Editors' Note: A Summer Like No Other
This summer is not like any other in the legal profession. As the economy began to crash last fall, law firms began laying off associates and some firms even dissolved. Then the firms began deferring their first-year associate classes. What this all means for the 2009 summer associate classes has been the subject of much speculation. The one conclusion that is fairly sure is that the bar to receiving an offer at the end of this summer has been raised.
FEATURES
T.I.P.S. for a Successful Summer
By Jennifer Cullert
A summer is a short amount of time to get integrated, make a favorable impression in connection with substantive work assignments, assess the culture of an organization, and begin to form lasting relationships. But this summer, more than ever before, it will be important for summer associates to project themselves as confident, mature and interested. By following a few guidelines, the transition from student to summer associate will be smooth and productive.
Keeping Yourself Up as the Economy Goes Down
By Elizabeth Tillinghast
High achievers often take every setback as a direct reflection on them; when things don't go well, they may feel ashamed, as if they've failed somehow. But the economy is so bad that you shouldn't take it personally if you hit a road block in your career; the recession is outside your control. What's in your control is how you respond to it.
Chart: Shrinking Summers
Summer associate class sizes from the past five years at the 25 largest private law offices in New York.
COLUMNS
Legal Lingo: Excuses, Excuses
By Adam Freedman
OK, so maybe I did it (or didn't do it), but wait, I can explain!
Diversity in Action: Don't Leave
By Katherine Frink-Hamlett
Addressing the exodus as lawyers move up towards partnership.
DEPARTMENTS
In Good Spirits: The Cocktail's Return
By Christopher Matthews
A 19th century arrival later squelched by Prohibition, today's artisanal potations combine the classics, stunning creativity and the best ingredients.
In Good Spirits: On the Wine Scene
By Christopher Matthews
After a calamitous 2008, Brunello di Montalcino shows that the best revenge is a great vintage.
Restaurants: Into the Frying Pan
By Josh Ozersky
It's the human response to the presence of chicken and oil, but the question of what 'fried' means is just the beginning of the complexities.
Restaurants: So You Thought Fried Chicken Was Simple
By Josh Ozersky
Andrew Carmellini may have cooked everything from tacos to quenelles, but he really opens up when on the subject of American vernacular cookery.
Travel: Culinary Paris
By Alan Behr
Where restaurants satisfy one's appetite for art, entertainment and relaxation.
