Best Summer Associate Event Contest (2016): The Finalists
Six great nominees; time to cast your vote!
I was chatting the other day with a summer associate who reached out to report that his firm had a 100 percent offer rate for summers. I asked him if he might also have a nomination for our summer associate event contest.
“The raise was the highlight obviously,” he said. “We could have done nothing else and I would have been happy.”
That sums up the feelings of Biglaw summer associates around the country. The most exciting summer “event” was Cravath raising starting salaries to $180,000.
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But we’re pleased to report that there was still plenty left in the bank for firms to show their summer associates a good time. After reviewing your nominations, we’re pleased to announce the following six finalists for our annual summer associate event contest:
1. Finn Dixon & Herling. As we’ve discussed repeatedly in these pages, chronicling the rise of boutique firms, Biglaw firms don’t have a monopoly on cutting-edge matters or top-tier talent — nor do they have a monopoly on fun. Finn Dixon & Herling, a Stamford-based firm with about 50 lawyers, took partners, associates, and summer associates to Chelsea Piers, where they played trampoline dodgeball. Said our source, “It was a blast!”
2. Freshfields. The Magic Circle firm pulled something far more exciting than rabbits out of its hat: orchestra-level seats to Broadway’s hottest show, Hamilton: An American Musical. With tickets to the Tony-winning show hitting four figures over the summer, especially right before Lin-Manuel Miranda’s departure, this probably cost the firm a pretty penny. But as someone who enjoyed Hamilton from orchestra seats earlier this year, I will attest that it’s worth it. I’d gladly go see it again — especially on someone else’s dime, like these lucky summer associates.
3. Kirkland & Ellis (Houston). It turns out that K&E had 100 percent offer rates in all of its U.S. offices (per a firm spokesperson), not just in the Houston office we previously mentioned. But we still suspect the Kirkland summers in H-Town had the hottest time (and not just in terms of temperature):
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K&E (Houston office) took the entire summer class, as well as a large group of attorneys, on an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to New Orleans. We stayed at the Windsor Court, arguably the nicest hotel in the city, and had a group dinner at the famous Emeril’s, as well as a jazz brunch at Palace Cafe.
As Emeril himself might say, BAM!
4. Quinn Emanuel. Don’t count the defending champion out (as I sort of did the other day). Quinn still has a summer program, even if it’s smaller than before (about ten or so summers), and it still shows them a good time:
I was a summer at Quinn Emanuel, and we all went on the annual firm hike — three days, 34 miles of hiking in Iceland. It was a blast! Just wanted to throw that out there so Quinn isn’t completely written off from the summer associate event contest.
The famously competitive John Quinn doesn’t like to lose — and now QE has a shot at keeping its crown, thanks to this Iceland excursion.
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5. Richards Layton & Finger. This contest almost always has a big-ticket concert in the running (past years have seen appearances by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift), and 2016 is no exception. Richards Layton, one of Delaware’s top corporate law firms, wanted to put its summers in a Wilmington state of mind — so it took them to see The Piano Man himself, live in concert. That they got to enjoy the musical stylings of Billy Joel from a luxury box only made it better.
6. Stoel Rives. The Portland-based firm flew all of its summer associates back to the home base in the Rose City for two days. Said our source, “Each summer got their own room at a nice hotel. All summers were also given passes to go to the Nike employee store.”
As a former Portland resident (I lived there for a year while clerking), I can say that it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the country, especially in the summer. As my colleague Joe Patrice, also a former denizen of the City of Roses, put it, “Hipsters, free-range quinoa, AND passes to get shoes 10% off? F**k it, just hand them the trophy now.”
Well, not so fast — the winner will be decided by you, our readers. Please cast your vote now (voting closes on MONDAY, AUGUST 15, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time):
Which firm put on the best summer associate event of 2016?
- Quinn Emanuel - Iceland Trip (46%, 881 Votes)
- Freshfields - Hamilton (24%, 452 Votes)
- Kirkland and Ellis - New Orleans Trip (16%, 313 Votes)
- Stoel Rives - Portland Trip (12%, 224 Votes)
- Finn Dixon - Trampoline Dodgeball (2%, 31 Votes)
- Richards Layton - Billy Joel Concert (1%, 22 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,923
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David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at [email protected].
