How To Land a Legal Summer Associate Position: What You Should Know
What Does a Summer Associate Do?
The responsibilities and duties of a summer associate vary depending on their individual law firm. However, there are some common denominators. Law firms are most interested in evaluating their seasonal hires for positions at the firm once they graduate from law school. This is reflected in the assignment of work and the purpose of the summer associate position within the firm.
For example, it is likely you will be assigned to work under at least one lawyer who is in charge of evaluating your work (as well as of providing the summer associates with training and instruction). You will be expected to perform like a first-year associate and handle the same responsibilities as a first year lawyer under the supervision of your "mentor . "
Summer associates are generally given assignments of legal research and writing, drafting pleadings, memos, letters, and appellate briefs, responding to discovery, and reading depositions in order to prepare reports discussing the value of legal arguments, legal strategy, and possible case outcomes. Some firms rotate their summer associates, exposing them to as many areas of the law as possible during the summer months. For example, you may be assigned to corporate if you visited the firm’s corporate practice during the previous week.
Some summer associates are offered assignments by the firm; others must be proactive in seeking work. It is important to note that while law firms understand the dual purpose served by the summer associate position, they still expect "above average performance from summer associates." Since the point of the summer associate position is to give the firm an opportunity to evaluate you for permanent employment, it is essential that you take the time to impress the firm’s lawyers and staff.
How to Apply to Become a Summer Associate
The application process for a summer associate position may begin as early as the summer before your 2L year of law school. Many businesses have "early interview" programs that run from May through August with offers extended shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, the number of slots for these early interviews is limited and most 1L summer associate positions are awarded through the OCI process. Law firms and businesses that offer summer associate positions to law students will generally participate in OCI, or "on campus interviews" during your second year. Universities will often hold an orientation session to explain the process. For instance, students should apply for a position in the spring rather than wait until fall, as firms often return to the same school each spring to recruit for the succeeding summer’s program. This is because not all second year students attend the same law school and some firms wish to limit their offering of summer associate positions to only those schools they regularly recruit from. In addition, firms may also attempt to fill any vacancies from the previous year’s programs in the fall as well. OCI interviews generally take place from July to November. Any 2L student can participate, but typically, second year students wishing to apply for summer associate positions must submit a resume and cover letter to the designated person for their particular college of law, who will then review the applications and schedule interviews in the spring or early summer. If you do not receive an offer summer position as a 2L, you may participate in OCI again as a 3L. Most positions have similar requirements and applications are typically very competitive. Candidates are encouraged to retain their best grade point average possible and be active in their respective classes and school organizations in an attempt to distinguish themselves from other applicants. However, candidates should certainly not sacrifice their own ideals for the sake of their application, as law firms will often attempt to glean if you will be a good "fit" for the firm.
What Qualifications Are Required and What Skills Do You Need?
Qualifications and Skills Needed for the Position of Summer Associate
When it comes to experience, law firms generally value law review and/or moot court participation above all else. In fact, for a firm (particularly a large one or one that does a lot of litigation) anything less than a "prestige" experience will almost certainly be a deal breaker if your goal is to be a "target" candidate. However, the same won’t be true for the majority of firms you’re applying to, nor will it be for all hiring partners at the same firm. For smaller, more regional law firms, or those with a business or transactional focus (as opposed to a litigation one), law review is not always the key to a huge assignment, though it won’t hurt you. A quality and relevant internship or summer job with a law firm can also improve your chances.
Academic performance overall is still the thing that law firms care about most their summer associates. This means that, in addition to law review and moot court, there are a number of additional items that can affect how a hiring partner evaluates you:
Firm hiring partners are also interested in other academic aspects, such as GPAs, honors, and publications earned in law school; college major and GPA; and the graduate school attended. Just remember that, for most law firms, your first semester grades in law school will be the most important.
Relevant coursework also merits consideration. While summer associate candidates who have graduated at or near the top of their class are accepted into the majority of law firms, many firms are focusing more on the courses you took that are relevant to the position they’re hiring for. Thus, for example, if a firm is hiring for a bankruptcy practice, a summer associate candidate with a bankruptcy course on his or her transcript will look better than one without.
One final note: dress and etiquette also matter. How you dress for an interview and present yourself in general is extremely relevant to whether you get selected as a summer associate. You may be the best candidate in the eyes of a firm, but if you don’t meet their standards when it comes to first impressions, they’ll pass on you.
Interview Hints – Tips for Summer Associates
Once you land your invite to interview don’t waste it, because most law firms only consider a small pool of applicants for summer associate positions. Interviewing with a large number of firms is not the best way to land a job; so, when you get the opportunity to interview, be prepared to wow your interviewers and land an offer to return for the summer.
Like the attorney job application process, lawyers use a variety of methods to determine whether or not you are capable of succeeding and thriving at their firm. With that in mind, it is important that you present yourself as the best candidate possible. Interviewing with law firms varies based on the type of law the new hire will be doing, so you should expect to be interviewed at least once by an attorney who specializes in the area you’ll be working. You may also have interviews with attorneys from other specialties; Alan Dershowitz at Harvard Law School always interviewed candidates selected by him for clinic positions; the interviews were rigorous to say the least. As he put it, he wanted to be confident that the candidates would do him proud when they appeared in front of the judge, and he also wanted to eliminate the possibility that the top students would choose to work for one of the other (more desirable) professors.
You are probably familiar with the basic types of interviewing methods: the one-on-one interview, the team interview, the panel interview, and the lunch interview. With complex interviewing tactics, the aim is to find the applicant that best suits the company in question. Typically the interviewers will be attorneys that will help you get a feel for the position and assess whether or not you will fit in at the firm. The trick is to pay attention to questions and how you answer them. Flesh out your strengths and convey personality traits that would make you a good fit for the organization.
The law interviewers will likely ask you about your experience in law, your views on the latest law updates and changes, and how you feel about your potential longevity with the company. You should also be prepared for traditional interview questions – these types of questions can come up for any candidate in any situation. If you are prepared for traditional interviewing questions and have a thorough understanding of the organization and its trials and tribulations, you will walk out thinking you nailed it!
The Perks of Being a Summer Associate
Compensation is quite high with many summer associate programs, as they will be paying you as a first-year associate in their firm, or slightly above, for the duration of the program. Although this may seem like a really good gig, there are other benefits to the job that should not be overlooked. For starters, sometimes, if you are lucky enough to land the job at the firm you are hoping to work at, you may be able to get invited back after graduation to work as a first year associate. The other benefit that is said to be the best part of the job is the experience that you get during the program. As a summer associate, you will get a chance to be part of a major project helping them move forward on some of the biggest cases they have . You will be able to get hands-on experience that shows just what they can expect from you as a member of their legal team. There are also some fun networking events offered to you while you are working as a summer associate. From baseball games to attending a play to trying out a new restaurant, you will get to know the people who you are working with. The key is to use your time effectively and not be afraid to ask questions. Even in the hiring process, it is smart to ask all the questions you want to make sure that you are making an informed decision before your fate has already been sealed.
Common Problems That Summer Associates Face
It’s not all paychecks, networking opportunities and cocktail parties, not even for your third-year candidates. Law firms are like capitalistic versions of Rumsfeld’s unknown unknowns; there are things they know they don’t know, and then there are things they don’t know they don’t know either. In the minds of the students enjoying late spring of their second-year of law school, hard work and ambition will lead them directly to a coveted offer for a full-time associate position; however, the path is not so straight and narrow. In fact, it is positively serpentine.
The work load is often unprecedented; a part-time job with a full-time schedule is quite difficult for some. The long hours don’t just exacerbate the little things. Imagine making plans to go have a beer with a friend from college and then having to flake out because your assignment just got one more level of priority. Some might also argue that, especially at a small firm, the lack of response from the partner to whom you just delivered your "my first draft" project could result in a lack of prestige when explaining what you do at the barbecue on the Fourth of July.
Competition. Competition is alive, well, and running a 4.0 GPA with a well thought out career plan. If you didn’t feel it before, you will certainly feel it when your basket in basketball makes its sound on a Friday Night and a couple of partners are discussing the performance of a fellow summer associate. One can be disappointed even though it is entirely possible that even the supremely qualified law student will not be hired due to surplus at his or her particular practice group.
Worried about getting fired? Summer associates have been canned for lateness, poor work product and any kind of bad attitude. The practice of law is still a serious business. The client comes first and the firm should never suffer for the sake of a relationship with a summer associate. Thus, if one finds himself/herherself getting called into the office to discuss their future employment plans, he should realize that while hiring all of their friends may seem like a dream come true, A’s aren’t what get people offers at big law.
Law students are still law students. It is easy to see yourself on the firm’s home page alongside the name of said firm that had the good fortune to host your most recent clerkship position, but you still have to take and pass a very difficult test, something that not all will do. Even if that test does go well, you cannot assume that you will still have a place at a top firm once the Board of Bar Overseers are done deciding if your dog smoked that joint with you your final semester at the University of Camden.
How to Maximize Your Time as a Summer Associate
Keeping a calendar is a great way to manage time, but often summer associates end up missing important deadlines due to poor planning. Mark all deadlines and important dates in your calendar immediately after you receive them and proactively plan your day each morning. Prioritize tasks based on their deadline and the amount of time they may take. That said, schedule frequent breaks throughout your day. Short , frequent breaks are known to help improve productivity. Blue to-do lists can help you stay focused, because the blue color is most calming to the brain, while orange is the least calming. And remember, be open-minded. This is a temporary situation and summer associate programs are designed for law firms to determine if you and they are a good fit — not vice versa.