The Summer Associate Survival Guide (Perspective)

Editor’s Note: The author of this post is a Big Law partner.

A law student beginning a summer associate program with a large law firm recently asked me for advice on being successful during the three month interview. Here is what I said:

1. Get in early and stay late. Work ethic is everything. Remember how hard you worked during your first year of law school? Why would you put forth any less effort?

2. Have a great attitude. Attitude is (also) everything. Everyone in the firm is intelligent, so associates that have a great attitude about new work or changed circumstances get the best opportunities.

3. Get it right the first (or at least the second) time. When you are receiving an assignment, ask any relevant substantive questions, but be careful about probing too much about the legal issues in that first meeting. When you return to your office, spend about an hour on the subject and make sure you have a concrete understanding of the directions and issues. You really cannot go back for follow-up questions more than once without becoming annoying, so when you do you need to demonstrate that you have a command of the facts and core legal issues to put the Partner at ease that the assignment is in good hands.

4. Work with as many partners as you can. While repeat assignments are a positive sign for you, and can help you and the applicable practice group make decisions about placement, you run the risk of working with so few Partners that you are overly reliant on those Partners to advocate for an offer.

5. Be a team player. It is more important to be viewed as a trusted and valuable member of the Summer Associate class than to be known as the purported leader with the brightest future. Unnaturally trying to assume leadership roles comes off as overly competitive and can turn off your fellow Summers – not to mention the Partners.

6. Don’t be a stiff. Feel free to be yourself and have fun at social events, but do not get carried away and always maintain control when alcohol is involved. Partners want to hire Summer Associates who they can have fun with, but who are also professional.

7. Prioritize your health. By “prioritize,” I mean that you should not completely stop exercising during the program, but it is unrealistic to expect that you can get in the daily workout you are used to in law school. Client and Partner demands, and Summer Associate events, come first.

8. Trust no one. That may sound harsh, but literally everyone is evaluating you – even your mentors and the Partner who has known you forever.

9. Have fun. Working at a big law firm is fun. It is extremely challenging, you work side by side with really smart, accomplished and interesting people, the work is critical for our clients, every day has surprises and is never as expected, and you will be able to provide for your family. What more can you ask for?

10. Above all, use good judgment. Having a successful professional experience really boils down to making good decisions in difficult situations.

For more, see this video series from Bloomberg Law, “Summer Associate Success Secrets.”