Prelude to a Kiss

I may not be a doctor, but I can spot a good epidemic when I see one. No, I’m not talking swine flu. Or Mad Cow. I’m talking about a bug that’s more contagious, more debilitating. A bug that seems to be tearing through scores of Big Law associates faster than you can say “stealth layoffs.” As much as I’ve tried to find one, there’s just no immunization you can get to ward this one off-and it looks like my fellow Big Law drones haven’t found one, either. The plague in question? Young female associates getting themselves embroiled in ridiculous sexual situations with vile, insane partners. And as far I can tell, a cure is still a long way off. [Read more]

Am I Screwed Because of My Typo?

Q:  I’m about to go in for a summer associate interview with a firm from Big Law.  I was excited to get it, and quickly reviewed my cover letter so I could keep my story straight.  That’s when it hit me: I had a glaring typo in my cover letter. It wasn’t in the boiler-plate portion that I used in all of them, thank goodness, but I checked my cover letters to other firms, just to be sure (they were all fine).  Still, I’m dreading going in to this interview, KNOWING that I have this terrible, gaping, glaring typo in my cover letter.

How do I deal?  Is it possible they just didn’t notice, and I should not acknowledge it?  I have visions of myself sweating bullets in the interview chair, that internal typo staring at me from the letter in the interviewer’s hand as I slowly lose my mind like the protagonist of a Poe story.  How do I keep from outing myself as an idiot who can’t even type a simple cover letter?   Even if they haven’t seen it, won’t SOMEONE notice, eventually, if they call me back for a second-round interview?  Should I mea culpa right away, and risk drawing attention to an error that might kill my chances?  I’m dreading answering a question about my “attention to detail,” and getting a follow-up: “So, then, how do you explain this typo in your cover letter?”

Could it all be a cruel hoax?  Am I the victim of a Big Law hazing?  Help!

—Victim of a Tell-Tale Typo [Read more]