One of the unique advantages of being a summer associate in our New York office is experiencing the blend of small firm atmosphere and large firm practice. Our goal for the summer program is to give summer associates work in a variety of practice areas with many of the partners and senior associates. We hope this will enable them to obtain an in-depth look at the firm's practice as well as having the opportunity to work with many of our lawyers. The summer associates are fully integrated into all aspects of firm life, such as being an essential part of a deal, becoming integrally involved in a litigation matter, attending firm meetings, depositions, witness preparation, court proceedings, corporate and real estate negotiations and closings, and participating in the social aspects of the summer. All of these experiences serve to give the participants in the summer program a meaningful experience of lawyering, and permit them to learn about Sonnenschein and its people.
Summer associates work on challenging client matters in all of our practice areas.
To the extent that summer associates have a particular area of interest, an effort is made to permit them to work on a variety of matters in that area. On many occasions, a summer associate will become an important part of the team on a corporate or real estate deal from its inception to closing, traveling wherever the closing may take place. In the litigation department, summer associates participate fully on matters and will write sections of briefs, attend meetings, assist and attend witness preparation, depositions, hearings, etc. Work assignments filter through a centralized assignment system, ensuring that work is equitably distributed and that summer associates have the opportunity to work in a broad range of matters, including those in the areas of law in which they are interested. Summer associates work very closely with lawyers in the office and are given direction and training on an ongoing basis.