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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

REAL GOOD TIME - Remote work may be enjoying overwhelming popularity, but remote fun is still no substitute for real-life human interaction. As Law.com’s Dylan Jackson reports, the in-person events summer associate programs are known for—ballgames, concerts and elaborate lunches—came back this year (albeit in limited supply), and many summer associates relished the few chances they had to meet face to face. Roughly 2,900 of this year’s summer associates among 71 Am Law 200 law firms responded to The American Lawyer’s 2021 Summer Associate Survey, answering both multiple choice and open-ended prompts.  While last year’s programs were largely remote in the first few months of the pandemic, many law firms opted for a hybrid approach this year, including the return of some more traditional activities like Houston Astros games with the office, yacht parties and expensive New York dinners. Survey responses showed that firms’ in-person programming heavily influenced summer associates’ perception of their experience. “We finally had the chance to meet our fellow classmates, and it was also refreshing to be in an office again,” said one New York-based summer associate at an Am Law 100 firm.