Summer Associate

Two and a half weeks into my summer associate gig at a big law firm here in San Diego.  It's very interesting.  A lot different than what I was expecting, but I think I am adjusting to it and have gotten into a groove. 

The social aspects of interacting with the other summer associates, the associate attorneys, the partners, and the support staff is heavily emphasized.  As I've come to realize, the summer associate experience isn't really so much about the work that you do, as much as it is about getting to know everyone.  At this point, after getting your foot in the door, everyone there realizes that you are capable of doing the work and being an attorney, otherwise you wouldn't have even received an offer as a summer associate.  The emphasis is finding out what kind of person you are, your personality and whether or not you are going to be a good fit for the practice group that you'll be working with. 

A large aspect of being an attorney, has a lot more to do with being able to interact and socialize with the clients without coming off as a complete tool, and being able to carry an intelligent interesting conversation.  And if the objective of the firm is to hire associates they hope will eventually become partners, the types of associates they want to hire are those that are going to be assets to the firm in both their work product and eventually those that are capable of growing the business by procuring new clients.  And if you can't ingratiate yourself and get to know and be comfortable with the other attorneys in the office, how are you ever going to be able to do business generation and get new clients?  Makes sense, and attorneys work long hours, and if you're not the kind of person they are going to like hanging out with and working closely with, it's not going to be a good fit.  So all those social events, there's an underlying motive behind them.  Which means you're kind of under a microscope at all times.  That part is a little distasteful, but it is what it is.

Got my spring grades back, and I rocked it.  A+, A, A, A, A-.  The A+ was in my favorite class last semester.  I suspect that I got the highest grade in the class, but am not sure.  I'll find out later, when the CALI awards for the spring semester are announced.  But I am most proud of the A that I got in a different class.  I bombed the midterm as apparently I was completely lost in the subject.  Initially at the time, I thought I did well on the midterm, until I got it back.  For the final, I studied my butt off, essentially taught myself the subject from reading a lot of different sources, since the professor for the most part was useless.  And after I re-read my midterm, I realized that I got the score I deserved, because as my understanding of the material coalesced into coherent knowledge, I realized my midterm essay was a complete pile of crap.  So for me to pull of an A, I must have really rocked the final.

Class ranks were released today, and I am happy to say that I should be going to school for free next semester and hopefully the entire year.  Not sure if any future scholarship awards are contingent on continued academic performance, but I suspect that they are.  But I see no reason as to why my performance would substantially decline, so I am not overly concerned about that.  However, that means I spent an inordinate amount of time doing the write-on competition for law review, as my grades have guaranteed me an invitation.  C'est la vie.  Extra practice writing a legal memo, I suppose.

As you might suspect, all of these other life events have really put a damper on my poker playing.  Haven't played a hand of 40/80 in over a month, and may not until August, assuming the game is still alive come August.  Otherwise, I guess I'll be playing 8/16 just for fun a few weekends a month on Saturday nights just to relax.  I might try and get up there this Friday evening after work, if I don't go out for drinks with the attorneys from the office.  But even if I do make it up there, there is certainly no guarantee that a 40 game will even still be going at that time.

I get the 4th of July off from work, and it's on a Friday this year.  Might see if I can sneak a trip to Vegas for a few nights.  Alternatively, depending on summer interviews for next year I might be able to sneak a trip in after my summer gig is up and before classes start in the fall.  Or maybe both.