The Joy of Summers

They're called Summer Associates or just "Summers".

They're law school students who apprentice at the firm during the summer months for anywhere between 3 to 9 weeks. During this time, we (the regular associates) are mandated to "socialize" with them, at the firm's expense.

And the budgets are ridiculous. US$50 for lunch and US$80 for dinner (per head). In HK, that's a lot of money (or a lot of lobster).

I've been trying to get started on a diet for trip to the beach I've been planning next month. The Summer lunches are not helping.

The whole Summer Associate program is one big recruitment extravaganza. You treat the law school kids out to fancy restaurants, treat them like lawyers and woo them to join the firm. The whole point is to get the best and the brightest through your doors. And the only way to do that is to pamper their asses off. Pretty straightforward concept, right?

Wrong.

This whole concept of recruitment is lost on the Perm. Back there, you get invited to one hiring cocktail party and you get to have one semi-fancy lunch after your interview.

And I just heard from N. that the Perm's scrapped the post-interview lunch.

So much for continuity. Great work, L.