Expect Fewer Offers & Later Offers, Says Georgetown in Glum Career Forecast
In a stark contrast with what was considered normal in former years, elite law students working at well-known law firms this summer can’t expect that offers of permanent employment will be routinely extended to the entire summer associate class.
Offers to summer associates could be down significantly and are expected to be extended to 50 percent to 80 percent of those working at any given major firm, according to a Friday letter to students from the career services office at Georgetown University Law Center that is reprinted in Above the Law.
The letter also predicts that many offers will be made later than was once considered standard, perhaps months after the end of the summer program, as law firms wait until the last possible minute to assess the state of the economy and their hiring needs. Start dates may also be deferred until 2011 rather than shortly after students graduate from law school.
Meanwhile, third-year students should expect fewer on-campus BigLaw interview opportunities this fall than in years past, the letter notes. It suggests that Georgetown law students, in general, should give some thought to seeking a judicial clerkship or government job.
As students start work as summer associates, Georgetown urges them to look at the summer as an opportunity to network, obtain top references and showcase their skills (perhaps writing a memo, for instance, that can be used as a writing sample, with firm permission).
“View your summer as more than an opportunity to receive an offer,” the letter urges. “Some of the best performing summer associates may not receive offers, because of issues at the firm as a whole or a particular department’s inactivity.”
