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by Vault Law Editors | July 14, 2025

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2023 edition cover of the Vault Guide to Summer Associate Interviewing & Top Ranked Programs

Although we are most famous for our prestige rankings, we collect a great deal of other useful information in the Annual Associate Survey each year. For instance, we ask every midsize respondent why they chose the summer program they did; information not included in law firm profiles, but nonetheless relevant to students and jobseekers. Below is a small sample of answers to that question from this year's survey.

"I wanted to work at an IP litigation firm that had the prestige and substance of "big law" but in an environment where I could stand out as an individual and get real experience early on."

"The interview process was extremely positive. I liked the people with whom I interviewed, and the firm sounded like it would be a great place to work."

"The type of law that I could practice, size of the firm, and quality of the people that I met during interviews and then worked with as a summer associate made me choose my firm's summer associate program."

"I knew that summer associate programs translated into offers, so I wanted to pick a place that I wanted to work at afterwards."

"Small program—only four to five 2Ls each year, with a lot of direct partner exposure from day one."

"I was attracted to a particular practice group at the firm that I wanted to work with."

"I really liked rotating through two departments and getting to truly experience what it would be like to work in that specific department as an associate. Additionally, everyone I spoke with at the firm prior to getting the summer offer spoke very highly of their summer experience."

"Reputation in tax practice area, culture, work-life balance."

"I wanted to be in NYC and the people I interviewed with were extremely personable and easy to talk to and made it seem like I would be able to progress significantly and handle lots of different tasks even at entry level."

"Desirable location, affordable city, good pay, family oriented, quality of work."

"I chose the summer associate program at the firm because it is small, which allows summers to really get one-on-one attention and experience. I also wanted to explore the possibility of living in Austin. Finally, I got the sense from my interviews with partners and associates that the firm values summer associates and gives them the opportunity to do substantive work while also providing all the support they need."

"I was drawn to the combo of the firm's size plus its litigation chops."

"The attorneys and everyone at the firm in general. I could sense the genuineness from all of my interactions with attorneys during the interview process. The firm also has a much more flexible than the industry standard work from home policy that provides a lot of flexibility."

"Strongest practice group in the area I was most interested in."

"I highly valued the firm's inclusive, kind, and collaborative culture, its emphasis on work-life balance, and its size. I also appreciated that the summer program allowed me to explore assignments across all practice groups rather than confining me to one."

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