Biglaw, Law Schools

The Best Biglaw Firms, Ranked By Summer Associates (2024)

What matters most to summer associates? Here are the Top 10 Biglaw firms, in their eyes.

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‘We love our firms!’

The summer of 2024 was pretty exciting for summer associates — after all, summer programs now seem to be back to the days of yore, sparing no expense to impress would-be associates with fun times and fun work, too. From setting sail for luxurious yacht parties to attending the NBA draft to seeing Hamilton from orchestra seats, this year’s summer associate experience did not disappoint.

But what matters most to summer associates, and which firms did they like best?

This year’s crop of summers were impressed not just by their extravagant outings, but by the quality of the real work they were able to do, and the bird’s-eye view they got of life behind the scenes at their firms. Here are some of the details from the American Lawyer:

Asked what the most memorable part of the experience was, far more summers gushed about the real legal work they did and the mentorship they got along the way. A Debevoise & Plimpton summer said their most memorable experience was “royally screwing up an assignment and getting some of the best, most constructive feedback I have ever gotten,” the associate said. “That alone endeared me to the firm and firm-life. Showed me it was a place I can grow in.”

Summers also remarked on firm culture and work-life balance. Contrary to what they’d heard in law school, this year’s summer associates encountered partners who achieve a healthy balance between work, family life and hobbies. “People were genuinely happy to work here because discussions often encompassed non-work topics (e.g., hobbies, travel plans, etc.),” said an O’Melveny & Myers summer.

With an average weekly pay of $4,543, summers were indeed quite happy with their firms, with the median firm scoring 4.865 out of 5 for summer associate satisfaction.

Before we get to the rankings, let’s discuss the methodology used by American Lawyer. Firms were ranked by their average scores based on the following categories: partner access and mentorship, interactions with other associates, interesting legal work, firms’ alignment with their own stated goals and self-image, and whether summers were concerned with their mental health or well-being as an attorney.

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Without further ado, here are the Top 10 firms:

  1. Paul Hastings
  2. Clifford Chance
  3. Morgan Lewis
  4. Baker McKenzie
  5. Duane Morris
  6. A&O Shearman
  7. Fenwick & West
  8. Cadwalader
  9. Proskauer Rose
  10. Blank Rome

Click here to see the full list.

Congratulations to all of the firms that earned the respect and appreciation of their summer associates.

Wine, Dine and Grind (Through the Weekend): Summer Associates Thirst For Experience in ‘Real Matters’ [American Lawyer]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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