Ann Israel is the legal profession's Dear Abby. A New York legal recruiter since 1979, Ann is a past president of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants. Advice for the Lawlorn is updated every Tuesday.

Q:I am a 2L preparing for on-campus interviews for summer associate positions, but all the Biglaw firms look alike. Do you have any suggestions on how I should focus my efforts?

Dear Prepared: What a great question! I have a feeling you are not alone in thinking that all the Biglaw firms look the same at this point in your career.

I thought it best to go to an expert to find the answer to your question, so I went to Beth Silberstein who is an attorney as well as someone who has been in charge of recruiting attorneys for both Milbank Tweed Hadley McCloy LLP and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, two Am Law 100 global law firms. Ms. Silberstein was exceptionally generous with her knowledge and experience, and I think you will find her advice to be very helpful:

"This is a common problem since all 'big firms' seem to say the same things in their literature, on their Web site and in their NALP (National Association for Law Placement*) forms. Starting with the basics, assuming you have already decided to go to a big firm for the summer, where do you want to live when you graduate? What area of law are you the most interested in? Then look to see which firms really have a 'presence' in the market place both in geography and practice area. For instance, many New York firms have a litigation department, but who are really the players with the best partners and matters (Check The American Lawyer's A-List for that information.)? With a narrower list, find out from your career services office who was a summer associate at each firm and talk to them. 3L's are usually more than happy to tell you about their experience last summer. You can also refer to The American Lawyer's Summer Associate surveys for the rankings of almost all the summer programs.

"Check also the Vault synopsis of each firm. For a small investment, you can become a Gold Member and find out more in-depth information on each firm or again. Check with your career services office, which probably has a hard copy of the Vault book. Then it would be a good idea to go back to the NALP forms and Web sites to look at the details as to each firm's training programs, including whether the firm has a first-year training retreat, pays for CLE's outside the office, has a technology allowance and other things that will contribute to your success as an entry-level associate. Since almost all summer associates tend to go to the firm where they spend their second summer, you should make sure that this is the place you really want to end up."

I hope you will find this advice helpful as you focus on the Biglaw firms and try to differentiate one from the other. Law firms are just like people: Each one has a distinct and different personality and philosophy. If you follow Ms. Silberstein's advice, the differences in each firm will slowly begin to take shape, and you will narrow your list down to the firms that have a closer fit with your career goals. Best wishes!

Sincerely,
Ann Israel
President, Ann Israel & Associates