Help with your top tips for summer student success?

[JimmyMcGill]

I got a job in a Bay Street firm in my preferred area through OCI and I am delighted about it. I would love some tips for making it a successful summer. I have never had a summer job before, I worked for the same job during undergrad, summer and school year. 

I'm especially hoping for remote work tips as I'm going to be with a remote team. I thought most of the work would be in person but it seems as if not. Are people not back in the office now?

[switchdog]

28 minutes ago, JimmyMcGill said:

I got a job in a Bay Street firm in my preferred area through OCI and I am delighted about it. I would love some tips for making it a successful summer. I have never had a summer job before, I worked for the same job during undergrad, summer and school year. 

I'm especially hoping for remote work tips as I'm going to be with a remote team. I thought most of the work would be in person but it seems as if not. Are people not back in the office now?

Some are back, some aren't. Some have a schedule, some don't. It is mostly pretty flexible and varies by firm and practice group and individual.

There is no secret to being a successful summer student. Just work hard and try to be a pleasant person to be around and work with.

[Ripcord]

Echoing what @switchdog has said, different firms have different mindsets on either working-from-home or having their lawyers/students/staff coming back into work. 

My biggest advice to anyone starting out at any firm, especially virtually, is to take the time to still network and establish connections with people at the firm. While it seems odd that you might still have to network after landing at a firm, it's less to do with "I hope they remember my name when my application comes across someone's desk at the firm" and more to do with just forming what are hopefully, long-lasting connections with members of the firm. I'm sure the firm will provide you with dedicated mentors, but I had some of my best mentorship from those that I connected with outside that formal relationship. I started out by reaching out to those that had graduated from my law school and then making it a point to introduce myself to as many people as I could. It's definitely harder in the online realm to schedule chats (it seems too formal compared to the days of just popping into someone's office), but I promise you it will pay you dividends. 

My second biggest advice I have for anyone is to make peace with the fact that in your first few weeks (heck, maybe even your whole summer if you are anything like me!), you will have some degree of imposter syndrome. I never did anything "business" related and I ended up at a Bay St firm and I thought I was in over my head. The first week of virtual summer is orientation and it can be an information overload which truly reinforces this idea that you do not belong there. The fact that you're online also exacerbates this; it's harder for me to pop into a summer colleague's office and just tell them "what even is going on right now". My suggestion to combat this is to borrow something I said earlier and to just form relationships. Junior associates will be the treasure trove here as they can most likely tell you how they felt not too long ago. Your summer colleagues are also an awesome resource. Even though we were online, we made a point to meet regularly when we could and I could say that my summer colleagues become some of my best friends and I felt comfortable talking to them about literally anything. It's a little comfortable to know that everyone feels like they are a fish out of water and it isn't just you. Your official mentors and student directors are also great people to talk to. I always let my mentors know when I was swamped, so they can put a shield around me and deflect some of the work headed my way so I wasn't too overwhelmed. 

Overall, you have to do what works for you!

[Moodyfufu]

While it may sound rudimentary, he biggest piece of advice I can give you, which is pretty universal to any profession, is to organize your email in a way that works for you and allows you stay organized for when the inevitable barrage of emails once you are staffed on enough files. Being diligent with your communication and following-up is a key skill refined early on and, contrary to popular belief, is a skill that is developed and finely tuned over time for many.

Best of luck with your summer!