the summer where summer associates and interns have been around long enough to start to feel comfortable.  DON’T!  Last week my intern showed me “what happens when you Google ‘hobag’” on her computer…I think we need to revisit Associates – Don’t “Just Be Yourself” where Jocelyn reminded summers that their positions are summer long interviews where they are being scrutinized and need to keep their guard up. 

Above the Law also recently posted a memo from NYU career services to law students about How Not to Succeed as a Summer Asssociate.  The memo informs students:

• Your reputation is your most valuable commodity
• Be a team player
• Resist the tone of entitlement
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Attend firm social events regularly
• Be careful about confiding in work colleagues
• Maintain client confidentiality
• Be consistently courteous to support staff

It also offers approaches to assignments; feedback/evaluations and mentors; office protocol and what to do if you do not receive an offer.  The memo cites the following “Real World Examples of Career Limiting Behavior”:

A. Unimpressed with the quality of the wine being served at the summer welcome dinner, summer associate orders a special bottle of wine. To make matters worse, summer associate charges the wine to the firm.
B. Summer associate complains about having a windowless office and then claims to have been “promised” a window during the interview process.
C. Summer associate is criticized for filing motion without attachments . . . summer associate blames the secretary.
D. Summer associate shows up at all firm events involving food, and is so busy eating that they fail to socialize with anyone else.
E. Summer associate makes typographical errors in memoranda.
F. Summer associate paints their toenails in the office, assuming 10 p.m. is “her own time”.
G. Summer associate refuses to work past 7:00 p.m. or on weekends.
H. Summer associate sleeps 12 hours a day during the firm’s three-day sailing trip.
I. Summer associate fails to Shepardize.
J. Summer associate yells at support staff.
K. Summer associate misses a deadline.
L. Summer associate makes up citation to support the position he/she is trying to prove in a brief filed with the court (resulting in immediate termination and letter to Board of Professional Responsibility).
M. Wishing to play on the firm’s ice hockey team, summer associate loudly and persistently discusses their skill as a high school hockey player and claims that he would easily be the best player on the ice. The senior associate who organizes the team is a former NHL player.
N. Summer associate decides to give client legal advice without the express permission of supervising attorney.
O. Summer associate refuses to make edits to a draft brief because “I was an English major in college and I know your edits are incorrect.”
P. Summer associate engages in public display of affection with co-clerk in library.
Q. Summer associate turns in a research project that did not answer the question assigned.
R. Summer associate throws up after a firm cocktail party as a result of excess consumption of alcohol.
S. Summer associate visits Internet porn sites at the office.
T. Summer associate forwards a sexist joke to several attorneys at the firm.
U. Summer associate has loud, crass personal conversations regularly from office phone.
V. Summer associate plagiarizes paragraph in memorandum from hornbook.
W. Summer associate is not available to stay late to assist in closing in order to have drinks as planned with other summer associates.
X. Summer associate falls asleep at negotiation session in conference room.
Y. Summer associate removes several attorneys’ phones for an afternoon as a practical joke.
Z. Summer associate takes a significant amount of office supplies (including 10-12 notebooks) home for personal use.
AA. Summer associate organizes summer associate outing to strip club and bills firm.
BB. Summer associate plucks flowers from flowerpot in firm’s lobby.
CC. Summer associate asks printer to create 500 copies of bound document instead of 50 after mishearing directions from partner.
DD. Summer associate trash talks an associate in public area in law firm.
EE. Summer associate berates female partner for her lack of skill at firm softball event.
FF. Summer associate tells a partner that the way he is trying to make a fire during a firm canoe trip is “dumb”; same summer associate, later on the canoe trip, goes skinny dipping with senior associate.
GG. Summer associate uses lunch budget for personal grooming, including a manicure/pedicure.
HH. Summer associate extends disingenuous lunch invite to attorney in order to dine at an expensive restaurant.
II. Summer associate is participating on a conference call with a partner. At 6:45 p.m., summer associate points to their watch, whispers “I have concert tickets,” and leaves the room.
JJ. Summer associate receives an e-mail from a senior associate, sent to the whole summer class, requesting a volunteer to help with an assignment. Summer associate promptly e-mails the senior associate back, informing senior associate that he is busy, but so-and-so (another summer associate) should have some time and can help out.
KK. Summer associate says to a British-trained senior associate “I don’t know where you went to law school, but in America summer associates get more sophisticated work assignments”.
LL. Summer associate proudly informs one senior associate that upon the receipt of an offer of permanent employment, she would only work with two members of the department and be the “go-to” person for them because she doesn’t really enjoy working with anyone else.

“Career Limiting Behavior” may be my new favorite term.  The full memo is long, but worth a read and worth sending to any law students - as well as some attorneys.

How to (Maybe) Get a Job

I came across the following post on Constant Struggle and thought I would share it because it is good advice.  Yes, I know it probably would have been more helpful in March, but I just found it today.  The post is geared toward those applying for public interest jobs, but most of it applies across the board.

 

“So you’re a do-gooder 1 or 2L and you’re looking for a summer job that doesn’t suck. Here’s some free advice from a public interest attorney:

Applying:

• Do not send a “Dear Recruiting Coordinator” or “To Whom It May Concern” letter. If you don’t care enough to spend two minutes on the website to find out my name, I’m not going to care enough to spend two minutes reading your resume.
• Have relevant experience. If you don’t, explain why I should hire you anyway.
• Don’t send generic cover letters. I know you want a job. Everyone wants a job. I want to hire someone who wants this job. Tell me why that person is you.
• Spell-check is your friend.
• It helps if the phone number listed on your resume isn’t disconnected.
• Nobody reads writing samples.
• If the job announcement says to send a writing sample, send a writing sample. Show me you can understand and follow simple instructions.
• I don’t care that you’re into animal husbandry and deep-sea diving. I do care about training you’ve had, community service you’ve done, and so on. Tell me about those instead of your ‘Interests’.
• Don’t claim to have skills you don’t. Fluency is a term of art. If you can’t carry on a conversation without hesitation at normal speed you are not fluent.
• I am going to call your references. Make sure they exist and have something relevant to say about you. “Yes, Jane was in my torts class” is not going to get you hired.

Interviewing:

• If I ask you if you can make it to an interview at X time on day Y, unless you or a member of your immediate family is scheduled for major surgery, say “yes.” I know you’re busy. Everyone is busy. Be there.
• Know something about the organization before you come in.
• It helps to know something about the relevant law, as well.
• Smile.
• Be sincere. Poor people can smell bullshit a mile away. So can I.
• Don’t be late.
• If you’re going to be late, call.
• Bring extra copies of your resume.
• It’s OK to ask what specifically you’ll be expected to do. Frame this question in a way that makes me think you want to do more, not less. Yes, you’ll be doing some shit work. Some jobs are shit work 5 hours a week. Some jobs are shit work 60 hours a week. Know what you’re getting into.
• If the interviewer asks if you have any questions, have a question. It helps to show that you have some interest and aren’t a complete idiot.”

Maximizing the Summer Associate Experience

Memorial Day Weekend, which is the unofficial start of the summer, is upon us.  Of course, with recent temperatures in the 50s and some night temperatures even in the 40s, it hasn’t always seemed like the summer. 

In addition to theoretically warmer temperatures, the summer season also brings another annual occurrence for large law firms and many smaller ones: the arrival of this year’s crop of summer associates.  Many of us young lawyers can harken back to those halcyon days and remember the free lunches, the numerous social activities, the limited responsibilities and, oh yes, the nice paycheck.  And nowadays, many summers have it better, with some trips to overseas offices and even more lavish dinners.

While the summer associates’ stint may seem like a big schmoozefest to some, it really represents a lot of opportunity to both the summers and the firm.  For the summers, it’s an opportunity to showcase your abilities and talents.  You may not know a particular field of law, but you can go about a particular assignment in the proper way.  As a summer associate, I was once assigned a project involving secured transactions.  Not knowing a thing about this field, I consulted some associates on the topic, read a study guide and eventually had working knowledge for the assignment. 

Also, for many summers, the “offer” for employment after law school is theirs to lose.  Regardless, you should not look at it as something to lose as much as you should view it a something to earn.  Work hard and take pride in your work. 

Meanwhile, employers are presented with the opportunity of hiring a new generation of attorneys for the firm.  The summer period is the time to find out if prospective new hires are a good “fit.”  There have been many capable folks I’ve seen that certainly have the intellectual ability but aren’t suited to long careers with the firm in which they spent their summer.   These folks either have not received offers or eventually don’t work out with the firm.  It’s up to the firms to ensure that the summer associate is truly evaluated, rather than just wined and dined.

Some would say that summer associates in general are overpaid, but firms have viewed them as a necessary investment for the future.  Both summers and firms alike, though, should seek to get the most of the experience.

Associates–Don’t “Just Be Yourself”

Hey summers and first years: 

They are watching you. 

They see everything you do.  From your interactions with staff, to your drinking habits, to your attitude toward your assignments–they will be watching to see how you handle yourself.

What Law School Doesn’t Teach You But You Really Need To Know

In the middle of some crisis or another I was facing as a first year associate, I happened to glance over at my bookshelf. I noticed that a book seemed to be calling to me……hinting that help was near at hand. I had completely forgotten that I owned the book. Someone had kindly donated it to me when I was a summer associate–or maybe they felt like I needed some help.

Anyway, the book is called, “What Law School Doesn’t Teach You But You Really Need To Know.” To my genuine surprise and delight, there was an entire chapter entitled “Handling Things You Don’t Want to Handle: Mistakes, Too Much Work, Chimp Work, Ethical Issues, and Sexual Harassment.”

I had just done the unthinkable: I made a mistake. I tell you now, it was awful. I felt like my life was over. How had I ever graduated law school? Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer after all. How could anyone ever trust me again? Other people don’t make mistakes, do they!?

So a chapter on how to handle mistakes was just what the doctor ordered (along with a sedative, perhaps, and some anti anxiety medicine).

I have stopped punishing myself for my mistake, but I will never ever forget it. Older and perhaps a little wiser, I am convinced that you learn so much from your (unfortunately inevitable) mistakes that they are a crucial part of your development as an attorney.

You too can learn from my mistake: Whether you are a summer associate, law clerk, or you are gearing up for your first year as an associate, you would be well advised to obtain a copy of this handy dandy reference guide.

As a lawyer you need to arm yourself with good information. A successful career is not a matter of luck. Instead, it depends on knowing exactly what to do and what not to do.

 

 

Advice to Summer Associates

The best advice that anyone ever gave me about working in the legal profession during the summer was this:

Do the assigments that you are given really well and then fly under the radar for the rest of the summer.  Don’t piss anyone off no matter how insignificant you think they are.  This includes secretaries.

Six years later, I still think this is good advice whether you work for a law firm, public interest organization, government agency or judge.  For more advice, here is an article on Do’s and Dont’s for Summer Associates.