Is it crucial to get involved with the type of public interest work that you are interested in early in your career? For example, I have a real interest in city planning and urban development issues. Very few of the public interests opportunities I was able to locate while looking for a job for this summer had programs that provided work in a relatively niche capacity (like the legal side of city planning). Outside of being bogged down in city-level government work, it seems like the most viable way to get involved with this type of work is with a private academic, but I have difficulties figuring out a) how to make connections with independent people of such an industry and b) how to develop a skill set that is relevant for this type of work. (RobertCorp)

If there is a reality, and a general perception, that a huge percentage of young associates will not be staying with a firm until they reach partner, how competitive is the workplace? Can anyone who is summer-ing at a big firm attest to this aspect of the experience? It seems like the cutthroat competition of law school (or at least of the characterization of law school) would not have to exist in such a setting, since it seems like a relatively small percentage of people are actually focused on making partner. (RobertCorp)

How important is the “prestige” that comes from the reputation of the top firms to facilitating a transition to a position of community leadership? During my section of legal methods, with Bobbitt, we were exposed to many attorneys who have had interesting careers and have accomplished a lot in the civil spectrum, but many used the reputation of their big firms as a conduit to their success in the political/social sphere. (The example that has stayed with me the most was Philip Howard, Vice-Chairman of Covington & Burling, who has gone on to be a prominent civic leader in New York) (RobertCorp)