Law Firms Announce this Year's Summer Programs to Feature Increased Reality

Due to an economy that remains bleak, law firms across the country have begun announcing that this year's summer program will be discernibly less cushy and extravagant than those in the past. According to a number of hiring partners, the worldwide decrease in the demand for legal services means that full time offers will not be guaranteed and the normal accouterments of the summer internship - fancy lunches and opulent outings - will be curtailed if not completely eliminated. In other words, say analysts, law students will have the same experience as any other normal human being trying to get a job.

"It is undeniable that this summer will be considerably different for law students," remarked Karmen Skinner, a legal correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. "For example, rumors have circulated that certain firms will only hire 50% of their summer classes. As a result, there will be real competition among those in the internship program to obtain long term employment with the firm. It will be interesting to see whether students can adjust to this drastic and novel change where they will, like everyone else, have to work hard in order to get ahead."

Due to the fact that legal employers will not be giving offers to nearly everyone in the summer class, it is expected that assignments, instead of being busywork, will serve as indicators of whether the intern is actually qualified to work at the firm.

"I know this comes as a shock but we plan to thoroughly and seriously evaluate all our summers' work product this time around," admitted a New York law firm hiring partner who wished to remain anonymous in order not to scare away potential associates. "We cannot take everybody so we decided what better way to choose than to evaluate based on the ability to work with others, adeptness at following instructions and the quality of memos, documents and research projects. This whole thing is new to us too so hopefully it will work out ok."

While thankful that they have employment, many students are nervous about a summer experience that will be unlike any in recent memory.

"I guess I'm lucky to even have a job this summer considering the economy," said Claudia Marion, a 2L at Duke University who went straight from undergraduate to law school. "But I must admit I'm quite concerned about the fact that my program will only be 8 instead of 12 weeks, there will be fewer summer lunches, and my salary will not go up from last year's $3100 per week. I feel like I can now really understand what others, who have been affected by this recession, must be going through."

According to interviews, very few Americans, if they are or have ever been employed, sympathize with the current predicament of second year law students.

"Oh, I truly feel for the students who are facing this new internship reality," related Dennis Marsh, an unemployed programmer who was laid off from Sun Microsystems last November. "Demonstrating competence, fighting over limited openings, adjusting to fewer perks; God forbid they are exposed to a process familiar to the millions of us currently looking for gainful employment."