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Scott Benton: Hey everyone, Scott Benton here. How are you? I am the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast where we help you easily transition from a law school environment into your professional career as an attorney and where we make the practice of law fun. Now today, in terms of delivering legal services, we’re going to look at building the future with Summer Associates.
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Scott Benton: Today we’re going to take a look at building the future with summer associates. Now this is fairly important information for anyone in law school who’s either approaching their own summer associate position, or if you’re just curious about what that role really means, and not just for you, but for the firm as well.
So what exactly is a summer associate? Now at first glance, you might think that’s just another name for a paid internship. But in reality, it’s much more than that. Summer associateships are not just about getting your foot in the door in the legal world, or earning a nice paycheck during the summertime when you’re not attending classes.
It’s really about setting the stage for your entire career. And what’s just as equally important, [00:02:00] it’s about the future of the firm. For So you really want to understand that relationship, how summer associates and law firms form a symbiotic relationship together, how they help one another, and how they mutually benefit from the collaborative work that they do.
So let’s break it down a bit. When a firm brings in summer associates, it’s not just looking for extra hands on deck to help with research or drafting memos. The firm is making an actual investment, an investment in you, in your potential, and in the future growth and success of the firm itself.
Now, this is where the idea of building the future comes into play.
In other words, firms need to hire attorneys to perform the type of legal services that they provide. And one of the places that they like to evaluate candidates from is inside their own summer associate programs. Now, from the firm’s perspective, summer associates are more than just temporary additions to the team.
They’re really their [00:03:00] future colleagues, lifelong industry friends, their potential law partners, and more importantly, the next generation of true leaders. So that’s going to be you that they’re looking at. The time, the effort, and the resources a firm dedicates to its summer associate programs are quite significant. They’re doing more than just teaching you the ropes. They’re determining whether or not you have what it takes to contribute to the firm’s lifelong success after you graduate law school and after you pass the bar.
So they’re putting you on the radar.
Now let’s talk about what that means for you as a summer associate. So you might be focused on making a good impression, and that is important. You should make a good impression. But beyond making a good impression, you might want to think about how you can add value to the firm right now. You’re not just learning, you’re actually contributing to the active cases.
That means each assignment, each interaction, each opportunity to observe or participate in real world [00:04:00] legal work is one more chance for you to demonstrate your skills, your work ethic, and your potential to become a valuable member of the firm.
Think of it this way. Every minute of every day that you work in your summer associate position is a part of a very long term and ongoing job interview. So if your summer associate position lasts for 8 weeks, consider that an 8 week long job interview. But that’s also a two way street. The firm is investing in your growth and development. Think of the mentorship, the feedback, and the exposure to all the different practice areas as the firm’s way of building you up, and not just for the summer, but also for your overall career. When you take on assignments, you’re not just completing tasks and then moving on.
You’re learning how to think like a lawyer, how to solve complex problems, and how to interact with clients.
Now, as this is your golden opportunity to build a foundation as a future attorney, you want to make sure that you take that opportunity seriously [00:05:00] and that you absolutely take advantage of it.
Now, again, it’s also important to recognize that law firms view their summer associate programs as hiring pipelines. They’re evaluating not just your legal acumen and your sharpness, but also your fit within the firm’s culture. So, are you collaborative? Are you committed to the values of the firm? Do you show promise as someone who one day could lead the firm?
And here’s the thing When you excel as a summer associate, you’re not just securing a potential job offer, you’re really helping shape the future of the firm. Your growth and success contribute directly to the firm’s ability to thrive in a competitive legal market. You bring fresh ideas, new perspectives, and the energy that’s needed to help propel the firm forward.
If you’re approaching a summer associate position, you might think about how you’re going to embrace that opportunity. Learn everything you can, contribute whenever possible, and understand the work you’re doing now is part of a [00:06:00] larger groundwork for your future and the firm’s future as well. So I hope that gives you a better understanding of the importance of summer associates in law firms.
Now you have an opportunity here to set up and secure your future employment objectives, which may still not take place for another year or two, but imagine how nice it’s going to be when you finally pass the bar and become a fully licensed attorney, and the next day you begin working in the same firm that you enjoyed and spent your summers working with.
I’m Scott Benton. I’m the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast. Thank you so much for paying us a visit and checking out this episode. Now, if you like this podcast and you’d like to get more information about us, you can always go to our website at classroom2courtroom. com. That’s classroom, the number two courtroom.
com, where you can send us a message to keep in touch, or you can even inquire about our seasonal associate programs that we have available for law school students. You can come and work with us. And as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to stay on top of all of our newest episodes. And until next time, we hope you’ll [00:07:00] join us in making the world a better place, one client at a time.
