Each summer our firm employs both first and second year law students as summer associates. The summer associate program allows the firm and the future lawyers to learn about each other and reach an informed decision for future employment.
The program operates on a rotational basis where the summer associate is assigned to each of the firm's practice areas for a predetermined length of time, thus allowing a continual flow of projects, exposure to the different areas of practice, and the opportunity to work one-on-one with each senior attorney in the firm. Summer associates have the opportunity to observe and participate in trials, real estate and business closings, depositions, mediations and client meetings. We gear our summer program to providing practical experience that is both challenging and rewarding and which is designed to give an honest view of what it is like to practice law with our firm.
As a mid-sized firm, our lawyers naturally interact both personally and professionally. In order for the summer associates to get to know our lawyers on a personal level, numerous social activities are scheduled throughout the summer. Whether it be lunches around town, concerts in the park, dinners at a senior attorney's home or our infamous annual golf tournament, summer associates will have many opportunities to interact socially with our attorneys.
We often find that students who "knew" what type of practice they wanted, changed their minds after experiencing different practice areas during our rotational program. Additionally, we recognize that many law students are unsure of the size and type of firm that is the best "fit" for them. We know that the two summers during law school offer the best opportunity to make these determinations. Thus, we usually offer half-summer internships to encourage the students to become exposed to as many different types of practices as possible.
We regularly interview at North Carolina law schools and collect resumes from the placement offices in other law schools in the southeast. Additionally, we welcome and strongly encourage students from law schools located throughout the country to contact us directly.