"Soft Skills" to Succeed in the 2L Recruiting Process

The accelerated 2L recruiting process, which now bleeds into the second semester of 1L year, can make things very busy for 1Ls, navigating the recruiting process in conjunction with 1L writing assignments and studying/taking final exams.

In this environment, there are certain “soft skills” that are required from 1L students to succeed in this process.  In a recent conversation with a BigLaw Recruiting Director, she said something that provided nice perspective: although this process is challenging, the skills required for 1Ls to run an effective job search on this timeline requires the same skills that the firm looks for in students, as indicator to succeed as a junior associate.

This is certainly the case and is very insightful.  One of the biggest challenges in the recruiting process that is raised by students and law school career services offices is the lack of certainty: students wish they could have specific and definite information on when and how firms are hiring, with everyone on the same page.  However, being a junior associate in a BigLaw firm is the complete opposite of that.  The fast-paced and large transactions you’d work on as a junior associate in BigLaw firm are constantly changing – one day, the deal is dead, another day it’s back on, with a different deal structure and timeline.  Same with litigation: you could have your week planned out, until a tight deadline drops for a motion for a temporary restraining order on behalf of your client, for example.

Though challenging, the accelerated 2L recruiting timeline does help prepare students for what is required in the “real world” as a BigLaw associate and in any job or career after that.  Firms know that you don’t know how to stand up and argue in court or negotiate an M&A deal when you walk in the door – but they want to see that you have the soft skills that give you the foundation to succeed and learn the substance.

So, what are those skills?  Here are the key ones:

—Strong time management skills:  The 2L recruiting process requires managing your time effectively between research and preparing application materials, the 1L writing assignment, and studying/taking final exams.  Being able to manage your time effectively, to establish focused time for applications and studying, as well as well-being activities (such as exercise and sleep) is critical… and doable with the right habits in place.  

Strong time-management is key for a career as a busy attorney.  Check out our more detailed blog post about how to use focused time to get your 2L application materials ready.

—Managing competing deadlines:  The 2L recruiting process requires effectively managing competing deadlines, between recruiting activities and schoolwork.  Being thoughtful about what to prioritize and allocating your time and attention effectively is key.  

This is the epitome of being a BigLaw associate, which often requires managing multiple matters at once with different requirements, deadlines, and attention to each.

—Professional and timely communication and responsiveness: The 2L recruiting process requires stronger communication skills than it ever has.  When you have callbacks, offers, and deadlines from different firms at different times, it is key to communicate effectively.  If you’d like to cancel your callback (which you should if you are no longer interested in the firm), let them firm know with reasonable notice.  If you need more time on an offer deadline, but remain interested in the firm, communicate that without putting the firm in a tight spot: if your offer deadline is May 31 at 11:59pm, don’t email the firm asking for an extension on May 31 at 11:30pm.  If you are waiting on an offer from a firm that is your top choice, but have other offers expiring, you can communicate that with the firm professionally, and with as much advance notice as you can.   If you are invited to interview at a firm or trying to schedule a second-look, respond promptly and don’t sit on emails. 

Communication is one of the most important skills as a junior associate, and frankly in any career.  Being responsive to partners, associates, and clients is critical and something firms look for in junior associates.  For example, if you need more time on an assignment as a junior associate, communicating that with the partner, senior associate, or client in advance is always key, not at the last minute.  Same with confirming receipt of a new assignment or other communication.

—Attention to detail:  Ohhh, we can talk all day about attention to detail.  This is a very important skill for the 2L recruiting process as you navigate applications and interviews with several different firms at once.  Address your cover letter to the right firm.  Avoid typos on your resume, cover letter, other materials, and follow-up emails.  Read the firms’ instructions for submitting materials and updating your grades.  Understand the firms’ application requirements.  

Similarly, this is critical as a BigLaw associate. BigLaw firms are billing junior associates out several hundred dollars per hour – the expectation from clients is that there is attention to detail paid to the work product.  Even though junior associates may not have the substantive experience for drafting a certain type of contract on their own, for example, the expectation is that the details are correct: dates, party names, deal structure, case citations, etc.  If you submit your materials with clear errors, the firm may not trust you for actual client work.  The 2L process is a test of law students’ attention to detail.

—Proper preparation:  Succeeding in the 2L recruiting process requires 1Ls to be prepared.  If you have an interview, know who you are interviewing with, what they do, and some basic info about that practice area (our Summer Associate Hub platform is an easy way to do that with little time), the firm, and other info.  This doesn’t take hours — take a bit of time to get a basic understanding.  Come with questions prepared.  Same goes for cover letters and other materials, as well as on-campus events.  A few minutes of preparation goes a loooong way.  

Being prepared is an absolutely key skill for attorneys.  I can’t emphasize this enough.  If you are a junior associate going to a meeting with a partner or senior associate, get prepared on what you are going to discuss.  Know the details.  Don’t just wing it.  Even more so for client calls, calls with the opposite attorneys, and others.  As a junior associate, often times you are relied upon to master the facts of the case or documents in a deal, and being prepared is critical to show that you are doing that.

When I was a junior associate, we had a negotiation call on a large deal with the counsel for the other side.  The attorney was a partner, “chair” of the practice, and had all these credentials on his bio.  He showed up to the call woefully unprepared, asking about what the company does, and couldn’t even negotiate the documents because he didn’t know what the deal was about.  Us associates, less experienced, were running circles around him, despite his years of experience.  He is lucky his client wasn’t on the phone… it was a good lesson for a junior attorney like me about how it looks to others when you are unprepared.

Again, this process is challenging.  But these soft skills are critical and certainly a “sneak preview” to what is required from you as a junior associate in a busy BigLaw firm.