Congratulations Big Law partners, counsels, associates and support staff: You did it again. As they return for their final year of law school, this year’s summer associates are brimming with optimism about their future careers at your law firms, which 73% of associates expect to have. You convinced 7 out of 8 summers to say they’d accept an offer from your firm due to your lavish associate retreats, meaningful mentorship, interesting legal work, engaging senior partners and disarming culture.

The class of 2023 might be aware of the challenges they’ll face as Big Law associates and the systemic problems facing the profession, but the vast majority still believe your law firm is different. They’ve never had any other porridge, yet they know yours is best. “This is a Goldilocks firm,” said a Winston & Strawn summer associate. “You’re not going to be working with the most competitive gunners from law school, but you will still be working on high-stakes matters with big name clients. People here take the work very seriously, but don’t take themselves too seriously. I cannot imagine the quality of life is significantly better anywhere else in Big Law.”