If you’re working as a summer associate at a big law firm, count your blessings. Despite the uncertainty in the legal market, many firms are rolling in dough again, and most hiring partners I’ve chatted with say they expect to make offers to almost all of their summer hires.

Normality has returned to the profession – but not for everyone. Certainly not the so-called ‘lost generation‘ – those unlucky newbie lawyers who lost their jobs (or never got one) during the recession. Remember them?