Anyone Concerned About Getting an Offer

[BluebookKing]

I've been reading about a ton of firms (including BigLaw) that have been laying off attorneys.  Has that caused any of you to be worried that firms are bringing in their usual summer associate class sizes but are not planning on extending an offer to everyone?

I could just be paranoid, but I specifically picked a firm with a small class size so that I wouldn't have to fightfor an offer and now I feel like I may still have to. 

[thorc954]

I am definitely concerned.... my firm took a much bigger summer class then last year....

[jacy85]

From what I've heard at my firm and from other people about their firms, it's not so much that the firms are in economic trouble right now, or that they're cutting back on growth.  What seems to be happening is that firms are taking the "slowing economy" as an opportunity to "cut the fat."  Firms tend to give more offers than less, and that means that a few years down the road, they have 3rd to 5th year associates who really aren't cutting it.  They gave an offer to keep their offer percentage high for NALP stats, and they don't fire anyone b/c it hurts attrition rates, which clients are now starting to care about.

An economic slow down provides firms with the opportunity to get rid of people they probably would've "asked" to start looking for something else anyway.

IMO, I wouldn't worry about it now, but keep an ear to the ground over the summer. There are likely some firms who have been having growth problems anyway, and may really end up having some financial difficulty.

[thorc954]

my concern is less about a no offer then about a cold offer.  It seems like it is really monetarily inefficient for them to hire us for the summer then give no offers after they spent the time training, but it is entirely possible that firms, such as mine, had people accept that they werent expecting to and now will have to cold offer.

i hate this process.  i want a full time offer now

[lawmama09]

I'm somewhat concerned, but I was told that the smaller office I will be working in is always quite busy because they take overflow work from other offices, as well as having their own. They also handle a lot of bankruptcy work, which may well be increasing in the near future and is an area I am interested in doing anyway. We'll see how it goes. Just means we all have to kick butt this summer at our firms!

[SJ228]

Ugh, Im really worried about this. Every time I read about more layoffs, I get more nervous. I've heard a lot of horror stories about "no offers" after the .com bust.

To make things worse, my grades went down a lot this semester. Traveling for all the interviews and slight laziness got the best of me. Since Im going to a firm with strict grade cutoffs for interviews, this makes me very nervous. Has anyone heard of people being 'no offfer'ed because of grades?

[thorc954]

Ugh, Im really worried about this. Every time I read about more layoffs, I get more nervous. I've heard a lot of horror stories about "no offers" after the .com bust.

To make things worse, my grades went down a lot this semester. Traveling for all the interviews and slight laziness got the best of me. Since Im going to a firm with strict grade cutoffs for interviews, this makes me very nervous. Has anyone heard of people being 'no offfer'ed because of grades?

lets hope not, i think a lot of us are in the same boat wrt grades

[1LMan]

Quit freaking out.  We are all in the same boat.  Just bust your butt at the firm this summer and hope for the best.  What good is worrying going to do you?  Don't become another lawyer statistic with stress haha.  RELAX, have a drink, or two, or ten lol.......

[thorc954]

Quit freaking out.  We are all in the same boat.  Just bust your butt at the firm this summer and hope for the best.  What good is worrying going to do you?  Don't become another lawyer statistic with stress haha.  RELAX, have a drink, or two, or ten lol.......

hahaha, but 1) im incompetent, 2) ive been drinking all year (hence the grades that make me worry)...

[Veil]

Depending upon the firm/city, firm's generally will not "no offer" their summers based strictly upon grades. If you perform well over the summer (and as I hear it, the bar is not set too high) you should be fine. Granted, I say this while still being rather nervous myself, but that's risk aversion for you...

If anything, I feel for the current 1Ls. My prediction is that the majority of firms in major markets will not dip below a 90% permanent offer rate (in the worst possible scenario) to current 2Ls in 2008, but that firms will cut back on summer hiring for 2009.