Summer Associate Program
OUR PROGRAM'S PHILOSOPHY
Our program is designed to maximize the opportunity which we have in the legal industry to employ summer associates, allowing both the firm and these students a "test run" prior to committing to a formal employment relationship. The philosophy underlying our program has always been to mirror the experience of being employed by the firm as an associate after graduation. To accomplish this goal we provide our summer associates with real work assignments involving actual cases and legal issues being handled by the firm. We attempt to avoid purely academic pursuits, such as writing articles or researching esoteric issues that have no relationship to client work. Only by treating our summer associates similarly to our actual associates, including sharing with them the challenges and responsibilities that all attorneys face, can they experience what it would be like to work here in the future. We have consistently received positive feedback from our past summer associates regarding our ability to give them a true taste of what practicing law at Woods Oviatt would be like.
To carry out our program philosophy, we include the following components: training; departmental rotations; assignments of work involving real cases; mentorship; weekly caseload monitoring, involving both constructive comments to, and feedback from, the summer associates; direct client contact; and participation in social events and community functions.
Compensation and Benefits
The program is generally a ten (10) week program and our summer associates receive a compensation package which is competitive with the larger firms in our market. We also provide a bar allowance for new first year associates who are offered and accept positions with the firm following completion of the summer program. This allowance is paid to the student upon graduation from law school. The starting salaries for first year associates at the firm are also commensurate with many of the larger firms in our market.
Rotation
The firm is organized into five formal departments: Estates, Business and Tax Services, Litigation, Real Estate and Commercial, each with its own Department Chair and individual practice areas. Each summer associate is temporarily assigned to two departments at any given time. The summer associates physically rotate throughout the departments at regular intervals as the summer progresses. Each summer associate is provided his or her own office during each component of the rotation. This allows for the broadest possible exposure to the firm's practice areas, attorneys and staff, assists in integration and helps the Firm and the summer associates make an informed decision regarding hiring/acceptance of employment at the end of the program.
Apply
Rising second year law students should submit a cover letter, resume, transcripts and writing sample to Nicholas Pasquarella, Legal Recruiter at npasquarella@woodsoviatt.com.