Summer Associates Grade Their Firms

It was a neck-and-neck race for Texas firms regarding who their summer associates believed was the best employer — less than 1 percentage point separates the top firm from the 16th when it comes to overall averages. Texas Lawyerasked Texas law school students to rank the firms for which they clerked this summer; we received 128 responses (68 men and 60 women). This year’s group was certainly serious about working. When asked about their biggest surprise over the summer, comments about being assigned significant tasks were common. “It has been nice to receive work that clearly matters to the attorneys and their clients,” wrote a clerk from Houston’s Vinson & Elkins. Most of the complaints on this year’s survey concerned feedback. These students also were serious about finding jobs and wanted all the information about their job performance they could get. “More feedback from attorneys would be nice,” wrote a Fulbright & Jaworski summer clerk. A Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Martin summer clerk agreed when he responded to a question about what he would tell the firm’s managing partner. “[I] probably should ask about feedback. Both firms [I clerked for] tried to institute formal feedback systems, but maybe lawyers don’t realize how important/necessary it is for [summer associates] to learn about how they’re doing.” Ditto for this Vinson & Elkins clerk: “Attorneys should give summers more feedback because it is hard to know what is done correctly and incorrectly until it is too late and you have no offer to come back.” The desire for feedback is not a new complaint, says Stephen Mason, Chamberlain’s managing shareholder. “One of the criticisms we’ve heard over the years is ‘more attorney feedback.’ We’re trying to develop more efficient programs for effective review of summer associates’ work products.” Receiving offers is what it’s all about for these hard-working clerks. “Put me in, coach,” wrote one hopeful clerk from Thompson & Knight. “Please give me an offer,” pleaded another Munsch, Hardt, Kopf & Harr clerk. It’s a valid concern, considering several of Texas’ largest firms have reduced or are planning to reduce the size of their summer clerkships either outright or by moving to one summer session instead of the traditional two sessions. Additionally, 21 of the state’s largest firms had 5.8 percent fewer new associates this fall than they had in 2001 — a statistic that reflects troubled economic times and firms that may not meet their budgets this year. That translated into a 67.4 percent offer rate to this year’s summer associates at 21 firms compared to 71.8 percent last year. Now for the rankings in Texas Lawyer‘s first summer clerk’s survey. 1. Dallas-based Hughes & Lucetopped the chart. The firm took first place in four of the eight ranking categories, including overall experience, associate treatment, atmosphere and acceptance inclination. And it scored second place in interesting work and partner treatment. “Everyone at the firm likes to be involved in attracting new people to the firm,” says Craig Budner, the firm’s hiring partner. He’s not surprised that summer clerks found their projects interesting. “When the whole firm communicates, it enhances the awareness of opportunities for summer associates to be exposed to interesting projects,” he says. Although pro bono opportunities were not considered in the calculation of firm rankings, Hughes & Luce also took second place in that category. “We have regular pro bono activities, so the people who work on those activities are very good at incorporating the summer associates into those projects,” Budner says. “We really focus on not just the professional side but also the personal side [of being a lawyer] by putting an emphasis on pro bono and community service.” One 2L said her biggest surprise was “the level of responsibility given to summer clerks,” but she said she also wanted to ask the managing partner to “explain how [the] work is divided.” Considering Hughes & Luce’s high scores, summer associates’ attitudes can best be summed up by this comment from a 2L: “This is the most unique, potentially rewarding firm I’ve seen.” 2. In second place is Dallas-based Haynes and Boone, getting its top scores in overall experience, interesting work, legal training quality and associate treatment. It also scored well for balancing activities and in quality of hardware and software. “We do a very good job of showing our summer associates what it’s like to practice law at Haynes and Boone,” says Taylor Wilson, the firm’s hiring partner. “We bring them in and treat them as if they were first-year associates and give them hands-on experience in our specialty practice areas. By doing so, our goal is to have them see what our practice is like and for us to see how well they perform in our system.” The firm’s lowest score came in the area of the pro bono work available for summer associates. “The clerks are just here six weeks,” Wilson explains. “It’s hard to have anybody involved in a start-to-finish project in that short of a time period.” The only criticism came from a 2L who said Haynes and Boone should “try to make the firm feel smaller.” There are certain practice sections that are large, Wilson concedes. Positive feedback indicated that the firm does a “great job” and cultivates a strong sense of teamwork. Another 2L wants the firm to “keep following [its] vision.” The secret to its summer clerkship success is individual attention, Wilson says. “Whether it’s at a social event, attending a deposition with an attorney or drafting an agreement, personal attention is what it’s all about.” 3. Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Martinin Houston received its highest marks in its overall legal training quality, acceptance inclination and technology training. The results reflect the clerks’ happiness with the firm’s summer program, says Stephen Mason, Chamberlain’s managing shareholder. High marks in legal training arise from the firm’s commitment to involving associates in real work, he says. “The summer associates get to see how their work product is used to solve a client’s legal problem. Some of them get to go to trial.” Such efforts did not go unnoticed by the clerks. One 2L’s biggest surprise was “that I did the actual work and was treated in a similar manner as all associates — I got a real impression of what my legal career will look like.” One respondent noted, “The technology resources and library staff [are] very impressive; also the attorneys are friendly.” One 2L, however, wished Chamberlain Hrdlicka would “give summer associates a clearer idea of the firm’s hiring needs before asking them to pick [practice] areas of interest.” Mason accepts the remark. “That’s a possible criticism that I can understand coming from someone working over the summer,” he says. “It’s a difficult problem to resolve. It’s hard to match all the factors up. Some [clerks] would have tried litigation when they might not have been suited for that area.” 4. Dallas-based Thompson & Knightscored well in several categories: associate treatment, atmosphere, orientation, acceptance inclination and quality of technological support. Larry Hicks, head of the recruiting committee, attributes the firm’s successful summer program to the attorneys and what he describes as the firm’s excellent recruiting staff. Thompson & Knight is working on improving the feedback it gives summer clerks, Hicks says. “I think we are very good at giving feedback to summer associates, but we could always do better.” The firm received one of its lowest marks in the category of summer pro bono opportunities. “We treat pro bono activities as normal work activities, so it’s going to be a function of what there is to do at that time,” Hicks says. The biggest surprise for one 2L was, “[In spite of] the busy section I was working in, everyone was helpful and took the time to make sure I was having a good experience.” Another was amazed that “a big firm can be human.” Another 2L wrote she’d like to see “more women on the management committee.” But Hicks contends that the firm traditionally has had one of the largest women-partner ratios in the country, and women are certainly present on the management committee. The firm will appoint even more, he promises, “as women progress through the ranks of the firm.” Lastly, another 2L would like the firm to “give summer associates a bit more exposure to more senior partners.” Hicks agrees. “I think that’s a valid comment for this firm or any firm, and it’s one we’ll attempt to address next summer.” ‘REAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT’ 5. Weil, Gotshal & Mangesmay be a New York-based firm, but clerks in its Dallas and Houston offices clearly enjoyed their summer, giving the firm high marks in partner treatment, quality of hardware and software, technological support quality and prestige. “I think the clerks appreciate us putting in the mix a real working environment as soon as possible when they arrive,” says Glenn West, the Dallas office’s managing partner. The firm’s lowest marks came in its orientation and pro bono opportunities for summer clerks. Although it received a 4.25 in providing interesting work, the firm is still working on improving that aspect of its program, West says. “The one area we’re trying to work on improving is involving our summer clerks on firing line-type issues as opposed to giving them discrete projects that [leave them] not sure where they fit into the whole. We want to let them see how we respond to crisis calls, and [we] use the summer clerk program as a Socratic-learning opportunity.” Although the firm took fifth place overall, it received only favorable comments. One 2L was surprised by “how nice, personal and helpful all of the lawyers were.” As for what they wanted the managing partner to know, one summer associate said, “Thank you for your help, and I hope that my experience here has been somewhat representative of what it would really be like to work here.” Weil Gotshal tied for second place in the prestige category. “Dallas has a great office that is part of an exceptional firm,” said a summer clerk. Comments like that mean the firm gets its message across, West says. “We tried hard in the Dallas office to demonstrate to the Dallas clerks the benefits of a national platform.” 6. Dallas-based Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Ironsis a newcomer to Texas’ largest 25 firm’s list. It did well in legal training quality and quality of technical support. The firm scored a perfect 5.00 in the associate treatment category. “Surveys like this help us to know where we might need to make improvements. The summer clerkship program is important to us,” says Dick Geiger, the firm’s managing partner. Thompson Coe’s low marks came in the areas of pro bono opportunities, quality of hardware and software, and technology training. Geiger would like the firm to improve on pro bono activities. “We have not done as well as I’d like to see us do,” he says. However, low marks on the quality of hardware and software shock Geiger. “We believe we’re on the cutting edge of technology. Maybe we don’t spend as much time training them on the technology,” he says. “We probably assumed they had a high level of technical skills from the law schools. When we get the survey results, we can evaluate and see how we can improve that particular aspect of the summer clerkship program.” In the comments section, summer associates expressed surprise at the “relaxed atmosphere and the friendliness of everyone,” and “how great the quality of life is for associates at this firm.” 7. Dallas-based Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feldcame in seventh place with an overall average of 4.43. Its highest scores were in partner and associate treatment. “It’s part of our core values and culture to make sure summer associates, associates and partners are all treated as colleagues,” says Dan Micciche, a partner in the firm who was hiring partner during the 2002 summer session. “We put a lot of efforts into seeing that everyone abides by the core values.” Akin Gump also did well in technology training and pro bono opportunities. “We’ve won the Law Firm of the Year award the last three to four years from the Dallas Bar Association for our pro bono work,” he says. “We think it’s an important commitment that we need to make to the community. We’re able to get [the summer associates] involved in pro bono matters either in small cases or in matters that a partner would continue to handle after the summer associate leaves.” A 4.00 in quality of legal training marked the firm’s lowest score. “The on-the-job-training reviews we get are usually very detailed,” Micciche says. “There may have been some slower feedback this year.” One clerk was apparently startled to find humanity in a national firm the size of Akin Gump. His biggest surprise was “that all the lawyers are real people just like me, and are fairly understanding and kind.” But one associate complained about the outside activities: “The number of social events is staggering.” “The amount of social events is staggering,” Micciche agrees. He anticipates slashing the number of events offered next year “so everyone has a more balanced schedule.” 8. Winstead, Sechrest & Minicktied with Houston-based Vinson & Elkinswith an overall score of 4.30. Dallas-based Winstead Sechrest received mixed results, scoring 4.50s in overall experience, partner treatment, associate treatment and atmosphere. “We do well with the summer associates because in our overall core values we’re very supportive of each other,” says Mike Baggett, the firm’s managing partner. “Our internal environment is supportive and not negatively competitive. We try to show them that about our firm when they’re here.” The firm made 17 offers to its 2002 summer clerks and received 15 acceptances — one of its best years yet, Baggett says. Winstead Sechrest’s lower scores came in interesting work (3.90), quality of legal training (3.90), balancing activities (3.90), pro bono opportunities (2.22), quality of hardware and software (3.78), technology training (3.11) and prestige (3.90). As for the work done by summer associates, it’s a product of what’s available, Baggett says. “We don’t try to create work for them that’s not in the normal work flow,” he says. “They get what we have. We try not to create an artificial environment.” As for technology issues, Baggett is satisfied with the infrastructure in place. “I think our technology is good. We don’t attempt to be in the off-the-cliff, cutting edge group,” he says. “We want state-of-the-art good technology, but we’re not really looking to be distinctly ahead of the game as far as technology goes.” Comments from clerks were generally positive. “Big firms can be amazingly collegial,” wrote a 2L. Another 2L expressed surprise at “the accessibility of nearly all of the attorneys — shareholders included.” That summer associate continued by stating that he’d feel comfortable stopping by Baggett’s office to talk with him. Another 2L simply wanted Baggett to know the firm did a “great job.” One clerk expressed sour grapes when asked to describe the biggest surprise. This clerk said the firm has a “progressive system, but the lawyers were uptight.” That same 2L wanted Baggett, an alumnus of Texas A&M University, to know “your lawyers talk the talk but do not walk the walk, and Mike Baggett is alienating all of the clerks who did not attend Texas A&M for their undergraduate degree.” The comment draws a chuckle from Baggett who says he likes to joke with the clerks. “Lighten up, folks. Humor doesn’t hurt,” he says. 8. Houston-based Vinson & Elkinsreceived an overall score of 4.30 by doing well in the areas of partner treatment, associate treatment and acceptance inclination. It also did well in pro bono opportunities and prestige. The firm excels at teamwork and maintains a deep commitment to pro bono work, says Joe Dilg, the firm’s managing partner. And an inclination to accept an employment offer is explained by a willingness to lay the cards on the table, Dilg says. “We’re very open with information and have tried to make sure the summer associates have a realistic picture about what it would be like to work at the firm. We share a lot of financial information.” Low scores for Vinson & Elkins came in the categories of interesting work, quality of legal training and technology training. Those scores are difficult to respond to because the clerks’ experiences depend on the sections they work in, Dilg says. “We don’t come up with make-work projects. Some have great experiences, and some will have lesser experiences depending on what’s happening.” The firm received several comments — good and bad. “Great summer program,” raved one 2L. For the biggest surprise, another clerk wrote, “It has been nice to receive work that clearly matters to the attorney and their clients. The interaction with the attorneys has been fantastic, with great feedback and support.” Another 2L agreed about the work, though less tactfully. “Involved me in real (though boring) work that required travel.” Perhaps all that work led this 2L to conclude that the firm is “not very social.” Yet another was surprised to find “that there is room in a large law firm for all different types of people.” Dilg takes the comments in stride. “All of those [comments] are consistent with working hard to make sure they have a realistic experience rather than trying to create an enjoyable experience.” Three summer clerks expressed disappointment with not getting to meet enough of the firm’s attorneys, including the managing partner. “Get to know the summer clerks — even if just name to face. It’s a disadvantage for a big firm, but it sure makes a difference when the managing partner at least knows who you are.” Good point, Dilg says. “I didn’t get to spend as much time with the summers as I normally do. I think it’s important to get to know the clerks and the younger associates. It makes it much easier for them to come in and talk to me if I know them.” Dilg notes he maintains an open-door policy. At least one summer clerk had more spiritual concerns. “Am I really going to lose my soul if I come to work for you?” 10. Houston-based Fulbright & Jaworskiscored highest in associate treatment. It also scored well in the quality of hardware and software, and prestige categories. “That seems to be a common theme — how to achieve that balance,” says John Sullivan, the firm’s employment chairman. “Every candidate has a different view. We try to create an environment where they can get as much social activity and as much work as they want. I think they have a lot of options. There is no pressure to attend every single event. As far as work goes, we try to have a nice, solid balance.” In the ranking categories, Fulbright’s lowest scores were in orientation and acceptance inclination. It also scored low in technology training. “I like to think we do a pretty good job, but it’s kind of a balancing act,” Sullivan says. “Some summer associates want to get right to work; some feel [training is] delaying the time they can roll up their sleeves and get to work. You want to get the right mix, but don’t want to overkill on training either. My sense is we provide pretty good training.” The acceptance inclination score is incongruent with acceptance rates of more than 60 percent in Texas, Sullivan says. Low scores in technology training were likely due to summers working with new equipment that the firm’s attorneys were not even trained on at the time. “It should be more seamless next summer,” Sullivan says. Six summers expressed surprise at the laid-back, relaxed atmosphere at Fulbright. “There is such a thing as a 9-5 job in law,” exclaimed a 2L. Another was please to find “how approachable the big-name partners were.” The firm received several positive comments. “Fulbright has a wonderful balance of work and fun and is populated by extraordinary people,” wrote a 2L. Three clerks asked for more feedback. “Depending on the timing, it may be that immediate feedback isn’t possible,” Sullivan says. “It’s important. We strive to do it, but it’s something we can improve on.” However, one female 2L was more concerned about the dress code. “Open-toed shoes are less cruel than high heels,” she wrote. One na�ve soul discovered the practice of law is different from what you learn at school and wrote that he was surprised to find out “how disconnected law school professors are with the actual practice of law.” A 2L wanted the managing partner to “be more sensitive to minority summer associates and show a little more interest.” Sullivan says, “I think that’s inconsistent with the overall atmosphere of the firm.” Another respondent suggested that the firm “work harder on retaining … female lawyers into middle-age, many leave while very young.” Sullivan takes exception to that comment. “We have women excelling at all levels within the firm — with and without families and children,” he said. “We also have part-time partnership tracks available.” One clerk wished for a smaller program: “Be more selective in interviewing and hire fewer summer associates, and then really pay attention to them when they’re here.” Although the point is valid, Sullivan doesn’t see the size of the program changing. “I think we’re going to be bullish for next summer also. We’ve got a lot of senior associates and young partners. We have a lot of people to develop relationships with young attorneys. … When you have needs like ours, you have to have a sizable program.” 11. Dallas-based Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harrcame in 11th place with high scores in partner treatment, associate treatment and atmosphere. It also did well in technology training. The firm offers a “realistic work experience and a different experience from the big-firm program,” says James D. Jordan, the firm’s chairman and chief executive officer. The firm’s lowest scores were in the areas of quality of legal training, acceptance inclination, balancing activities, pro bono opportunities and prestige. The firm has discussed the possibility of cutting back on some of the social events, Jordan says. “We may have too much. It’s hard to strike the right balance because you want them to get to know the people in the firm. Sometimes you lose sight of the fact that they have personal lives, too.” One 2L agreed that the firm should cut back and wrote that she was surprised by “how much weight I gained from eating out and how many social events were planned. I am exhausted.” Similarly, another clerk wanted to tell the managing partner to “please try to be a bit more sensitive to the dieting needs of your summer associates.” That same clerk suggested that the firm “get the summer associates out of the office more by involving us with client meetings, arbitrations, etc.” Jordan will take the advice into consideration. “We sure try to meet the expectations. You’re never going to be perfect, but we spend a heck of a lot of time working on it.” But the firm also received its share of positive comments. Another clerk was surprised by “how much I actually enjoyed working for the first time in my life.” The firm plans to improve its summer work assignments, says Jordan. “I think every year you can look back and see that the work assignments could have been worked out better and could have been apportioned better among the clerks. You just do the best you can based on what was due and who was available.” 11. Locke Liddell & Sapptied Munch Hardt with a 4.14 overall score. The firm, based in Dallas and Houston, did well in partner treatment, associate treatment and balancing activities. High marks in those areas pleases Stephanie Donaho, the firm’s hiring partner. “Those are important categories,” she says. The firm’s acceptance rate this year is more than 55 percent, Donaho says. Locke Liddell’s low scores came in the areas of interesting work, legal training quality, orientation, pro bono opportunities and prestige. Donaho disagrees with the ranking on interesting work. “The quality of work is quite high. We take pride in getting summer associates real work and the opportunities to have client contact whenever possible. I consider that to be a strength of our program.” As for legal training quality, it depends on the definition being used, she says. “One of the issues is, how does a summer associate define quality? Does it mean the Enron [Corp.] bankruptcy, or does it mean seeing clients use the work? I think they’ve gotten meaningful work, and that will certainly continue. That’s a very high priority for our program.” The firm is working on the prestige factor, Donaho says. “The fact that the firm is in the AmLaw100 has been a big advantage to us in that we’re getting a national reputation. We haven’t been at it as long as some of our competitors but have been at it a bit longer than some others. … It’s important to note that 35 percent of our clients are headquartered outside of Texas and have offices in 50 states.” As for comments, one 2L wrote that “everyone seems to get along very well, even people from different sections of the firm.” A 1L clerk wanted to tell the managing partner, “I was blown away — loved the firm. [Do] less hard selling once [an] offer [to clerk again] is given though, if it is given. Let me decide.” Donaho says the hard-sell approach is out of character. “That sounds like an isolated event. If we were hard-selling, our acceptance rates wouldn’t be so high.” 13. Houston-based Bracewell & Pattersonreceived its highest marks in legal training quality, partner treatment and associate treatment. It also garnered high marks in technology training and the quality of its technology support. “I think what we do best is to give our summer associates knowledge about how the practice of law works,” says Patrick Oxford, the firm’s managing partner. “We’ve tried to de-emphasize the social aspects.” The firm received low marks in interesting work, orientation and pro bono opportunities. “We try our best to give a cross-section of work,” Oxford says. “Our partners were busy this summer, and I don’t think they were able to get as engaged as they usually are.” Overall, clerks at the firm wanted to say “thanks” and were impressed by “how nice the people were.” The firm received one negative comment. “Stop trying to impress me and tell me what really goes on,” wrote a 2L. What you see is what you get at Bracewell, Oxford says. “We try our best to say what’s going on. We’ve learned that it does us no good to get people here under false pretenses. We try to be as transparent as we can be. They were impressed with what we really are.” 14. The highest marks for Dallas-based Jackson Walkercame in the categories of interesting work, associate treatment and orientation. “We always make an effort each summer to give summer clerks a true taste of the work here and to give them work that has interest and meaning,” say T. Michael Wilson, the firm’s managing partner. “The fact that we fared well in that category reflects the importance we place upon the quality of work assignments in the summer program.” The firm provides plenty of information about its operations to its summers, Wilson says. “We give the summer clerks a full view of the firm from the standpoint of performance-to-date, goals and objectives for the year, strategic planning, and, in general, probably more insightful information than some firms tend to give. Summer clerks this year received — with few editorial changes — the same PowerPoint presentation that was given to partners and associates earlier this year.” Survey respondents gave low marks to Jackson Walker in the categories of overall experience, legal training quality, atmosphere, acceptance inclination and balancing activities. As long as acceptance rates remain consistent, however, Wilson feels the firm does well with its summers. “We’re very satisfied with a two-thirds acceptance rate [17 acceptances out of 26 offers], especially considering the competition for the people we’re seeking.” Balancing activities is something the firm should look into, Wilson concedes. “We do have an active calendar. If I were a clerk and were expected to attend every lunch and every engagement, I might say enough was enough, too,” he says. Yet he believes that, if the firm erred on the side of over-scheduling, it was with the best of intentions. “It’s very important that the clerks have a chance to meet and get to know the attorneys in the firm,” he says. “Many times, social settings are the best or, perhaps, the only occasion to do so.” Jackson Walker’s biggest surprise comments were also among its most favorable — clerks said the firm was “relaxed” and had a “laid-back atmosphere.” The firm’s level of professionalism and the type of work clerks received also pleased survey respondents. 15. Houston-based Baker Bottsscored highest in the areas of interesting work, partner treatment, associate treatment and prestige. The firm received low marks for atmosphere and orientation. The surprises listed by its clerks were ambiguous — “the light workload” — or negatives such as the 2L who wrote of a “lack of clear expectations and lack of understanding regarding simple miscommunications.” Ditto for the disgruntled 2L who complained about the “pretentious nature of the attorneys.” Another advised the managing partner to “stop hiring snobby associates.” Baker Botts’ summers want “more out-of-the-office work experience” and for the firm to “take summer associates to depositions, trials, hearings, etc.” Also, one respondent said, “allow summer associates to do assignments they are interested in.” Lastly, a 2L advised the managing partner to “get everyone on board with the summer associate programs and activities.” Unfortunately, that’s typical of firms, says hiring partner David Sterling. “At any firm, you’ll have some people who are more involved with recruiting than others.” Despite these comments, Sterling says he’s pleased with Baker Botts’ summer program. “Our acceptance rates are higher than they have been in the past.” He also emphasizes the quality of the experience the summer clerks received. “We show them what it’s really like to practice law here. We get them involved in cases and deals — expose them to partners, associates and clients. We don’t rotate them in and out of departments,” he says. Feedback is also part of the equation. Says Sterling, “We talk to our summer associates at the mid-term evaluation to discover what they think of us. We give them an exit interview, too.” 16. Dallas-based Jenkens & Gilchristbrings up the rear with an overall score of 3.78 — a mere .97th of a point behind the No. 1 firm. Jenkens received high marks in acceptance inclination, balance, prestige, overall experience and interesting work. “I think most firms make a reasonable effort to have a good social and work experience,” says Roger Hayse, the firm’s executive director. “We put substantial extra effort this year into ensuring they were involved in meaningful work. It’s something we think we can improve upon even further. We learned some lessons this summer on where you can productively engage them and where you can’t. It’s rewarding to see our efforts paid off to some degree.” Jenkens’ lowest marks were in orientation, atmosphere, and quality of hardware and software categories. The firm wants to address any low marks, Hayse says. It uses the same orientation program for new associates and for summer clerks, he says. “I think what we’ll have to do is to visit with a couple of firms to understand what they’re doing that we’re not,” he says. One survey respondent said his biggest surprise was “how the practice of law is different from the study of law.” Another was delighted by the “eagerness of attorneys to mentor.” “That’s great to hear,” Hayse says. “If the mentoring is good quality then that would naturally lead to a good work experience with us.” The firm’s summer program traditionally has been handled by its associates, but that is changing, he says. “We’ve made a big push to get our partners involved in the program. We haven’t fully transitioned to that. We’re looking for more partner commitment to mentoring our summer associates. It’s a big project to drive more partner involvement, but we also want more partner commitment to on-campus interview time.”

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THE CHARTS: � What Summer Associates Really Think � Quality of Overall Experience � Interesting Work � Quality of Legal Training Life at the Firm: � Atmosphere � Orientation to Firm Operations � Partner Treatment � Associate Treatment � Acceptance Inclination � Perceived Prestige of the Firm � Balance Between Firm’s Social Activities and Work � Pro Bono Opportunities The Technology Aspect: � Quality of Technology Training � Quality of Technology Support � Quality of Hardware and Software

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Methodology