Hello Everyone, I hope you are doing well. I am here without any other recourse. I am from a T2 NLU with an average class rank and a 7/8 GPA. I consistently interned every break and have been interning constantly since October 2019. This was my second internship with a T1 firm and after accumulating courage I expressed my clear intention to be placed, the associates (all A0s) stated that they have zero say in it yet they would try to push my name to the partner. Please note that this was my second internship with this team and the first internship went amazing yet I had no contact with the partner and the two A1s I worked with left eventually. Coming back, after the A0s referred my name, the partner had asked me to work on something and make a presentation, the presentation went amazing and I tackled all his questions satisfactorily except for 1 and he seemed fine with it. Now my internship has ended the following day and I had send the partner a mail for a feedback yet there is no response. It has been a week now. I am clueless and too stressed, the associates have been helpful and informed me that the team is pre-occupied with some deal closings. What to do now? I have zero internships planned after this and even if I apply, T1s are done for. Also I did clarify and got to know that the firm does have vacancies. What to do! Please help. I know most of you have gone through this and I am tired of listening to the "just relax and wait" suggestions, it's easier said than done. The pressure of an education loan and family is just too much to bear.
Focus on your studies maybe? Why do you guys focus so much on internships. You need to have some knowledge as well... Get your grades. Get theoretical knowledge of the law also. Internships are not to be treated like notches on a bedpost. The number of Internships don't get you jobs. Your knowledge of the law does. And if THIS stresses you out.... How are you going to handle the stresses of a job when you land one.
The study of law should be an enjoyable experience. Not one marred by unwanted stress. That's for the later years.
Hey, thank you for your advice really. I do study and have a 7/8 CGPA which is good I guess and I never place anything above studies but getting a job is important too, is it not? I would not have said this in the earlier years, but I am in my final year.
with all due respect, I disagree, as a law student. The pattern is - the more you intern, the more chances are that you will get a job. If you sit back and concentrate on studies and don’t intern, nobody is going to even think of recruiting you. Because firms don’t want just marks, they want experience on your CV. If only marks landed us jobs, we would not have been tiring ourselves months after months to intern at places that give us zero respect or opportunity. Maybe that’s how things worked back in your day, but can’t say the same for it now.
It seems like you need some catching up to do. Firms in DZ, these days, literally hire based on grades. Disclaimer: have been on the receiving end when I wasn't shortlisted by any of the 6-8 tier 1/2 firms coming for dz ( at top 5 nlu) just because I had not so great batch rank and grades, however, I have been told that I have a pretty decent CV with internships, publications, moots, etc.
Logical fallacy here. Just having grades doesn't guarantee you a job. There may be people with better grades than you who also have a passable level of other things they've done, such a a good moot or a publication or positionsof responsibility. Nobody is saying get not so great grades, they're just saying interning is necessary too.
As a law student, how are you supposed to know what the firms want better than those who are actually working there or have worked there? Interns having zero knowledge of law are a liability to any workplace. Studying during the semesters and having one good internship every year during the summer is still enough for any good student to land a decent job.
I am really sorry for what you are enduring right now, having experienced that with a T-1 myself, I completely understand. My primary recommendation would be to give it 4 weeks, drop in a follow-up after 2 weeks and start applying to any and all Tier-2 firms which you feel are great in the practice areas you like, in the meantime and line up your internships after this 4 week period. You have to give the Firm some time to respond also as HR focuses more on client-related duties than on talent selection, and most fee earners prioritize their work over administrative duties, so your application/ selection would be the last thing on their mind (I am really sorry, but that is the truth).
From now on its a numbers game for applications, and careful planning after shortlising for internships. Get into a T-2/3 firm, give it all to secure a job and then aim for a lateral hire. In all seriousness, 2-3 year PQE (not even that much actually) gives you a very strong chance to get into a T-1 than as a fresher. All you need is a foot in the door, which your Tier-2 Firm job would be.
A recommended plan to follow after that 4 week waiting period would be to select three firms (optimistically they will select you too), work with them for two months each, and get a sense of their hiring scene. After completing this, go back to the firm you liked the most and intern with them for as long as you can, by that time you would get closer to your graduation date and therefore there will be a stronger inclination to hire you. Hopefully the 4 week waiting period might also give you some breathing space and time to relax, which honestly is very important if you want to perform really well in your internships.
Plan your finances carefully, if the repayment can happen comfortably through the salary you're getting and you genuinely like the work culture, then don't shift up, but please be open to working at a T-2/3 Firm. Unless you have a financial or personal reason, don't hedge all your bets on a T-1 firm.
Thank you so much for this detailed answer. This was really helpful. But the problem is even if I apply to T2/T3 firms now, I do not think I would be getting any vacant internships slots even for November and December. In that case, is there anything you suggest I do?
Application here isn't just cold emailing, as cliched as it sounds, you have to actively reach out on LinkedIn as well. Start by shortlisting 10-15 T-2/3 firms where you would like to work and figure out a specific reason why you want to do it, then craft a simple 2-3 para message mentioning who you are, the reason you like the firm and why should the firm take you (your internship/moot/publication, etc). Lastly don't ask them directly for an internship, but just say something like I would really like to work for your firm, could you please guide me on the correct method of applying, communicate interest to intern but subtly such that its not a demand, as these individuals receiving your message don't owe you anything.
Once you have this message ready, start by firstly reaching out to any alumni of your college in these firms, and then start sending them this message. Try personalizing it as much as you can. If you can't find enough alumni, then reach out to senior associates or partners. Again its a numbers game, out of 50 maybe 5-7 may respond. Here you can also reach out to associates you may have worked with in previous internships, and ask if they can refer you somewhere, but please remind them first of who you are and pray that they remember you enough to do this favor for you. Make sure to optimize your profile, which means that you add all details, have at least 300-400 connections and have a proper updated profile with some basic activity. Point here is that if the recipient sees your profile, they can confirm the interest that you have shown and can determine the authenticity of the request. Add a display picture as well, if you can, might work with seniors or alumni who may have seen you around campus (not that relevant, but whatever helps in increasing chances).
Aside from this, reach out to Faculty members who have been teaching at your college from the past 5-7 years. They might know your seniors or their own batchmates who might be practicing professionals. Here luck would be very important if they might have taught you before or know you, so take up some kind of a research assignment or audit their course to familiarize yourself with them (idk how it works in your college) and then ask for any referrals or help in this regard.
The objective here should be to at least gain one referral or the email ID of the main HR person responsible for applications, and the bottom line is to reach out to as many people as you can. There is a lot of material online on Linkedin networking, if what I have mentioned above does not work for you, please research more.
Can you please name the firm please? Others could share similar experiences and it could be confirmed to be a standard practice. Im trying to apply to a tier 1, maybe could go to better choices
Please help.
Until then, just to be on a safer side, start applying to T-2 firms.
You will be fine.
And if THIS stresses you out.... How are you going to handle the stresses of a job when you land one.
The study of law should be an enjoyable experience. Not one marred by unwanted stress. That's for the later years.
Disclaimer: have been on the receiving end when I wasn't shortlisted by any of the 6-8 tier 1/2 firms coming for dz ( at top 5 nlu) just because I had not so great batch rank and grades, however, I have been told that I have a pretty decent CV with internships, publications, moots, etc.
From now on its a numbers game for applications, and careful planning after shortlising for internships. Get into a T-2/3 firm, give it all to secure a job and then aim for a lateral hire. In all seriousness, 2-3 year PQE (not even that much actually) gives you a very strong chance to get into a T-1 than as a fresher. All you need is a foot in the door, which your Tier-2 Firm job would be.
A recommended plan to follow after that 4 week waiting period would be to select three firms (optimistically they will select you too), work with them for two months each, and get a sense of their hiring scene. After completing this, go back to the firm you liked the most and intern with them for as long as you can, by that time you would get closer to your graduation date and therefore there will be a stronger inclination to hire you. Hopefully the 4 week waiting period might also give you some breathing space and time to relax, which honestly is very important if you want to perform really well in your internships.
Plan your finances carefully, if the repayment can happen comfortably through the salary you're getting and you genuinely like the work culture, then don't shift up, but please be open to working at a T-2/3 Firm. Unless you have a financial or personal reason, don't hedge all your bets on a T-1 firm.
Once you have this message ready, start by firstly reaching out to any alumni of your college in these firms, and then start sending them this message. Try personalizing it as much as you can. If you can't find enough alumni, then reach out to senior associates or partners. Again its a numbers game, out of 50 maybe 5-7 may respond. Here you can also reach out to associates you may have worked with in previous internships, and ask if they can refer you somewhere, but please remind them first of who you are and pray that they remember you enough to do this favor for you. Make sure to optimize your profile, which means that you add all details, have at least 300-400 connections and have a proper updated profile with some basic activity. Point here is that if the recipient sees your profile, they can confirm the interest that you have shown and can determine the authenticity of the request. Add a display picture as well, if you can, might work with seniors or alumni who may have seen you around campus (not that relevant, but whatever helps in increasing chances).
Aside from this, reach out to Faculty members who have been teaching at your college from the past 5-7 years. They might know your seniors or their own batchmates who might be practicing professionals. Here luck would be very important if they might have taught you before or know you, so take up some kind of a research assignment or audit their course to familiarize yourself with them (idk how it works in your college) and then ask for any referrals or help in this regard.
The objective here should be to at least gain one referral or the email ID of the main HR person responsible for applications, and the bottom line is to reach out to as many people as you can. There is a lot of material online on Linkedin networking, if what I have mentioned above does not work for you, please research more.
Pls update