Sample of Summer Associate Programs
The majority of summer associate positions in large law firms are secured by students heading into their second year of law school during the preceding summer or in their third year during spring of the second year of law school. Similar to a medical residency, these one-year positions are the closest experience that a law student will get to working as a lawyer in "the real world". The experience gained from both in-house and law firm summer associate positions significantly shapes a future attorney’s practice area specialty, subject matter knowledge, interpersonal skills, and employment opportunities for years to come.
From the perspective of a summer associate, there are three equal and competing objectives that are central to the summer associate experience:
Summer associate programs also contribute to the competitive advantage of law school programs . Such programs are excellent marketing tools for law schools to show how they have placed hundreds of law students into various top law firms around the country. Such marketing strategies directly translate into positive publicity and increased rankings in these critical publications.
From a law school’s point of view, these programs are the perfect vehicle to teach a student the importance of networking, developing close relationships with others in the field, and what distinguishes average attorneys from exceptional ones. Such training is heavily stressed in classes on leadership, professionalism, emotional intelligence, and the like that are offered at many institution.
Applying for Summer Associate Roles
For many summer associate positions, the process of applying begins as early as your first year of law school. The search for summer employment is like a long game of chess where educating yourself on the nuances of the legal hiring landscape is an essential element to succeed. Research indicates that 80% of law firms fill their summer positions by the end of the fall semester. The other 20% will fill theirs at the beginning of the spring semester – and a small number may take until the end of the semester. Like the holidays, this is something that you don’t want to miss.
Generally, large law firms start recruiting summer associates in September or October of their second year (usually at campus interviews), and require students to submit their application materials by this time. If you are not applying to a firm’s summer associate position through a formal campus interview process, it is wise to submit your application materials around this time nonetheless, as it shows initiative and interest in a position.
Small and mid-size firms may post positions on their websites around this time, or may let candidates know they are accepting applications and to check back at a later date. However, smaller firms generally do not start actively recruiting until January. They may post available positions on their websites, or you may need to cold call, or inquire about a position through the firm’s website contact form to learn more about the application process.
Law firms vary in size, hiring processes, and how they review applications, so it is important to carefully research the firm you are applying to in advance as you prepare your application materials. For example, while some firms may accept online applications through their website, others may request a "packet" to be mailed or emailed. Some firms also only accept applications for open positions. Therefore, if a summer associate position isn’t posted on the firm’s website, this doesn’t mean the firm won’t accept an unsolicited application.
If you are required to submit a packet, it is wise to send the most current version of your resume that you have (following the format of the example provided), tailored to the type of work you wish to do for that firm. You will also want to include a firm-specific cover letter explaining why you are interested in working for that firm in particular, as well as your grades, writing sample, and references.
Be sure to follow directions to the letter, as most firms will reject applicants with any materials missing, and this includes those for which the applicant has earned a top GPA or class ranking taking very closely to their submission.
If the firm you are seeking a position with is a smaller or mid-size firm, many of them do not interview their summer associates (or laterals) near the time of application submission. If the applicants the firm interviews do not apply with a strong writing sample, top-notch references and a firm-specific cover letter, then they automatically will not consider other applicants because of this slight oversight.
Nailing the Interview
While preparing written materials like a resume and cover letter seem to be necessary evils to some, the interview is where it’s at. And the interview process for 2Ls seeking summer associate positions is highly competitive. It’s important to be formulaic, while still being yourself—after all, the people you’re trying to impress are just that. Here are some tips to help you find the right balance:
Take time to rehearse your answers, but be careful not to sound rehearsed
Dress respectfully and business casual from the get-go
Make a list of questions in advance, keeping in mind the specific type of law firm you are interviewing with
Dress professionally
Take time to rehearse answers as the questions can be highly formulaic in nature
Be curious; ask a lot of questions—the interviewer will appreciate that you’re not just there to be asked questions. An inquisitive mind in the legal field can be highly valuable.
If the job is in a field of law you are not very experienced, make sure you show quality research on related law, and show an interest for that particular area of law as well.
Keep a straight posture and make meaningful eye contact
You need not have a set answer for every question, but take time to informally flesh out some answers to questions that might come up in an interview, such as: why do you want to work at this firm; why did you go to law school; and how did you become interested in this specific field(s) of law.
Follow up after the interview; within 48 hours, send a note or email thanking your interviewer(s) for their time and reiterating your interest in the position.
Life as a Summer Associate
As a summer associate, you will work directly with attorneys, clients, and opposing counsel in the same capacity as a new junior associate. The type of work that gets assigned may be affected by the department to which you are assigned and the responsibilities of that department. You might spend considerable time in litigation, corporate, or tax departments. Regardless of your area of assignment, most if not all firms have certain tasks that summer associates can expect to complete. Examples include:
Legal research: You’ll need to be familiar with Westlaw or Lexis and how to conduct research using these tools. A secretarial assistant will help you become familiar with the basics and on your first day in the office during your assigned week, you will be scheduled for a training session with the firm’s librarian. This session runs approximately 90 minutes to gain an understanding of how Westlaw and Lexis can assist in legal research and includes a tour of the libraries.
Preparing and organizing documents for closing and other transactions: You will most likely assist with the preparation of special closing checklists and may even be responsible for generating the checklist for the client. You may not be expected to draft the transaction documents , but you may work on assembling the documents.
Writing memos: Expect to examine the factual situations of a case, research the appropriate areas of law, analyze the law and facts, and write a memo detailing your findings. You may also be asked to revise an existing document, so keep in mind the quality of your writing is important.
Maintaining documents and records: In addition to generally filing and organizing documents, you may also be asked to maintain and update databases.
Client contact: As a summer associate, you are not expected to directly communicate with clients. You will certainly be working with clients alongside a mentor or partner, however.
Special projects: You may be asked to research an issue of interest to you or your assigned mentor. This could include researching a blog topic or drafting a press release for the firm.
Making the Most of Your Summer Associate Experience
So you got through the gauntlet of interviews and oral arguments, and now you’re set to be a Summer Associate. This isn’t just a "buy now pay later" arrangement – if it’s anything like mine, it will be the most grueling experience of your professional life. Here is a basic outline of how to maximize the opportunity and come out a winner.
- Network, network, network … then network some more. Introductions are your friend. If you meet someone at the Summer Associate welcome reception, get that person’s business card, and use that card to track down their profile on LinkedIn the next day. DON’T make the typical college mistake of simply connecting with them without a follow-up note. You should customize your notice and ask them for a brief chat over lunch to learn more about their area of practice and what they enjoy. Repeat this favor for at least five more lawyers in the office, spread out over the entire time frame of your visit. Not only will you learn a great deal about the law firm, but you will also have made a lasting impression on six different lawyers, as well as everyone they talk to about this great conversation they had with you.
- Never, ever, turn down an opportunity to shadow someone at work. Because there is a good chance that no one will be able to hear your answer in the "what are you doing this summer?" question. By "chance," I mean it’s virtually inevitable. When an attorney you respect asks you to help them on a project, tell them you are more than happy to help in any way possible. If it involves calling 15 descendants of Ulysses S. Grant to determine who got what when Missouri tried to seize the Grant estate as a Confederate asset, that’s even better – a history lesson as well! There will be tasks that sound extremely tedious and mundane – "organizing and indexing documents" and "going through boxes to make sure we included everything." Don’t roll your eyes at those times. Being thorough and careful is essential, even if it isn’t the sexy stuff you might imagine Summer Associates would get to do all day.
- Show up to work early, and leave late. I can hear it now – you’d rather poke out your eyes with a grapefruit spoon than show up to work by 8:00 a.m. That’s understandable – you’ve spent the vast majority of your life grinding yourself down into an over-scheduled schedule that rivals a military regimen. But the worst thing you could do to start out with this firm is to show up late to the first day, or take off just as soon as necessary work appears. Be the person who moves your appointment with the dentist to 6:30 p.m. to make sure you’re there at the crack of dawn. You haven’t spent the last four years in law school to go soft on the trip home from the bus stop to your condo. The firm is paying you to be there on their time, not yours, and they expect you to take that task seriously.
- Ask for feedback. A good resume and a few case wins are a start, but they are not the whole show. Once a week (or even once every two weeks, if you’re lucky), ask the supervising attorney if they can give you a brief rundown on what you’re doing right and where you can improve. Don’t be surprised if they say "you know what you’re doing." Sometimes a simple "so far, so good" will be as much feedback as they can give you in the time available. But that brief conversation will allow them to remember you in a positive light and give you the chance to hone your skills throughout the duration of your time there.
- Practice your poise and assure your personality matches. I had a friend in law school who was a brilliant writer. She co-authored our university’s seminal guide to law writing. But her signature style of "let’s make this brief and boring as all get-out" was not appropriate when she started her Summer Associate gig in a large litigation firm. Make sure you look like you enjoy being around people, and always maintain eye contact when talking to colleagues and clients. These should be record-breaking days for the pedicure team at your local spa.
Finally, be social – just not TOO social. Don’t spend nights at the bar across the street from your condotel until 2:30 a.m., where drinks fly rapidly and oops-my-tie-just-suddenly-came-loose moments abound. Or at least, don’t let them take the leap from a funny story to a disciplinary meeting the next month.
Converting a Summer Associate Position into a Full-Time Offer
Here’s what you should know about what you can do during your summer associate position and after, to turn that temporary job into a full-time offer.
Do Your Best from the Start
While your resume did the heavy lifting and got you the call for an interview, during the summer associate program you get a chance to show how great of an employee you really are. So, from the minute you step into the office, you want to put your best foot forward. You want to be the first one at work in the morning (yes, even if it means being in your office, working on something else, but looking busy) and the last one to leave the office. All of those people in the firm are employees just like you – treat them how you would want to be treated if you were in their shoes. Don’t take "working for free" literally. You may not be getting paid for a full-time job, but as a summer source, you are still getting paid to work for that specific firm, so put in the time to show that you are a valuable asset to them.
Pay Attention to Your Work
Part of being a summer associate that is too often overlooked is actually paying attention to the work you are doing. First of all, you want to make sure that you are not handing them junk work and setting them up for failure. Every piece of work that you submit should be at the highest quality that you can produce – don’t hand in crap work just to get through, even if you are short on time. Second of all, you want to be the best summer associate that they have ever seen. That means paying attention to the work you are doing and being better than anyone they have hired in the past. Make sure you are reading everything and doing the best job that you can, each and every time you are given work . Additionally, it would help to keep track of everything that you are doing so that you can easily show them how much you are contributing, in case there is any question about whether or not to bring you back after your summer is over.
Be Prepared to Make the Pitch
Throughout the summer, you should be building relationships with some of the people who work at the firm as well as the people who are serving as their supervisors. Your goal is to show them that you would be a welcome addition to their team and that you are someone that they want to keep around after the summer is over. Now, it is important to note that you do not want to be pushy and bugging every single partner. However, you should take the time required to develop relationships with the people you want to work with and go above and beyond when given the opportunity. Have some coffee or lunch with them once a week, ask about their work and be personable. As an employer, you want to hire the person that you like the best, so do what you can to make them like you.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
If you aren’t offered a full-time position at the end of the summer, you need to ask for feedback. While the firm should be telling you why, you should be proactive and ask what you could have done to change the outcome. Don’t take it personally and thank them for their honesty, but you want to know how you could improve in the future. Finally, you shouldn’t rule out other opportunities. While you may be waiting on an answer from your preferred firms, there may be an opportunity elsewhere that is just a good or even better of a fit. Don’t be afraid to explore all of your options. In addition, you want to start applying for positions immediately after you get an answer, even if it is a good answer. It always pays to be prepared.