FAQs: About the Summer Program
About the Summer Program
-
What is unique about Husch Blackwell Sanders' Summer Program?
- Summer Associates work alongside our Partners and Associates, contributing to actual trials; participating in the structuring, negotiating, and documenting of business transactions; and contributing to client conferences.
- Each Summer Associate is paired with a mentor who is responsible for providing guidance and training throughout the summer. The mentor/mentee relationship helps Summer Associates take full advantage of their summer experience.
- Each office has at least one Summer Program Coordinator who is responsible for distributing work to the Summer Associates and providing formal performance feedback to the students three times throughout the summer.
- Our Summer Associates have the opportunity to personally design their summer experience. They can learn about each practice group without having to rotate through ones that do not interest them, giving them an excellent opportunity to focus on the areas that do interest them.
- Summer Associates who successfully complete the Summer Program receive offers to join our firm following law school. We commit to you early on, a policy atypical of most firms.
- Summer Associates are not required to work around the clock! They attend weekly practice group lunches and are invited to individual and small-group lunches with our attorneys. Several social activities are planned throughout the summer, including a firmwide event in which all of our Summer Associates meet in St. Louis for an opportunity to get to know one another and learn more about our firm.
-
How long is the Summer Program?
We ask that Summer Associates in our Missouri and Illinois offices spend at least 9 consecutive weeks with us. Summer Associates in our Tennessee offices are asked to spend a minimum of 6 consecutive weeks with our firm. The official start date, which is determined in April, is near the end of May. If a student's school year does not end until after the official starting date, he or she will begin the Summer Program at a later date.
-
How much will I earn?
Weekly salaries for Summer Associates differ each year and vary among our offices. For the 2008 summer program, the weekly Summer Associate salaries range from $2,000 in St. Louis; $1,825 in Kansas City; $1,500 in Omaha and Lincoln; $1,350 in Chattanooga; $1,400 in Springfield and Jefferson City and $1,350 in Memphis and Peoria. In Washington, D.C., Chicago and Denver, Summer Associate salaries are determined on an individual basis.
-
How do Summer Associates get to know Husch Blackwell Sanders' lawyers?
Summer Associates have many opportunities throughout the summer to get to know our Associates and Partners - both professionally and socially. Summer Associates are invited to weekly practice group lunches which provide information about the scope of specific areas of law. Additionally, Summer Associates are often invited to go to lunch with attorneys, either individually or in small groups. We also plan for Summer Associates to get to know our attorneys in various informal settings outside of work. We value the camaraderie that exists between our attorneys, and we are eager for you to get to know us!
-
What are some of the social activities planned for Summer Associates?
We host happy hours, receptions, dinners, tickets to professional sporting events, and other activities designed to allow Summer Associates to get to know the lawyers in our firm.
-
Will I have a chance to do pro bono work over the summer?
We encourage all of our attorneys, including Summer Associates, to do pro bono work in the community. Our attorneys have always had a strong presence in our local communities.
-
What is the typical number of hours a Summer Associate is expected to work each week?
Our Summer Associates gain real work experience. That is, Summer Associates are required to work as many hours as are necessary in order to complete their work assignments. But this does not mean that there is no time for fun and relaxation. Numerous social activities are planned throughout the summer, in order to help our Summer Associates unwind and get to know our attorneys.
-
Do Summer Associates have to pick one particular practice area at the beginning of the summer? Do they have to rotate through ALL of the practice groups?
No. We offer a "self-tailored summer." Our Summer Associates choose any number of our practice groups in which they would like to work, but they do not have to rotate through all of our practice groups. We would like Summer Associates to get a feel for all of the areas of law in which we practice and the kinds of clients we have, but we do not require that they rotate through practice areas that are of no interest to them.
-
What type of training do you offer your Summer Associates?
Summer Associates learn by doing - they work directly for Partners and Associates, and can receive feedback about their work product directly from those lawyers. In addition, each Summer Associate is paired with a mentor who is responsible for providing guidance and training. Finally, we provide training seminars for our Summer Associate periodically throughout the summer.
-
How are assignments distributed throughout the Summer Program?
There is at least one Summer Program Coordinator in each office who is responsible for distributing work to Summer Associates and monitoring each Summer Associate's workload throughout the summer.
-
Do you have a mentor program for Summer Associates?
Each Summer Associate is carefully matched to a mentor who gives advice and guidance throughout the summer. Our successful mentoring program allows for an easier transition for our Summer Associates, and helps our attorneys get to know our students.
-
Is there an opportunity to see the firm's attorneys in action and to get a realistic look at what a typical day looks like?
Yes. Summer Associates have the opportunity to observe and contribute to actual trials; participate in the structuring, negotiating, and documenting of business transactions; and contribute to client conferences. Summer Associates receive real, hands-on experience from the very beginning!
-
How are Summer Associates reviewed?
Summer Associates are formally reviewed three times throughout the summer. The Summer Program Coordinators are responsible for the reviews, which are based on many factors, including but not limited to work quality and productivity, initiative, and office integration. The Summer Associates receive additional feedback and performance evaluations from the attorneys with whom they work during the summer.