Dewey's Jettisoned Summer Associates Ask Firms for Jobs They Rejected
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Some law students promised summer associate positions at Dewey & LeBoeuf are now turning to other law firms with a difficult question. Would the firms still be willing to give them a job?
“Well this is awkward,” the New York Times says in its story on their plight. About 30 law students have learned they won’t have jobs at Dewey this summer. Now their bad luck is repeating itself as they look for other BigLaw jobs.
The Times contacted dozens of large law firms to find out if any had picked up Dewey’s summer hires. So far, only one had agreed to do so, and that was because one of its partners had a personal connection to the student it hired.
One former Dewey partner outlined the students’ difficult position. “Most firms have an inflated opinion of themselves, as do most lawyers,” the lawyer told the Times. “If last fall you offered a job to John Smith from Harvard, and he said, ‘No thanks, I’m going to Dewey,’ your reaction might be, ‘Why the hell did he go to that firm? He must be an idiot.’ ”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Top M&A Partner Exits Dewey & LeBoeuf for White & Case as Tally of 2012 Departed Partners Nears 100”
ABAJournal.com: “In Latest Memo, Dewey Encourages Its Partners to ‘Seek Out Alternative Opportunities’”
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyers Describe ‘Chaos’ at Dewey, Where Some Partners Had Pay Packages Worth $5M a Year”
