Summer Associates Advised to Lose the Sense of Entitlement
Summer associate jobs have traditionally been filled with parties and perks designed to lure the students into full-time employment. No more. As law firms adjust their programs, taking a no-frills approach, students need to adjust as well, law school career counselors say.
At a seminar at Stanford Law School, students were told to volunteer for work and to watch their etiquette, Forbes magazine reports. They also learned it’s not a good idea to be a no-show after signing up for social programs. And summer associates need to lose the attitude, says Susan Robinson, Stanford’s associate dean for career services.
“One complaint firms had in the past two years was that the students had a sense of entitlement,” she told Forbes. “Around lunchtime, they would start trolling for associates to take them out to eat. I tell the students that should be the least of their worries. In no way, shape or form should they focus on lunch.”
“In past years, firms’ partners would put up with behavior they might not tolerate from their own kids, because they wanted to get those top students,” Robinson added. “This year, the students need to earn their offers.”
