We hope you are doing well and enjoying your summer programs. Given the challenges in the current legal market, we wanted to provide you with some information that should be helpful to you both in your current position and in assessing other possible positions. As you have probably heard, many firms will not make decisions on offers until sometime in the fall, later than in prior years and in most cases after our August OGI program. We also expect the number of offers for permanent employment extended to current summer associates to decline. Each situation will be different, but if you believe that you may need to look for a different position, now is a good time to begin thinking about that process. You should not let this distract you from making the very best impression with your current employer or from getting the most out of the opportunities available. But you can begin the process of considering what other options might interest you.
In doing so, even individuals interested in employment with firms should consider other possibilities (such as clerkships or public service work) that can provide fulfilling career experiences and strong opportunities for legal skill development. An accompanying memorandum describes the benefits of clerkships. You should already have received information on public service opportunities that are available and the steps that should be taken if you are interested in pursuing those opportunities. In addition, if you anticipate an offer with a deferred start date and a fellowship option, you should consider the resource on pursuing fellowships found at this link:
http://uvalaw.typepad.com/publicworks/law-firm-deferrals/.
The market for 3L hiring among large firms will be much more limited than in past years. There are some opportunities on Symplicity but these opportunities are fewer than in past years and you should not rely on OGIs alone if you are going to be involved in a job search this fall. In your cities of interest (defined broadly), you should consider mid-sized and smaller employers who may not be coming on Grounds. In many instances, these are the firms with the best growth potential over the coming years. There are resources on the Career Services website to help in carrying out this type of research and we are available to discuss the process with you.
Suggestions for your summer positions. With more limited numbers of permanent employment opportunities available, your summer employers will be looking to draw distinctions among a pool of highly qualified law students, most of whom are providing strong work product. It is worth emphasizing that truly excellent legal work is a necessity and must be your first and primary focus. But it also is important to be aware of the other competencies that are considered by employers in making an offer (particularly in these highly competitive times). Think about the positions to which you would progress if you joined an employer after graduation and stayed there for an extended period of time. The skills needed for those jobs (which you have now had a chance to observe) are the skills that the employer will be looking for in you. As you complete your summer programs, consider the following:
· Interpersonal skills: Use each interaction with representatives of your employer as an opportunity to learn. When you speak to someone in a meeting or at a social event, make sure that they are the focus of all of your attention. Be conscious of your body language and maintain eye contact as you speak. In addition to conversing on the topics of the day, take the opportunity to do direct career research: ask people about what they like best about their practice areas, what skills they use the most, what skills they value in new attorneys and how they anticipate their jobs will change as they get more senior.
· Entrepreneurial and business skills: At their core, law firms are businesses that need to be mindful of profitability to remain viable. Although your substantive work is paramount, you should still be mindful of the ways in which you can contribute to the efficiency and profitability of the firm. For example, if you are billing your time, do it accurately and carefully. Make sure it is submitted on time. Ask if your employer has any guidance on best practices for billing. If you know who reviews the bills for a client and the opportunity presents itself, ask (after the close of the month) for suggestions on how you could do a better job describing your work. Without prying into sensitive areas or seeming pushy, learn as much as you can about the employer’s business. In particular, focus on ways in which practicing attorneys can help the business run well. If you have the opportunity to meet with managing partners or heads of practice groups, ask them what things they would want every attorney to focus on from a business perspective. You will find these people generally are very interested in conveying information on what individual attorneys can do to help the firm run well.
· Managerial skills: Although summer positions often do not present opportunities to demonstrate managerial ability, many of the competencies that are employed by effective managers are also important in your summer work. At the most basic level, you should treat every fellow employee with the utmost dignity and respect, regardless of the position that they hold in the organization. Your behavior should be impeccable at all events. While being confident, you should never appear cocky or entitled. Despite the competitive environment, you should never seek to gain advantage by attempting to show up or diminish a fellow summer worker. Employers value a team player, and you should use every opportunity to demonstrate your ability to function well in a collaborative environment.
· Judgment: Things like your attire and when and how you use mobile devices reflect on your judgment. It is important to present yourself as a professional in the workplace.
Make the most of your summer. Even if you have been told or suspect that your employer will not be able to make many permanent employment offers at this time, your summer position still provides opportunities for training, skill development, self-investigation and networking. As you complete different projects or work in different areas, do a critical self-assessment of the job skills that you possess and that you enjoy using. This will be valuable information to you in considering the various professional avenues that are open to you. One of your goals should be to emerge from the summer with a far clearer picture of what type of practice you eventually hope to have.
Strive to make a strong positive impression on both your employer and the various individuals that you meet during the summer. Creating an effective network will work to your benefit when new opportunities become available. Moreover, the practice of law is simply more fulfilling if it occurs in the context of strong personal relationships with colleagues and peers.
Try to stay positive and optimistic, despite the challenging news that you are reading. You are extraordinary individuals and you have much to offer the legal profession. We are here to advise you on your career search process in any way that we can.
