Summer Associate Program
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"One of the things I appreciated most about the Patton Boggs summer program was the level of independence that summer associates can have in finding work that interests them. Summer associates are not micro-managed or forced to work in one practice area for any length of time. Instead, the firm allows and encourages you to work on projects in those practice areas that are the best fit for you."
-Nicole Nice-Petersen, 2004 Summer Associate
OUR POWER IS IN OUR PEOPLE
From the moment our summer associates arrive, it is clear that Patton Boggs is no ordinary law firm and our summer program is like no other. In keeping with the philosophy of our firm, summer associates are afforded the flexibility to explore. Those with an entrepreneurial spirit who take initiative find this flexibility significant and refreshing. If you are a self-starter who values opportunity over guarantees and originality over conformity, then Patton Boggs could be the firm for you.
OUR SUMMER ASSOCIATE PROGRAM
We help prepare summer associates for the practice of law and provide a clear and comprehensive understanding of what attorney life is like at Patton Boggs. Expect to be immersed in our culture and in the reality of the practice of law at Patton Boggs. We have high expectations of our participants and full confidence in their abilities. The work is real, relevant, and challenging, and it allows summer associates to work alongside some of the world's most talented and well-respected legal experts.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Our selection process for the summer program is meticulous because we want to extend permanent offers to all summer associates. Firms of our size usually have summer classes two to three times larger than we do. We intend for our careful selection to remove some of the pressure from summer associates, who can thus forge closer bonds with their colleagues and enjoy a richer work experience without the distorting effects of an excessively competitive environment. Because our clients look to us for results that are above and beyond traditional legal solutions, our attorneys are regularly challenged to be visionaries. That is one reason why we embrace attorneys with different backgrounds, talents, interests, and personalities. That said, successful summer associates share a few traits in common, including:
Impeccable Communication Skills Integrity Flexible and Adaptive Personalities Maturity Dedication and a Strong Work Ethic
ASSIGNMENTS THAT COUNT
We work on issues that make news. Our practice involves everything from resolving high-profile political disputes to structuring complex business deals to representing domestic and multinational corporations, sovereigns, and state and local municipalities. Summer associates are part of that work each and every day. Examples of summer work assignments:
Tracking and analyzing legislation Conducting legal research Drafting motions and briefs Attending hearings and depositions Participating in negotiation and strategy sessions Drafting contracts
OPPORTUNITIES TO EXCEL
We try to ensure that each summer associate works with as many attorneys in the firm as possible. This allows our summer associates to discover their own affinities for practice areas and chemistries with differing attorney work styles.
Our summer associates are involved in a wide variety of issues:
HANDS-ON TRAINING
One cornerstone of our summer associate program is training in legal writing, presentation skills, and specific areas of legal practice. While we occasionally enlist the faculty of consulting firms, our own in-house experts prove to be the most effective trainers.
Attorney Mentors - each summer associate is
assigned a partner mentor and an associate mentor.
Writing Mentor System - each summer associate
is also assigned a writing coach who is available to
provide guidance, assessment, and answers to legal
writing questions.
Client Development Program - a training
exercise in business generation from researching
potential clients to the art of closing the deal.
Weekly Seminar Series - topics include legal
research and writing, workload and time
management, communication and presentation skills
training, the art of negotiation, and litigation and
business skills training.
"Tag Along" Program - partners are encouraged
to bring summer associates to client meetings,
depositions, client pitches, Congressional hearings,
oral arguments, and more.
Sit In - summer associates are also welcome to sit
in on the same in-house training sessions that firm
attorneys attend.
SUMMER SOCIAL EVENTS
We work hard, but we also encourage a healthy balance of work inside the office and life outside of it. The practice of law is built on relationships, and our summer program includes a variety of social events to foster interaction in informal settings with our attorneys and legal professionals.
Past summer associate events have included:
Cooking classes Scavenger hunts Friday Breakfast Club Community service projects Evenings at the theatre Casual dinner parties at partners' homes Golf trips followed by backyard BBQs Baseball games Bowling parties Art @ Work River cruises Museum visits
WORKPLACE DIVERSITY
At Patton Boggs we recognize that our power is in our people. We believe that diversity produces an inspired workplace—one that generates more creative thinking and better solutions. The firm sponsors fellowship programs for law students in partnership with such groups as the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the National Council of La Raza, and the firm's own Patton Boggs Foundation. Additionally, the firm has instituted part-time and alternative work policies and implemented our own "Path to Success" program to develop additional mentoring, professional development, and work assignment initiatives.
PRO BONO
At the heart of Patton Boggs’ reputation for energy and excellence lies the firm's commitment to local, national, and international public service. The award-winning pro bono program at Patton Boggs offers exceptional opportunities to test advocacy skills and, at the same time, allows summer associates to make a difference by giving back to the community. The firm requires that associates perform a minimum of 100 hours of pro bono service per year; all time spent beyond this minimum counts toward the billable hours requirement. That is just one reason why Patton Boggs was ranked the top Quality of Life - Pro Bono Firm by Vault, Inc. in the past two years.
Summer associates have worked on pro bono cases in the following areas:
Immigration Employment discrimination Native American rights Non-profit corporate counseling Public benefits Wrongful imprisonment Economic development Civil liberties International human rights Domestic violence Capital punishment
PATTON BOGGS UNIVERSITY
Patton Boggs believes that the importance of ongoing education and training cannot be overstated. Ahead of its law firm peers, Patton Boggs created a program called Patton Boggs University (PBU). PBU has been written up in industry publications and is recognized throughout the legal community as a model for organizational learning, professional development, and personal enrichment. PBU acts as a catalyst for all Patton Boggs employees to reach their full potential by including training for attorneys in substantive areas of law alongside job-related training for all staff. PBU orients newer associates to the firm's standards and nurtures them as lawyers, and it provides continuing legal education opportunities for more established lawyers.
As a whole, the education gained from PBU is integral in empowering all employees with the ability to further the firm's mission of providing exceptional legal services to its many clients.
Click here for frequently asked questions (FAQs).
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CONTACTS:
Kara Reidy
2550 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-457-6000
202-457-6315
Karl Riehl
The Legal Center
One Riverfront Plaza
Newark , NJ 07102
973-848-5600
973-848-5601
Camin Ayres
2001 Ross Avenue
Suite 3000
Dallas, TX 75201
214-758-1500
214-758-1550
Angela Welsh
1801 California Street
Suite 4900
Denver, CO 80202
303-830-1776
303-894-9239 |