Pepper Hamilton's summer associate program is designed to expose law students to the practice of law, the firm and the local office, and to evaluate the students' prospects for a successful career at Pepper. It's also an opportunity for students to evaluate us and determine if the firm fits their career and lifestyle plans. Judging from the acceptance rate of offers made to our summer associates, in most cases we do.
We've put most information about our summer program in the following FAQ. But if we've missed something, be sure to ask us any questions you may have.
Will Pepper Hamilton's summer program give me a true picture of practice at the firm?
Yes. We approach our Summer Associate Program with two basic goals -- to give our summer associates the best information possible about what it really is like to practice at Pepper, and to give them the best opportunities to "show their stuff."
Do summer associates ever get out of the library?
Yes. While research and writing are inevitable, you most definitely will get out of the library during the Summer Associate Program. You will be invited to attend and participate in trials, hearings, closings, depositions and client conferences -- we try to make sure you know what's going on and invite you whenever it is feasible for you to attend. You also will be invited to attend informal meetings with lawyers from different practice groups to learn about what they do. Our education series varies from summer to summer, but has included workshops on legal research, ethics, deposition skills and mock negotiations.
In addition to these work-related opportunities, we offer creative and fun social events designed to introduce you to people on an informal basis. We think it is important that you know first-hand who we are and what we do, so that you can make an intelligent decision about your future at the end of the summer.
What guidance and support is offered to summer associates?
When you arrive, you will be assigned an associate mentor - someone who can show you the ropes and who will give you feedback throughout the summer. You'll also quickly find many other Pepper lawyers reaching out to help you and to offer advice. We encourage our summer associates to ask questions not only about particular projects and assignments, but also about lawyers' practices and law firm life in general.
How are assignments made to summer associates?
You'll be assigned your first project when you join us for the summer. After that, it's largely up to you. You can choose projects from our assignment database, which includes assignment forms completed by lawyers seeking assistance. Each form tells you: what the case or project generally involves; what specific assistance you can provide; the work product desired; and other opportunities you may have if you become involved in the project (for example, the opportunity to attend a client meeting, deposition or closing).
We often encourage summer associates to seek assignments in practice areas that might be of interest to you. As with all of the other work during your summer, participation is your choice, but if you have an interest in the group, we encourage you to find out whether the practice is what you expect. We also e-mail the summer associates whenever interesting "emergencies" arise. Normally, the same factors that lend to an assignment's urgency also make it quite interesting. For example, we may need to move for a temporary restraining order or we may be under the gun because a closing date has been accelerated. Participation in these assignments is your choice.
How are summer associates evaluated?
Summer associates receive evaluations throughout the summer. The evaluation process is designed to give you as much information as is available, as soon as it is available. As you complete each assignment, we start the evaluation process for that assignment and, once comments are in, you meet with your mentor to review them. If there's a problem, we want you to know as soon as possible, so that you have time to work on it. If everything is going smoothly, we want you to know that also. We want you to have a full picture of how you are being perceived. We do not believe in end-of-summer "surprises."
Do you hire first-year law students for the summer program?
Yes. The number of first-year students varies year-to-year. In any given year, we may hire first-year law students for our summer program, depending on the results of our fall recruiting. Interested students should apply after December 1 of their first year.
What other resources are available to summer associates?
Depending on office availability, summer associates either have their own offices or share offices with one other summer associate. Each summer associate has a computer with state-of-the-art technology and access to PepperNet (the firm intranet, with a wealth of firm information, internal databases and Internet access), word processing, electronic mail, LEXIS and WESTLAW. Summer associates consistently praise our library for its resources and for the helpfulness of its staff.
Are there obligatory social events?
No. We have several optional social events during the summer. We encourage you to attend at least some of the social events, because they provide a great forum for getting to know our lawyers on an informal basis.
Does the firm support public interest and pro bono work?
Yes. We strongly encourage our lawyers to do pro bono work, and you will find pro bono assignments available to you throughout the summer. Summer associates are encouraged to participate in our pro bono efforts. We believe that these experiences serve to broaden you, as lawyers and as people. Our encouragement of these opportunities may be one reason why, historically, most summer associates have accepted our offers to return to practice with us.
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