ATL Summer Associate Event Contest: The Finalists

Which firm had the best summer associate event of 2012? It's time to vote on the five finalists.

We recently requested entries for our summer associate event contest. Even if being a summer associate at a large law firm is more work than play these days, there is still fun to be had.

Here’s a comment on the post from “Dewey & LeBoeuf Summer Associate”:

It’s tough to choose just one event from my summer to nominate for The Best Biglaw Summer Associate Event of 2012. First, there was “Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day,” which was so successful the firm extended the event for the entire summer. Another one of my favorites was the cooking class I attended, “Upgrading Your Kitchen: 101 Ramen Recipes.”

Some of the firm’s events were also educational. I particularly enjoyed the invaluable seminar “Dodging Your Debts,” featuring guest speaker Elie Mystal. And each week I looked forward to the “Friday Bonfire,” where the other summer associates and I gathered to roast off-brand marshmallows in the tall fire we’d built with that week’s haul of rejection letters as we basked in the glow of the flames of our legal careers.

Fortunately, most summer associates are working at firms that aren’t in bankruptcy. Let’s take a look at our quintet of impressive entries for this year’s summer associate event contest….

Drumroll please. Here are this year’s nominees:

1. Latham & Watkins: The firm’s “LWU” event, a retreat for summer associates that took place in Beverly Hills, was “pretty impressive.” It is a “summer academy for summer associates,” consisting of three days of “training, socializing, and karaoke.” As an event, it was both educational and enjoyable.

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(But there were dissenters. Said one source: “It was fun, definitely, but I’m not sure it rose to the level of best summer associate event nationwide. I’m guessing there were perhaps more original ones.”)

2. Quinn Emanuel: No list of summer events would be complete without mention of QE’s famous firm hike. Everyone had “a great time” (well, except for the helicopter evacuees). In the words of John Quinn himself, it “was a great, great hike in the Canadian Rockies, and an authentic — not an artificial — encounter with the natural world in all its beauty and rigor.”

3. Ropes & Gray: When I think of Ropes & Gray, I think of a dignified, white-shoe firm. So kudos to the firm’s NYC office for loosening up enough to take its summers to Amateur Night at the Apollo — where one of the summers put on quite a show.

4. Schulte Roth & Zabel: It was a good year to be a summer associate at SRZ. Not only did the firm have a 100 percent offer rate, but it also took its summers… go-karting! From a happy tipster:

The firm took the summers to Pole Position Raceway in Jersey City, where they had the run of the place. Diversions included indoor go-karting, unlimited arcade games, hoops, and skeeball. Also present was the obligatory spread of hors d’oeuvres and open bar (after your last race), and a Taco Truck parked outside just for the Firm. Races were structured competitively with lap times displayed and trophies going to the winners. The after party took place at Zeppelin Beer Hall and Garden, with beer, wings, and the like.

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5. Weil Gotshal & Manges: Last month, the Miami Heat made history by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA finals. LeBron James and his colleagues secured the world championship for themselves — and if you were a summer associate in the Miami office of Weil, you were there to witness it. The firm took its talent to American Airlines Arena for Game 5 one game of the NBA championship.

UPDATE (8/10/12, 3:30 PM): Actually, as it turns out, the game in question was not Game 5, the final game; it was an earlier game in the series. Still, getting to see an NBA championship game is pretty awesome.

So those are the five fabulous finalists. Which one should win?

Which firm put on the best summer associate event of 2012?

  • Weil Gotshal & Manges - Game 5 of NBA Finals (64%, 926 Votes)
  • Schulte Roth & Zabel - Go-Karting (15%, 217 Votes)
  • Quinn Emanuel - Canadian Rockies hike (11%, 165 Votes)
  • Latham & Watkins - LWU (5%, 66 Votes)
  • Ropes & Gray - Amateur Night at the Apollo (4%, 63 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,437

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We’ll keep the polls open through SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, at 11:59 PM (Eastern time). Good luck!

Earlier: What Was The Best Biglaw Summer Associate Event Of 2012?
Summer Associate Offer Rates (2012): A Round-Up
Dear Summer Associates: Read The Fine Print Before Signing Up For the Quinn Emanuel Firm Hike
Summer Associate Stories: Summer Puts On A Show At The Apollo