Anonymous Lawyer

We have one summer associate who still has yet to accept or reject her full-time job offer. She asked for an extension back in November, saying that she was looking at some "non-legal employment" and wouldn't be able to give us an answer until April. I usually think of "non-legal employment" as code for "escort service," but for this girl that definitely isn't an option. We told her that April was too late and would need an answer by the end of the year. April isn't actually too late (there's always room for one more person, especially since we can never predict how many associates will leave any given season), but there's no reason why we should have to wait until then. I hate waiting. We told her that February 15th was the latest possible date we could guarantee her position, and even then we couldn't guarantee that she would get to join the practice group that she wants. I got an e-mail from her today saying that she hopes to have an answer within the next week, but wants to know which practice group she'd be joining before she accepts. I'm inclined to call her bluff and give her her last choice just to see if she still accepts. I have a feeling, from the tone of her e-mail, that whatever "non-legal employment" she was waiting for has not come through and we're her only choice. I want to teach her that sometimes making an employer wait six months for an answer can have consequences. Or maybe I just want to make her suffer. Either way, it doesn't matter. Anyone who's already looking for non-legal employment won't last more than two years anyway, and we don't make real money off the associates until they're here at least three years anyway. Lunches, training, and chocolate-covered pretzels in the interview rooms get expensive.