Baker McKenzie

• “Baker McKenzie's summer associate program offered substantive assignments with reasonable deadlines. Initial projects were smaller in scope and helped me get used to using the software, using precedent, and working with associates and partners. As the summer progressed, I was given the opportunity to work on more substantive assignments, such as conducting some due diligence, creating and populating disclosure schedules, and preparing a closing checklist. I felt these assignments really helped me start strongly as a first-year associate.”
• “As a summer associate, I did feel like I was doing substantive, meaningful work that was similar to that of a real associate. The system through which work is handed out is not formalized, but that worked well for me, as I got most of my work from my assigned mentors.”
• “Opportunity to take on as much work as you feel comfortable with. A little bit harder to get substantive work in the corporate space given the limited time frame but there were opportunities especially for other practice groups.”
• “There is an individual assigned to make sure the summer associates have an adequate amount of work. The summer associates may also reach out to partners in different practice groups for additional projects (if they want to try something new).”

• “We have great turn out at summer events, and the events are especially great for those who are not Chicago natives so they can feel more acclimated to the city they'll be moving to.”
• “A substantial percentage of the firm's lawyers attended our summer associate events! I really got to know several associates during my time there, both through formal summer events and more informal lunches, coffee chats, and dinners.”
• “The summer events are usually well thought-out and informative, especially for the people who don't live in Dallas. It shows the associates what Dallas has to offer while helping them understand the relationships between attorneys outside of the office.”
• “I enjoyed the pro bono sprint because I got to work with some of our clients and colleagues from other locations.”

• “My time so far at Baker McKenzie has matched most of my expectations as a summer associate. However, while you have an opportunity to try different types of work in the transactional group, it feels like you get informally slotted pretty early on with certain types of work. An associate needs to speak up and be intentional about their career and what experience they want if they aren't already getting those opportunities.”
• “My experience did not deviate much from my expectations. [My] team made it a point to show me what life would be like. The only difference is the type of work I do. I couldn't get on many different projects as a summer associate, but now I can see more of what being a [practice area] lawyer is.”
• “There is more feedback as a junior associate. Less focus on socializing and more focus on teaching/learning to do the job.”
• “The expectations are very similar. The main difference is that to obtain work we fill out an associate availability form every week, which helps to distribute work amongst the associates. As a summer, there was a pool of projects available to choose from. I really like that we are able to work as a generalist in corporate our first year; i.e., we can pick up M&A, funds work, cross-border reorganizations, etc., instead of being sectioned into one of these fields. It helps to have a better understanding of what everyone does, and it gives us time to explore what we might want to specialize in. It is also great for the purposes of picking up hours because we can help other sub-transactional groups with work if one area is slow.”

Baker McKenzie’s summer associate program is designed to introduce law students to the practice of law at the firm. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for summer associates and the firm to become mutually acquainted in order to evaluate interest in a future employment relationship. We make every effort to expose summer associates to all aspects of the firm’s practice through substantive legal work, professional training, and social networking opportunities. Across North America, the firm is organized into practice groups, and summer associates are given the opportunity to work on assignments from a range of practice areas. Our primary goal is to offer summer associates a realistic, professional experience, so we place great importance on providing them with real client work that is of the same caliber as that performed by the firm’s lawyers. We offer client partnerships for our summer associates through our Client Summer Scholars Program and ID&E Fellowships to law students who share our commitment to fostering an inclusive workforce.