Biglaw

Summer Associate Programs (Part III): Tips For Success

What law students need to know before they become summer associates.

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Large group of happy business people. Success.

‘We did it!’

You’ve beaten the odds, and obtained one of the relatively few, highly desirable offers to work at a Biglaw firm as a summer associate.  Congratulations!  Now, it’s important to understand why the program exists, what you should expect from the program, and what attorneys at Biglaw firms expect from you as a summer associate and how to succeed.

During my many years working in Am Law 100 law firms, as a partner, leader, and practice leader, including working on law school recruiting teams and with my firm’s recruiting committee, I was responsible for hiring, evaluating, and training numerous summer associates.  I’ve seen scores of summer associates come and go, and worked with summer associates from pretty much every law school that usually sends law students into Biglaw firms.  The summer associates have ranged from the unbelievable (in a bad way) to the exceptional.  Time and again, the exceptional and successful summer associates seem to do the same things.

What are those things?  And how can you maximize the likelihood of success in your summer associate program (i.e., receiving a full-time job offer at the firm after law school graduation)?  Below are a few of those things and tips for success, some of which are excerpted from the book Big Law Confidential.

  1. Do Research in Advance. Sometimes a summer associate’s experience working with a practice group will materially and substantively differ from their experience working with that practice group as an associate, causing them great dissatisfaction as an associate. In other words, some practice groups are great at making a convincing sales pitch during the summer program, but once you “buy,” you find out you were duped. Law students should research the prospective firm and potential practice groups of interest before, or toward the beginning of, their summer program, and to focus their time and efforts on working with the “best” practice groups they think they’d most like to work in as an associate.  This research may (and ideally will) include speaking with 3Ls who were summer associates at the firm and junior associates in the firm/practice group(s) of interest.
  1. Remember that Quality Is WAY More Important Than Quantity. As one of my mentors was fond of saying, “right is better than fast — it’s most important to get the right answer and do good work, since no one cares how fast you can turn out wrong answers or crappy work.” This is something summer associates should always bear in mind.  Biglaw firms expect a lot of summer associates (and even more, of associates), including doing a high quantity of work, timely and efficiently.  But the most important thing is that any work that you do is of a very high quality.
  1. Get Work Done, but also Get Out from Behind the Desk. One of the main objectives of a summer associate program is to match each summer associate with the best-fitting practice group — ideally, a match that suits both sides. It’s often the social events and moments that happen away from the desk that allow the summer associate and attorneys to get to know each other and best determine practice group fit. Summer associates should plan to come to the office early and/or stay late as needed to complete their work, to have time to attend social events, informational lunches about practice groups, casual coffee chats, etc. Remember: people like to work with people they like, and people who are like them. Get your work done and then get out from behind the desk, to get to know your potential future colleagues and determine if you like them, and give them a chance to get to know and like you.

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  1. Always Be Prepared and Punctual. Never go anywhere within the firm without a paper notebook, two pens (in case one runs out of ink), and your work cell phone. Summer associates can receive assignments in hallways, elevators, while having coffee, etc.  If you’re invited to listen in on a call or participate in a meeting, be dialed in or present at least two to five minutes before the scheduled start time (and factor in time for potential elevator delays, getting lost, etc.) and be sure to show up prepared with any materials (e.g., copies of relevant documents), and to take notes.  I once worked with a summer associate who was never prepared and never took notes.  It made a poor impression with me and the other attorneys in our practice group, and resulted in them not getting a full-time job offer with our practice group.
  1. Dress for Success. There’s a saying: dress for the role you want. Summer associates want to receive an offer to join a Biglaw firm as an associate, so they should dress at least as professionally as most associates, as appropriate for each situation. Look to other attorneys at your firm for guidance, since each firm has its own culture and dress standards, on the spectrum from business casual to business formal, and follow the lead of the majority who seem to be well respected and dressed appropriately. If you’re in doubt about whether to wear something, don’t wear it and wear something else that is more conservative/classic.
  1. Act Professionally. Successful summer associates act like they’re already professionals (associates), whether inside or outside the firm, including with respect to social media usage, how they respond in emails, how they interact with colleagues and clients, and otherwise.  I once worked with a summer associate who responded to emails from partners with one-word “yep” responses, or emojis.  They received counseling on professionalism and did not receive a full-time job offer with our practice group.  The little things make an impression, and matter, when it comes to firms deciding whether to make full-time job offers.  Ensure that you’re remembered for positive things such as the quality of your work, the professional way you comport yourself, etc., and not as the “yep” guy.
  1. Display a Positive Attitude. Attorneys like working with other attorneys, summer associates, and staff who have positive attitudes. Displaying humility, a genuine desire to learn and understand, an eagerness to rise to the challenge, and a longing to help the team, can translate into greater credibility, influence, and in my experience, a greater likelihood of receiving a full-time job offer at the firm.

Best wishes to you for success with your summer associate program, and beyond!

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Part I of this series covers why summer associate programs exist and Biglaw firms’ different approaches to them.

Part II of this series covers what Biglaw firm attorneys expect from summer associates and what summer associates can expect from the program.

D.W. Randolph is a pseudonym for an attorney who is or was a partner, “rainmaker,” and practice leader at an Am Law 100 firm, who has practiced law at multiple Am Law / Vault top law firms in New York City and another large U.S. city, over the span of many years, and the author of the acclaimed “tell-all” book and resource guide to all things Biglaw, entitled Big Law Confidential (affiliate link). D.W. has served in firmwide and office-level leadership positions within their Biglaw firms and led or been involved in nearly all aspects of Biglaw firm operations, from summer associate and attorney hiring, compensation, performance evaluation and promotion, to firm governance and initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion, and more.  D.W. graduated with honors from a law school that has historically been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 10 law schools in the U.S. and has taught at a law school that has historically been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 14 law schools in the U.S.

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