<p>Does anyone have any advice for a summer associate at a top law firm in NYC? I would really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Yes. Given the current job market for law students and lawyers already working, my advice would be to count your blessings.</p>
<p>Well, firms are just no longer extending offers to every member of their summer classes anymore. Performance is going to be a lot more important in landing that job than it was in years past. Always be on your game and distinguish yourself.</p>
<p>i don’t know how the economy may have changed things – but the following advice is based on how things were when i was familiar with things.</p>
<p>the summer associate program is the way law firms find new associates. they’d much rather hire someone they’ve gotten to see over the course of the summer than someone they just get to see during a day of interviews. so if they make an offer they want the summer associate to accept it.</p>
<p>so at least back when i was involved in the process, law firms were very nice to summer associates – planned special outings and social events, treated them really nice. the biggest mistake i saw summer associates make was to think that because they were being treated so nice, they could relax a little and enjoy things. ie, because the law firm was already making a sales pitch to keep them, they sometimes acted as if they already had the job offer (especially since back then at least, rumor was law firms didn’t want to get the reputation of not extending offers to summer associates).</p>
<p>just because the firm is trying to sell you on wanting to be there doesn’t mean that you should forget that this is your chance to sell them on the fact that they want you back. work hard. you not only want the job offer, you want to earn their respect since that will also affect how they treat you if you do come back as a permanent associate – you don’t want to be coming back in as the “goof off who we felt we had to make an offer to,” you want to come back as the associate “who we are looking to have back with us.”</p>
<p>if anything, i would guess that the current economic conditions have changed things in that there may no longer be the assumption that a summer associate gets a permanent offer unless they screw up – if anything that would make this advise even more important.</p>
<p>the other big piece of advice i’d offer – at the same time you are trying to convince them they desperately want you back, you should also be getting the information you need to know whether you would want to come back. talk to the lawyers there to find out all you can about what life as an associate there is really like – but always remember that they work for the law firm – which means 1) their view on whether its a good place to work will be jaded by the fact that they are working there, whether they really love it or just feel trapped financially to stay, and 2) don’t spill your guts thinking it won’t get to the hiring committee.</p>
<p>at the end of the summer, you want the option as to whether to work there to be yours and you want the information you need to make that decision.</p>
<p>i see it says you are from california – so if this is your first time in nyc for any serious amount of time, also try to take the time to see how you like it as a place to live – i’ve known californians who moved to nyc and i’ve known nyc’ers who’ve moved to california – they all agree its very different.</p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestions.</p>
<p>Unbelievablem, I think what you have said has been the advice I’ve heard most from other attorneys/law students.</p>