【Episode 24 – Frivolous Litigation (1)】
“So, where are you applying for the summer internship?”
“I’m applying to Paul, Weiss and Wachtell, Skadden, Simpson Thacher… Anyway, I have to apply broadly. What about you?”
“More or less the same. Ah, I’m thinking of applying to Allen & Overy too.”
“But they’re British.”
During Civil Procedure class, after coming in from talking with Michael, Je Hon coincidentally overheard the Chinese students next to him discussing law firm applications.
“Yeah. Allen & Overy has a big office in Singapore too, so I’m planning to apply there.”
“Singapore?”
“My mom is from Singapore.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know? Oh, but I heard from a senior I know that law firm recruiting coordinators meet up and exchange information, so they told me not to apply to too many places everywhere. They said it could be a negative factor in the selection process.”
Since it was still early in the semester, he didn’t hear such conversations often, but in six months, this would be a story heard everywhere in 1L classrooms.
That was how important the summer internship applied for after the first year was for post-graduation employment, and the passionate kids were already picking places they wanted—or places that might take them—from the beginning of the semester.
“Hello, Je Hon,
My name is James Kim and I am an associate at Kirkland & Ellis. I am also Michael’s brother.”
Since there were still a few minutes before the lecture began, he took out the email sent by Michael’s older brother from his junk mail folder and read it.
“We haven’t met yet, but I happen to have read your legal brief on immigration law, which I believe you drafted for the moot court competition.
It was such an impeccable argument and in fact, I didn’t believe at first a first year student wrote that……”
Hello, Je Hon.
My name is James Kim, and I am an associate at Kirkland & Ellis. I am also Michael’s brother.
We have not met yet, but I happened to read the legal brief you wrote on immigration law issues.
It was an impeccable argument. In fact, at first, I could not believe it was written by a first-year student……
Contrary to the dreadful email address, the content was very polite.
It was all the more unexpected because the only thing he had heard from Michael was that James was a “smart, arrogant lawyer with a strong ego.”
The letter began with a self-introduction, mentioned the legal brief—a written document containing arguments on legal issues—that I had written, and went on to explain what kind of law firm Kirkland & Ellis was.
It was neither long nor short.
But it was such a clean and persuasive piece of writing that even someone with no interest in a law firm called Kirkland & Ellis would be intrigued.
He was not someone who simply worked at a top-tier law firm by sheer luck.
“……We are hosting an event in New York in December and I hope to meet you there and talk in person.
In the meantime, if you have any question about me or Kirkland & Ellis, surely you can contact me at any time.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
James Kim, Esq.”
……We are planning to host an event in New York in December. I would like to meet you then and talk in person.
If you have any questions about me or Kirkland & Ellis in the meantime, please feel free to contact me at any time.
Looking forward to meeting you soon,
James Kim, Esq.
The “Sincerely” and “Esq.” at the end made the already polite email feel even weightier.
Historically, it originated in England as a title bestowed upon a “gentleman worthy of receiving a knighthood” (though there was no other particular title by which to address them), but its nature changed after coming to America.
Not all states in the U.S. used it, but the New York State Bar Association used Esquire as the official title for attorneys.
It was truly unexpected.
It was the kind of email one would expect from a law firm recruiting coordinator. And from a personal email address, no less.
But after thinking it over, he thought he could understand why.
Could it be that he couldn’t just hand my contact information over to the recruiting partner when he didn’t know if I was interested in Kirkland & Ellis?
So hadn’t he sent this invitation with the intention that, if I hadn’t been interested before, I should take an interest now?
If so, it had been successful.
And above all, there was no reason to refuse an invitation from a law firm where the starting salary for new associates was $180,000.
He wanted to write a reply right away, but just then Professor Helen Hankershoff, who taught corporate law, entered the classroom.
“Today, continuing from last time, I’d like to talk a bit more about frivolous litigation. Then, could someone briefly summarize the Pearson v. Chung case I mentioned last class? Oh, yes, will you do it? Your name is…”
“Tom.”
“Okay, Tom. What are the facts of Pearson v. Chung?”
“Pearson v. Chung is a case that occurred in Washington, D.C., in 2005, in which an administrative law judge of the D.C. courts sued a Korean-owned dry cleaner for $67 million in damages for losing his pants.”
Frivolous Litigation (2)
“Hey, Hon.”
“What’s up, Clemens.”
“I heard you got an offer from Kirkland’s recruiting team?”
“Who said that?”
“Michael told me.”
Anyway, that guy really… seems to think it’s something to brag about.
“No.”
“Really? I heard that guy’s brother who works at Kirkland went crazy over your moot court brief and offered you a Kirkland summer internship spot. No?”
“No. You heard wrong. I just got an informational pamphlet or something.”
“Really? And here I was.”
“But why do you ask?”
“Kirkland’s the place I want to go to the most. So if you had gotten an offer, I was going to ask you to introduce me too.”
“If that’s what you wanted, why didn’t you just ask Michael directly? Since it’s his brother.”
“I did. But he told me to write a brief and submit it. Anyway, if you end up meeting the recruiter, let me know.”
“Got it.”
“Ciao.”
After the morning lecture, while waiting for Sein with Dongwook at the Goldin Lounge, Clemens approached and asked about Kirkland before leaving.
After the guy walked away, Dongwook asked, looking slightly surprised by the information he was hearing for the first time.
“You got an email from Kirkland?”
“It was a personal email from Michael’s older brother.”
“A lawyer at Kirkland? Was his name James?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say? To come to Kirkland?”
“It was an email to the effect of, ‘I read the brief Michael sent over carefully. It was a good brief. This is what Kirkland is. It’s a good firm. Consider it.’”
“That’s an offer.”
“It wasn’t like that. It wasn’t sent formally from a law firm email either.”
“Even so, there’s no reason to send something like that to a law student. He sent it because he’s interested in you. Wow, that’s amazing. Congratulations.”
“Ah, come on. It was just a personally sent email.”
While Dongwook was needlessly singing his praises, Sein appeared.
“What are you congratulating him for?”
“Hon already seems to have a summer internship spot locked down.”
“Really? Where?”
“No.”
“Kirkland.”
“Really? How? Kirkland hasn’t even held a wine and cheese yet. Oh, don’t tell me! Michael’s brother?”
It had indeed been an offer.
A few weeks after sending a reply to James, a formal email arrived from Kirkland’s recruiting coordinator.
That was the beginning.
“Now that Sein’s here too, shall we go see the professor?”
The beginning of a happy dilemma.