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Summer Associate Drinking Etiquette Debate – Above the Law

It’s
that
time
of
year
where
law
students
flock
to
the
firms
to
get
hands-on
experience
with
practical
legal
work…
but
mostly
go
to
lunch
and
firm
parties.

Which
has
experienced
attorneys
sharing
their
homespun
summer
associate
advice.
Nothing
big…
stuff
like
“don’t

slap
attorneys
,”
“avoid

initiating
a
love
triangle
with
the
managing
partner
,”
or
“never

involve
the
Coast
Guard
.”

But
one
bit
of
advice
kicked
off
a
social
media
debate:
should
summers
avoid
drinking
at
firm
events?
Cybersecurity
law
professor
Jeff
Kosseff
thought
no:

Certainly
would
underscore
the
second
point.
And
I
can
think
of

a
couple
lawyers
who
used
ChatGPT
in
a
filing

who
would
probably
agree
right
about
now.

But
should
law
students
really
go
fully
on
the
wagon
for
the
sake
of
the
summer?
It
turns
out
there
are
some
strong
feelings
on
the
subject:

While
some
heartily
endorsed
the
advice,
others
questioned
whether
refraining
from
alcohol
at
events
designed
around
open
bars
could
undermine
their
career
prospects.
A
firm
wouldn’t
consciously
no-offer
someone
for
not
drinking,
but
could
a
summer
assiduously
avoiding
happy
hours
and
being
“out
of
step”
with
the
sobriety
level
around
them
get
dinged
for
“not
fitting
in”?

They
shouldn’t.
Firms
are
far
more
conscious
of
substance
abuse
and
peer
pressure
than
they
were
in
the
past

arguably

a
little
too
conscious


so
there
is
little
risk
that
you’re
compromising
your
career
by
passing
on
the
free
drinks.

Well,
unless
you’re
the
guy
Lawprofblawg
is
snarking
on
here.

It’s
also
arguably
an
ADA
violation
to
not
hire
someone
because
you
think
they’re
a
recovering
alcoholic,
so
don’t
do
this.

Speaking
of
opening
the
firm
up
to
legal
action,
asking
after
a
non-drinking
associate
is
fraught
with
opportunities
to
land
in
hot
water.

Folks
had
a
lot
of
thoughts
and
there
were
a
lot
of
lengthy
threads
(not
this
one
though):

So
should
summers
drink
at
firm
events?
Sure…
if
they
want
to.
Or
don’t
if
you
don’t
want
to.
As
long
as
you
don’t
end
up
gracing
the
pages
of
Above
the
Law
in
the
bad
way,
do
whatever
you
want.
The
firms
expect
summers
to
drink,
so
don’t
abstain
for
fear
of
getting
tipsy.
But
firms
also
don’t
want
to
fish
you
out
of
the
river,
so
don’t
get
drunk.

Not
to
sound
like
a
liquor
commercial,
but
be
responsible.
If
that
means
not
drinking,
no
one
(at
a
serious
firm
anyway)
is
going
to
mind.
And
if
it
means
drinking
for
you,
stay
professional.


HeadshotJoe
Patrice
 is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer
.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
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on Twitter if
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and
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Joe
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