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Five Things Not To Do At Your Summer Clerkship
As early as today, many of you will begin your summer clerkship. I thought it might be helpful to give you a few tips on what not to do this summer, so you can leave in six weeks with a\par
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Sacrifice Quality for Speed – Yes, we all want to be first. But being first and wrong or first and sloppy may as well be first and worthless. Take the time you need to get the project right. Take pride in putting together an excellent work product, however long it takes. Don’t take this the wrong way. If you clearly should be able to put together an excellent product in two hours, and it takes you six, you’re going to have problems. But most of the time we’re simply trying to trim a few minutes off to impress the boss, and that can get you into trouble.
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Get Comfortable – This is a six week job interview; treat it as such. You may think you’ve built rapport with an associate or partner at the firm, but don’t be lulled in by a false sense of security. You don’t have a job yet, and they are looking for reasons not to hire (or recommend) you. I’ve heard too many stories from employers about summer associates who, after about three weeks, acted as though they were “in the club.” You’re not.
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Mistreat Support Staff – You are no better than any secretary, paralegal or assistant, and the moment you start acting like you are, it’s a problem. I cannot tell you how many times employers have said to me something to the effect of, “I really liked Joe and we were strongly considering hiring him. But in our firm-wide evaluation we discovered he was consistently rude to the office staff. We don’t have room for people like that here.” Don’t be that person. Treat everyone, and especially the support staff, with the respect they deserve. (Oh and by the way, many of them know more than you at this point how to actually do the tasks you’ll be asked to do, so they can be a great resource if you’ll let them!).
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Miss Out – Many summer programs will allow you to get as much, or as little experience as you ask for. So don’t miss out on opportunities by waiting to be invited/asked/assigned. Ask to go along to a deposition or hearing. Ask to take a stab at drafting a motion for summary judgment. You might get told no, but so what? You’ve demonstrated you have the initiative, work ethic and confidence to be a valuable asset. (Caveat: don’t do the above as a substitute for the work you’ve been assigned, or if the work you’ve been assigned isn’t completed. You’ll come across as someone who will only do work they like/enjoy, which you’re not in a position to dictate at this stage in your career).
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Disrespect the Employer – This should go without saying, but we hear about it enough to mention. Here’s the situation: you’re three weeks in and you know you’re not going to receive and/or accept a full-time position. The temptation is to mail it in. You start coming in a bit later, get a little sloppy in your work or maybe even end the clerkship a few days early. Do not fall into this trap. Your reputation is at stake, and you never know when you might come across people from that employer again. Keep working hard, honor your commitments and leave no hard feelings behind when it’s over.
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There you have it. Avoid these five things, and you'll give yourself a much better chance at a positive clerkship experience and a positive outcome. Best of luck as you begin your summer, and as always we are here to help if you have questions or concerns. \par
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Connect with Daniel at Daniel_Hare@Baylor.edu and/or @BaylorLawDaniel on Twitter.\par
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Job of the Week: Each week I highlight a job in Symplicity you might be interested in but may have missed. This week's job is: Summer 2014 Law Clerk at the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board in Dallas (unpaid internship; 1L, 2L, 3L) Log in to Symplicity to view this job and apply.
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