2Ls discuss their experiences with summer jobs at lunchtime panel for 1Ls.
A panel of six USC Law students (2Ls and 3Ls) came together to discuss what is on every 1L’s mind: seasonal employment. Early February can be a nerve-racking time for 1Ls as they seek that first summer job during their law school career, but the panelists stressed that finding a summer job as 1Ls took most of them until nearly the end of the semester.
Maya Sukumar ’12, who spent the summer after her 1L year working for Summit Entertainment’s legal department, explained that 1Ls should start their search now, but the process of finding a job is typically a lengthy one.
"I didn’t do most of my interviewing until three weeks before finals," said Sukumar.
Amit Makker ’11, who worked for Morrison & Foerster this past summer, encouraged 1Ls to cast a wide net.
"I sent my cover letter to every firm I could think of," said Makker. "I can’t even tell you how many I sent before I found Morrison & Foerster."
All of the panelists agreed that persistence is vital in achieving an interview.
"Don’t think you are bothering people by contacting them for a second time," Makker said.
Additionally, the panelists offered their insight on the interviewing process for jobs in intellectual property and entertainment law. When interviewing for a job within the entertainment industry, the interviewer is not looking to hear about your interest in music or film, said Jay Patel ’12. Patel, who spent the summer after his first year working at Universal Music Group in the trademark division, warned 1Ls to downplay their ambitions to work in entertainment.
"Take out all the entertainment from your stories and focus on why it was a good legal or business decision," he said.
Makker advised students interested in patent law to do just the opposite, explaining that patent law is a more specialized branch, so students should articulate their interest in this particular concentration of law to the interviewer.
Further, Makker stressed the importance of demonstrating qualities that would make a student a good fit for a particular company.
"It is essentially a date, so it is very important that you make sure you are trying to sell yourself, Makker said. "Your grades and resume will get you the interview, but it is your personality that ultimately convinces the interviewer you are the person they want to spend late nights working with."
Jimmy Chen ’12, who started off in the IP clinic at USC Law last summer, told students to expect open-ended questions.
"They want to know about challenges you overcame and projects you have worked on, but overall you have to make sure you own your story about whatever led you to law school," Chen said.
"You will get really good at telling the same story over and over again," said Brianna Dahlberg, a 3L and former summer employee of Donaldson and Callif. Dahttery also emphasized the power of networking in the entertainment world.
"Connections and references are important. In addition to being able to communicate that you are passionate about the subject matter, you should utilize your resources because that is ultimately what it comes down to," Dahttery said. "In the world of entertainment law, who you know carries as much weight as what you know."
Despite the lengthy process, all of the panelists reflected on their great experiences once they settled into their summer jobs.
Nicole Giuntoli ’12 has had prime opportunities for hands-on learning experiences. After working in business affairs for both Sony Music and Universal Music, she learned the ins and outs of trademark agreements.
"At Sony we did side artist agreements, so if Lil Wayne wanted to do a song with Usher, I would get to draft the agreement," said Guintoli.
The panel warned 1Ls that most of them did not have jobs that paid a salary, and instructed them to make sure credit could be attained for whatever job they choose. Sukumar specifically struggled with her internship at Summit because it was originally designed for an undergraduate student. Sukumar recommended getting in contact with the dean early on to ensure that a program offers enough substantive legal work for credit.
"Plan ahead and study ahead in order to make time for handling all the logistics," she said.
Previous Article
