During my first year of law school, I vividly remember sitting in a large lecture hall, where professors prepared us to be future attorneys using the Socratic method of teaching. We were challenged to learn the black-letter law and apply it to convoluted fact patterns that seemingly had no correct answer. After first-year exams were complete, many of us tried to regain our sanity before facing the next challenge.
Thus began the difficult task of securing a post-graduate associate position in an unstable economy, a challenge more daunting than any question our professors posed to us that first year and one that has far-reaching implications for our future. The process starts with on-campus interviews and — for some — ultimately leads to a summer associate position at a law firm.
