Is it okay to not apply for a summer job after 1L?

[CipherEvice]

Hello,

So I am not yet in law school but am wondering how important summer jobs are after 1L, particularly for someone who might want to work for a large corporate/IP firm.

I don't know much yet and could easily be wrong, but my understanding is that even though there are a lot of 1L students applying for summer jobs between 1L and 2L, there are not as many to go around and many students end up without anything to do unless they got straight As in 1L. It is more common for most students to have some sort of summer student job between 2L and 3L, and if they do well at those summer jobs they could have an easier time getting an articling placement or job after law school with the firm they were a summer student with.

If any of what I said above is wrong, please correct me as I would like to understand better. As for my actual questions, I am wondering what most 1L students do if they do not obtain a summer job between 1L and 2L? Are there a lot of summer research positions available or are those hard to come by? If you do not obtain a summer job or do something law related between 1L and 2L, will that hurt your chances of getting a summer job between 2L and 3L or hurt your chances of employment at a big firm after law school?

The reason I want to know about these things is because I have a group of friends planning a trip backpacking through Europe when I will likely be in the summer between 1L and 2L. I would love to go with them but if it would hurt my employment prospects/opportunities I probably won't go. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

[TobyFlenderson]

Go to Europe. The 1L recruit is competitive and not many spots are available. Most people work some sort of “regular” summer job, like retail or serving. It will have no impact on your employment prospects. If anything, your experiences in Europe might give you a unique story or experience to share in your future interviews.

[123]

Working at a law firm during your 1L summer means that you will probably spend almost every summer pushing words around documents from the end of 1L until retirement or death.

Not working at a law firm during your 1L summer means that you will probably spend almost every summer pushing words around documents from the end of 2L until retirement or death.

Choose carefully! Also, Seville is underrated. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by realpseudonym

[OzLaw16]

Based on my time lurking on LS.ca, I think my perspective on this will differ from the main advice you'll get.

I'll preface this by saying that this is just one person's impression based on people I personally knew and heard about, but my impression was that the people who had nothing to do in the summer after 1L were a much smaller number than I would have guessed based on the traditional advice people pass around. It's definitely true that the formal 1L law firm recruit is incredibly competitive and very few students get summer jobs from that recruit. But beyond that, I found there were quite a few opportunities to at least do something law-related. Most schools will have quite a few RA positions available. Some schools sponsor law-related internships. A few in-house departments look for 1L summer students. A lot of clinics and volunteer programs offer summer positions. And I know of a decent number of people who found positions in smaller/local firms through informal networking and/or cold-emailing. So I think if you really want a law-related opportunity after 1L and are willing to put in the work to find one, you have a decent shot at getting one (and if your grades are above average, that obviously helps a lot).

Whether you really want one is a different question. The most common advice on this seems to be that it really doesn't matter what you do after 1L, it won't affect your employment prospects, and you should use your last "free" summer to enjoy yourself. I agree with that advice to some degree - I don't think not having a law-related job after 1L actively hurts you or will ruin your 2L recruit chances or anything like that. But I do think the "do whatever you want after 1L!" crowd sometimes underestimates the value of having a law-related summer job/experience after 1L. Speaking from personal experience, I applied for the 1L formal recruit, struck out, but then got another law-related opportunity in the summer and I can absolutely say that it helped me significantly in the 2L recruit process. Firms definitely seemed impressed with my 1L experience and it was brought up in almost every OCI and in-firm interview that I did. While I obviously can't say for sure what would have happened if I didn't have that job, my gut is I would have had a harder time in the recruit if I had just spent my 1L summer travelling or doing something completely non law-related.

Anyways, this is an overly long way of saying that doing something completely non law-related certainly won't ruin an otherwise good 2L OCI application, but doing something law-related will definitely make your 2L applications easier. With that in mind, my overall advice would be that if you end up with solid grades after the first semester of 1L, I would at least try applying to some of the bigger 1L summer opportunities. The worst that can happen is you strike out, you've gotten really good practice submitting applications and doing interviews, and you then go backpacking through Europe anyways. 

[Rumcola]

It probably depends on the strength of the rest of your application and the types of practice areas you're interested in. If you have lower grades and not much on your resume in terms of something interesting or relevant to talk about during interviews, then it would probably be a good idea to do everything possible to get a 1L summer job that can give you transferrable skills or show demonstrated interest in a particular practice area (esp to get work at firms that care about demonstrated interest - I think this is most common in areas like family law, labour and employment, criminal law, etc. Probably not as important for big law stuff). If your grades are otherwise strong and you have experiences from your past to show demonstrated interest in your chosen practice areas, then it's probably not as big of a deal to not work in the summer of 1L. I say this with the caveat that, while I went through the recruits during law school, I haven't ever employed law students. I will note that I think almost everyone, if not everyone, I knew in law school worked during the 1L summer.

Edited June 6, 2021 by Rumcola

[RubberDucky]

I would go to Europe! Not having a 1L job won't hurt your chances of getting a 2L job. I knew classmates who didn't have 1L not 2L jobs and still got articling. Having a 1L job will definitely give you a leg up though. My friends who worked 1L summer had easier time applying to 2L summer jobs. 

So, think about what you really value and make the decision accordingly. 

[TobyFlenderson]

4 hours ago, RubberDucky said:

I knew classmates who didn't have 1L not 2L jobs and still got articling.

For what it's worth, this was my experience as well. 

[ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ]

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just had a question, does anyone know how long 1L jobs or other summer activities like a research position with a professor last? I have seen one firm mention their summer job timeline but idk if it's the same for all firms. I just want to know if I will have enough time after the job (if im lucky enough to land one) to go on vacation for a few weeks prior to the start of 2L. 

[Rumcola]

1 hour ago, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ said:

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just had a question, does anyone know how long 1L jobs or other summer activities like a research position with a professor last? I have seen one firm mention their summer job timeline but idk if it's the same for all firms. I just want to know if I will have enough time after the job (if im lucky enough to land one) to go on vacation for a few weeks prior to the start of 2L. 

I think it depends on the firm or office you're working at. I know people who worked in smaller firms and government who worked pretty much immediately after finishing exams in 1L until the week just before beginning of 2L. I also know people who only worked until the end of July, giving them all of August off. If you want some weeks off prior to 2L, it's probably best to speak about that with your 1L summer employer to ask about how long they want you to work and negotiate for an earlier end date to your summer job.

[JimmyMcGill]

I decided not to bother with a 1L summer job, for various personal reasons and because pandemic related pandemonium made a remote 1L summer job seem less useful. I don't think it matters. I'm currently enjoying my 1LOL summer and just chilling.

I was surprised that 2L summer job hunting has already started now though. If you are committed to the OCI process, be prepared to start in June of your 1L year with firm Q&As, and workshops, and firm tours in July, and deadlines in August. You can definitely backpack in May and June but you can't let it get away from you completely and think you can just wander back in September and get started. 

I literally figured this out last week and I'm still shook. 

[QueensDenning]

I would be a helluva lot more stressed (financially and otherwise) if I wasn’t getting relevant experience during my (current) 1L summer. I planned on not working before I started as well, but then you look at the deadlines and realize that a lot of important recruiting stuff takes place over the summer. I was also lucky enough to get an interesting position, and only time will tell, but I have a LOT more to talk about during interviews and a LOT more to put on my resume because I busted my ass to find a decent gig for the summer. 

[KOMODO]

Go to Europe. The further away you get from 1L, the more you'll realize that what you did that summer had very little impact on your career. But you'll never forget hanging out with your friends overseas, and you'll rarely get the chance to do that again.

My biggest regret from undergrad/law school was not going on exchange. I was broke, and it would have made things even tighter, and I figured I would travel later, when I was rich and successful. And in fairness, in non-covid times, I've been able to take a few great trips as a lawyer. But they're not the same stress-free adventures as they used to be, because I still have my work phone, I have to consider my family's needs, and I'm not as fit as I used to be, so I can't stay up all night partying in a fun city or take long hikes through the wild. Travel while you're young and unencumbered. Your life goes by so quickly, and then you realize there's no time left for all the stuff you were going to get around to later.

[CleanHands]

I did not go the BigLaw path, so my input will likely not be applicable or helpful for the OP. But the discussion seems to be broadening up to the value of 1L summer jobs in general, and my experience differed from most of what is being said here, so I'll chime in here for posterity in case this ends up being helpful for anyone who might read.

I had a 1L summer job in my area of interest (crim), which is generally an entrepreneurial practice area worked by sole practitioners and small firms. I found this immensely valuable to an extent that is difficult to overstate. Having that earlier experience set me on a path where I was easily able to get one job after another in that area before graduating. It allowed me to develop positive relationships with practitioners in my area, and now I am well set up to have multiple options post-articles, and people who would refer files to me if I go solo.

1L jobs don't matter as much for BigLaw (as nice as it is to get one's foot in the door earlier). Hardly anyone I know who ended up working at a full-service OCI firm had a proper 1L summer law job. But in other areas of law a 1L job can be extremely valuable. I really do credit it with making my law school experience far less stressful and easier, making the recruits a breeze, and setting me up excellently now for when I complete articles.

[MapleLeafs]

You'd be surprised how many 1L jobs there are. Landing a 1L big law job is difficult, but there are numerous opportunities outside of that. The vast majority of my friends in law school are working in a law-related position this summer. I think you would be putting yourself at a disadvantage in the 2L recruit if you didn't spend it doing something remotely related to law, whether that's working as an RA, clinic, firm, etc. 

[DABMAN]

Sorry this is going off on a bit of a tangent but how much does working at a law firm or clinic in a specific field of law during the summer of 1L "pigeonhole" you into that field of law in the future?

 

Thanks

1 hour ago, CleanHands said:

I did not go the BigLaw path, so my input will likely not be applicable or helpful for the OP. But the discussion seems to be broadening up to the value of 1L summer jobs in general, and my experience differed from most of what is being said here, so I'll chime in here for posterity in case this ends up being helpful for anyone who might read.

I had a 1L summer job in my area of interest (crim), which is generally an entrepreneurial practice area worked by sole practitioners and small firms. I found this immensely valuable to an extent that is difficult to overstate. Having that earlier experience set me on a path where I was easily able to get one job after another in that area before graduating. It allowed me to develop positive relationships with practitioners in my area, and now I am well set up to have multiple options post-articles, and people who would refer files to me if I go solo.

1L jobs don't matter as much for BigLaw (as nice as it is to get one's foot in the door earlier). Hardly anyone I know who ended up working at a full-service OCI firm had a proper 1L summer law job. But in other areas of law a 1L job can be extremely valuable. I really do credit it with making my law school experience far less stressful and easier, making the recruits a breeze, and setting me up excellently now for when I complete articles.

 

1 hour ago, MapleLeafs said:

You'd be surprised how many 1L jobs there are. Landing a 1L big law job is difficult, but there are numerous opportunities outside of that. The vast majority of my friends in law school are working in a law-related position this summer. I think you would be putting yourself at a disadvantage in the 2L recruit if you didn't spend it doing something remotely related to law, whether that's working as an RA, clinic, firm, etc. 

 

[CleanHands]

9 minutes ago, DABMAN said:

Sorry this is going off on a bit of a tangent but how much does working at a law firm or clinic in a specific field of law during the summer of 1L "pigeonhole" you into that field of law in the future?

That's an excellent question but I'm afraid I can't help you there, as someone who wanted to be pigeonholed. 🙂

[ZineZ]

1 hour ago, DABMAN said:

Sorry this is going off on a bit of a tangent but how much does working at a law firm or clinic in a specific field of law during the summer of 1L "pigeonhole" you into that field of law in the future?

 

Thanks

 

 

In my experience - not at all. I worked at a legal aid clinic during 1L summer that included a number of practice areas (people would be assigned to one for their time at the clinic). I decided to stay in the same field - but the majority of people I know moved around. The experience was just generally well received, firms understand that people are still trying out different areas during their time at law school.

I wouldn't worry about this too much. 

[Jaggers]

Europe, hands down, if you can afford it. Easiest decision ever.

[artsydork]

Honestly, it all depends on a number of factors. I'm at a small firm and have interviewed summer students, articling students and jr associates for our firm. It really depends on the package you offer, your background and how you present your time off. 

If you were applying for a 2L position with me, you probably wouldn't get to the interview stage without any 1L summer work unless you had either a really killer cover letter outlining how you have the required experience elsewhere through a pre-law job or cool volunteering gig through the school year. I'd care less if you were applying for articles and had 2L summer work, and wouldn't care at all at the associate stage if you missed the 1L summer. 

It's quite hypocritical as I backpacked the summer in 2L. Great experience but I would totally not do it/scale back the scope. We McGill grads are special snowflakes with an extra summer though so I made up for it by working 1L summer, taking summer classes (including a certificate while traveling) in 2L, working 3L summer and working/volunteering in 4L throughout the year. I was asked about the gap summer (be prepared to answer. Fair enough to say "Covid and online schooling took a toll and I needed a break) by every interviewer, including for my 3L summer position. 

Has thescientist made their way to this forum? If so, they might offer some insight on the issue. From what I heard, the IP recruit is pretty competitive and can start in 1L. A couple of colleagues (non-stem backgrounds) ended up in IP and they had incredibly competitive applications with full summers worked. 

[Psychometronic]

On 6/6/2021 at 1:51 PM, CipherEvice said:

a large corporate/IP firm.

Many people don’t get 1L summer jobs in corporate firms and still do fine for OCIs. I know some people who didn’t have law jobs at all in 1L summer and were still fine. For these types of jobs, your best bet is to focus on getting strong grades.

IP boutiques are different. First, you’d want to have a STEM background. Without one, your chances are slim to none. Second, they tend to hire early so 1L summer is the time to get your foot in the door if you really want to do IP. 
 

As for other areas of law, your mileage may vary.

I took a short international vacation with friends in my 1L summer and it was one of my best memories of law school, especially since COVID precluded me from taking a trip right after graduation. I think you should take the trip, given your goals.

Edited June 25, 2021 by Psychometronic