How to be a Good Summer Associate

As a first-generation lawyer, I first stepped foot in a professional legal setting during my on- campus interviews. While I was very excited to be considered for such a prestigious position, it was intimidating and I wasn’t sure that I would fit in. For those starting their summer associate positions in the coming weeks feeling the same way, you have nothing to worry about. In fact, many of the partners I worked with as a summer associate started from very humble beginnings and spoke proudly of how far they came.

Even if you overcome feelings of imposter syndrome, the BigLaw world is an intense and competitive one. Everyone wants to make a good impression and secure that post grad job offer. Here are some ways to stand out. This advice should apply equally as well for remote and in person positions.

Be on time: Most law firms really start their days around 10 am. This start is often because the associates (and sometimes partners) work until around 10pm so the mornings start slowly. To make a good impression, you should try to make it to the office each day by 9:30 am. At some firms, current associates will speak of post-grad offers for summer associates with humor and imply that your offer is basically guaranteed. This will cause some of your peers to feel more comfortable pushing back their arrival time, avoid doing the same. It is true that most summer associates are welcomed back after they graduate with their JD. Even so, do your best work and act professionally. It may seem like no one is watching but logging in on time consistently will make a good impression.

Keep a professional tone in emails: As a summer associate, there is so much that you are not going to know. That is totally okay and expected. To stand out, focus on what you can control. Start each message with a professional greeting. On the more formal end is just the recipient's name with a comma after it. Other groups will start emails with “Hi [name],”. See what the vibe is and adhere to that. Additionally, avoid typos in your emails. You will typically have plenty of time to complete your assignments as a summer associate so proof everything before you send it in. Don’t stress too much about it though, everyone makes the occasional mistake.

Offer to send calendar invites: This advice applies best when your internal team needs a “catch-up call” to touch base on the status of a project. When you are copied on email chains discussing such a meeting, offer to check calendars and send the dial-in for the meeting. In case you did not know already, the Scheduling Assistant tool in Outlook will help you confirm availability.

Keep the alcohol consumption at work events to a minimum. As a summer, you will probably be around plenty of alcohol. If you are at a five hour event, keep it to two drinks. If the event is shorter, one and done. These rules apply even when your peers and/or superiors drink much more. It is always better to leave a work party too early than too late.