On the Job and Professionalism

You do not need to send thank you notes after EIP screening interviews. If you had a particularly strong connection with your interviewer or otherwise feel strongly that you would like to send a thank you note, remember it must be error free.

As you finish up your summer job, remember to show your gratitude to those individuals who helped you this summer.

At the end of your summer program, you may be asked to meet with a member of the recruiting team to discuss your time with the firm.

If you are hoping to use a writing project from this summer’s job as a writing sample for EIP or future job searches, including judicial clerkships, you will need to ask permission.

As you finish up your summer program, remember to show your gratitude to those individuals who helped you this summer. Whether they taught you something new, patiently answered your questions, or made your life easier in some way, reach out and let them know you are grateful for their help.

You should never be sitting around during your summer job with nothing to do. You should aim to have a constant work stream to stay productive and continue learning. If you are not getting enough work, or if you can anticipate that your current work will be ending shortly, speak with your mentor or the firm’s summer coordinator to keep the work flowing.

Toward the end of the summer, your firm will likely ask you to rank your practice area preferences with an eye toward placing you as a first-year associate. Be flexible and strategic as you consider your choices.

Having an issue on the job this summer? Worried you did something wrong? Don’t ignore it. You need to nip small issues or concerns about your job in the bud before they blossom into large problems that are much harder to fix.

As firms start outreach to students about Preview interviews, make sure your voicemail is set up and professional and that you are checking it frequently. Also be sure to check your spam folder to ensure you do not miss messages from employers.

Missing deadlines is always unacceptable and could jeopardize your ability to secure an offer with your firm. Stay on top of all of your deadlines so that you are able to turn in every project that has been assigned to you.

If you are splitting your summer between two different firms, you must stay conscientious and focused because you will need to make a lasting impression on each firm in half the time. Work hard at both firms. Take on as many assignments as possible and build strong relationships with as many attorneys as you can in both firms.

To the extent you have any choices among projects in your summer job, try to seek out writing projects. These projects will help develop your writing skills and be a helpful source of writing samples for future job searches, including for judicial clerkships.

Conflicts checks are a necessary part of legal practice which will one day become second nature. For now, you can simplify your life down the road by beginning to track the client matters on which you work this summer.

As you start your summer job, you may already be thinking about what’s next and considering a change of firm or market next summer/after graduation. We encourage you not to start this summer with one foot out the door.

This summer, you want and need to know how you are doing on the job and how your work is being perceived.

Every piece of work you turn in should be the highest quality that you are capable of. Even if you are asked for a “draft,” you should take the time and effort to turn in a polished piece of work. Check your citations and proofread carefully. Do not rely on spell-check. Make sure you follow up after the assignment for feedback as well.

As you prepare to begin summer jobs, keep in mind a few key resources that may prove useful this summer. First, Hotshot Legal (you can create an account using your HLS credentials) can get you up to speed on law and business topics quickly on-the-job or before you start work.

Beginning with the first day of your summer job, you should try to work with and speak to as many attorneys as possible, and try to start cultivating relationships with attorneys who can serve as mentors to you.

Make sure you are ready to put your best foot forward this summer. If you haven’t already, review the Professionalism section of our website, including the Summer Associate Success Memo (pdf) and the Professionalism Primer (pdf). If you are working remotely, we also encourage you to watch Summer Success in a Remote Setting.

April 19, 12:30-1:30pm in WCC Milstein West Congratulations on finishing up law school! Now please join Assistant Dean Mark Weber and members of the OCS staff as we discuss your first years of "Real World" practice.

Want to know more about what Big Law practice is all about as you head into the summer? We’ve partnered with Hotshot (a digital learning provider for the legal industry) to create 3 self-directed learning tracks to give you a taste of Big Law practice: Intro to Big Law, Intro to Legal Practice: Litigation, and Intro to Legal Practice: Corporate.