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Splitting Hairs

If you're a law student hoping to split your summer associate gig between two firms next year, read this column published by the AmLaw Daily on Friday.

At UT, splitting summers is all the rage. But I've observed that in California, where split summers are the exception and not the rule, it's probably more trouble than it's worth and plain stressful. I'm not speaking from my own personal experience (my joint degree gives me an extra summer, so I didn't feel the need to go for a split). Instead, I'm reflecting on what I overhead from the hiring committee at my paralegal firm prior to law school and what I've seen of my fellow summers who split their time this year.

Despite the fact that she comes at the summer associate experience from the recruiter perspective, Ms. Traverse does a good job identifying the pressures that make some split-summer associates sweat. I particularly agree with this argument against splitting: "[summer associates] who work longer get more time on more assignments, longer and stronger relationships with lawyers, more opportunities to fix mistakes or improve bad work, and more time to become more integrated into the firm." Given that the first week at a firm is easily consumed by various training sessions that fail to produce work product and hardly foster attorney-summer associate bonding, it isn't easy to produce work product of a quantity sufficient for evaluation in the remaining 5-7 weeks, depending on the type of projects that you have been assigned. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous to some of you, as 5-7 weeks is a lot of time, but a summer associate's working pace can grind to a near halt given expected attendance at an abundance (excess?) of summer program activities and social functions.

Perhaps this all depends on how adept your firm is at handling split summers. In Texas, I suppose things run relatively smoothly, but from what I've seen in California, the onus will be on the summer associate to be sure to get enough exposure to the right projects and partners straight out of the gate.

Week 9: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

I am starting to get a lot of questions from the attorneys at Summer Firm regarding my plans for next summer. Will I split? Will I work for a bank? Will I come back for the whole summer? Will I come back at all?

To which I say: aren't these questions premature? It seems like bad luck to start planning my next summer when this one isn't yet over and--more importantly--I don't have an offer in my pocket. I usually respond by telling the attorneys that the what-I'll-do-next-summer ball is in the firm's court.

But on the topic of questions I haven't been prepared to answer and wish I had contemplated prior to the start of the summer, I have often been asked what type of work I want the firm to give me. I was clear, from the beginning of the recruiting process, that I wanted corporate work. I expected it to be hard to come by this summer and, given that I'm not in a New York-esque corporate market, I expected that niche interests would be neither expected nor appreciated. Instead, there has been plenty of work to choose from. So, I've taken to interpreting the question as "what type of projects" instead of "what type of corporate work," which allows me to respond by saying I'd like to draft more or observe client meetings, instead of stammering that I have no idea whether I would rather work on a round of venture financing than a merger. It just doesn't make sense (I think) to narrow my interests too sharply at this point.

From the Outside Looking In

Due to a slew of unfortunate events during the first couple years of law school, I spent a lot of time (too much, really) feeling heartbroken. It was hard, but it's worse watching my brother go through a particularly tough breakup.

The ring may have left the jewelery store, but it never made it on her finger.

I think this is the only way for each of them to get what they really, truly want, but that doesn't make it easy.

There's No Place Like Home

I'm subletting a room in a three-bedroom apartment from an undergrad. It's cheap. It's close to the office. It's DRIVING ME CRAZY.

When I was looking for a short-term living situation for the summer, I thought the expense of setting up a furnished one-bedroom was too great. I've saved some money, but I am paying the difference by:

1. Tiptoeing around the sublessor and her boyfriend as they snooze on the futon in the living room (she moved into the living room instead of moving out);
2. Waiting to be rescued from the complex's broken down elevator; and
3. Listening to sublessor and boyfriend yell and scream at each other at 2AM.

I can't wait to get back to Austin.

Week 8: Putting Your Eggs in One Basket

As the summer program winds down and I face an ever growing list of summer assignments, it's hard not to wonder about offers and plans for next summer.

Given an offer at Summer Firm, I am tempted to come back for another full summer and entirely avoid a second OCI. I'm happy at Summer Firm and would like to work here permanently, but one of my fellow summer associates put it this way: "would you have married the first guy that you dated?" Well, of course not. But I don't know that that's reason enough to split next summer. After all, the first guy I dated showed himself to be a classic jerk within the space of two weeks. It's been eight weeks and Summer Firm is still playing the part of the great guy you want to take home to meet the parents.

Of course, the summer program is a lot like a relationship's "honeymoon" period: everyone is on their best behavior. It can take months, if not years, for someone's true colors to come shining through. But with numerous friends from undergrad (and even high school) who have worked as associates at the firm, in other cities and this one, for years, I have been hearing the good, the bad and the ugly since long before I even thought of applying to law school.

I'm confident that this is the city I want to be in and I'm confident that this is the firm that I want to be at (and don't worry, I've done my homework and am not basing my decision on the smoke and mirrors of the summer program). However, there are some comparable practices in the area that interests me at a couple of other firms in the city. The other firms don't have the same family-friendly reputation as Summer Firm, but maybe I should find out for myself whether these firms live up to their reputation.

This might all be premature. After all, there are still a few weeks until I will know for certain whether I am invited back next summer. My question is, would you split next summer... just for the heck of it?

The Dog Ate My Homework

Professors probably collect a treasure trove of fanciful excuses from their students each year, but I'm pretty sure retired U of A law professor Jack Rappeport dreamed this one up on his own.