On-Campus Interviewing, Post-Hoc

I just finished my last of 19 interviews in our on-campus interviewing week (here at YLS, they're called FIP: fall interview program). I am exhausted, to a degree that doesn't seem directly related to the actual amount of time spent in interviews - no more than 3 hours a day. On the up side, I now have about 12 firm-branded flash drives, a pair of iTunes gift cards, and a re-usable shopping bag courtesy of firms' desire to hand out swag.

With the economy the way it is, everyone went into FIP knowing that things were going to be a little tougher, that summer programs were likely going to be somewhat/much leaner than in the past...but I was astounded by just how many firm representatives proactively brought up the economic situation or metioned how "conservatively-managed [their] firm is." Others straight up told us that callback interviews and offers are going to be much more competitive this year, or that the timeline will be stretched out to make sure that the firm doesn't over-offer and end up flooded with summer associates-to-be. Not particularly encouraging, that's for sure.

Now, some people are already beginning to get callback invitations from firms while others are still waiting. It's kind of an excrutiating process (akin to sorority rush) where everyone is hoping that the firms they liked like them, too. One of our classmates had the brilliant idea to create an anonymous Google spreadsheet to document which offices have already sent positive & negative responses...so we all know (somewhat) where we stand. Some people are already doing callbacks next week, and others are taking the week off, hoping to squeeze one last week out of a too-short summer.

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When the Living is Easy . . .

I'm back home in Cambridge, since the best internship ever has ended. I learned how to blow things up, shoot a gun, and make an arrest . . . and also did some interesting legal work. Only one thing on that list will (at least I hope) be useful for my future career, but I had a great time. Plus, as an added benefit, my nephews and little boy cousins who used to think I was totally uninteresting now think I'm the greatest auntie/older cousin in the world.

However, I'm happy to be home in Cambridge with the SO, who wasn't able to come down to Washington with me. Like SB, the incoming 2L class at HLS is already thinking about internships for next summer. OCI starts the last week of August, and so we have to get ready to do about a gazillion interviews in a week. We submitted our bid lists for the firms we'd like to interview with, and are waiting for the results. The mental atmosphere surrounding those of us who are really committed to working for a firm can best be summed up as "DOOM." I went to see the Career Services Office yesterday and they were much more cheerful (although it was their podcasts who led to the "DOOM" atmosphere in the first place). Like SB, I have to go invest in some new suits and print out copies of my resume in 28-plicite.

Before that happens, I'm planning to spend a bunch of time hiking, swimming and drinking lemonade. I've been foiled at the moment by this bizarre salty fog that has descended upon Boston, but hopefully it will return soon to the ocean from which it came. I hope the rest of your summers are wrapping up well! SB, we have to arrange this trip to New Haven to eat lots of icecream together before the summer ends.

Summer, Months II and III

The past two months have just flown by! My internship was only 8 weeks long, so I barely got settled in and it was time to think about wrapping up projects and packing up luggage. As I mentioned in my previous post, my job was mostly related to transactional work which turned out to be much more interesting than I had expected. I got a lot of responsibility as the summer went on, to the point that I was drafting and editing agreements by myself near the end. Probably the most valuable part of my internship was learning firsthand just how important single words and phrases can be (and also the value of precise language and brevity) - I definitely feel that my time summer work gave me a new appreciation for the "real world" practice of law.

I also had the great fortune of finding a YLS alumna in the city where I was working who was willing to be a great mentor to me, taking me to interesting events and introducing me to both the city's legal market and her own unique career path since becoming a lawyer. I really enjoyed spending time with her, and it was cool to find that even in a "secondary" market, there are alumni excited to connect with current students.

In the past week or so, a lot has happened: my internship finished, I left to go abroad for a quick exotic vacation [picture above], and I had to bid for OCI (on-campus interviewing). While planning and executing all of those tasks was harrowing, the last was probably the one where I was most in the dark and stressed....even though the Career Development Office did a good job of telling us that "the economy isn't great but don't worry you'll be fine," I wasn't sure how many interviews to bid for or whether to concentrate all my bids in once city or expand a bit. Big, well-known firms or smaller boutique places? Firms that haven't laid anybody off (indicating a strong position), or firms that have done layoffs (indicating they've already trimmed the fat)? Too many questions, not enough answers - and not time to think through it all in the midst of everything else.

In the end, I'm quite pleased with the just-under-20 interviews I have scheduled for next week. I have a good selection of geographies, firm type, and practice areas of interest. While I have a couple days where I have five or six interviews, on others I only have one or two. I'm hoping that by Monday afternoon (when my first interviews are), my Sunday international dateline-crossing jetlag will have worn off, and that I'll have something clean & coordinated to wear. Cat, how're you feeling about OCI?

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