Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Training & Assignments

• “Summer associates had the ability to choose assignments from a number of practice areas and work on real assignments. The feedback was thorough and substantive.”
• “I found assignments through the project pool and traditional networking. Doing so provided me an opportunity to try assignments across practice groups, and take on further assignments in areas of interest. The training programming was well structured, frequently offered, and helpful.”
• “I was exposed to a variety of practice groups and deal types. I had the opportunity to see deals from start to finish, and was treated as a first-year associate on the deals that I worked on.”
• “Training was extensive; assignments were substantive. I developed real connections with attorneys at the firm.”

Social Opportunities

• “There were many social events, and our summer class grew to be very close.”
• “Recruiting and Attorney Development teams were impressively nimble in organizing events. Our summer program was initially entirely remote, but once the guidance changed, the firm was quick to put on in-person events. When other firms did not let summer associates into the office, Cadwalader facilitated and encouraged summer associates to come in if they were comfortable doing so.”
• “The firm put a lot of effort into ensuring that the summer included a strong social aspect despite the pandemic. The firm hosted many virtual events, many of which were interactive. The firm hosted some in-person events as well, including an in-person week in New York to which all of the summer associates were invited. We participated in summer associate lunches, speaker events, and a tour of the city. The firm was very careful to ensure that proper safety protocols were followed for the in-person events.”
• “The summer associates chose to do things outside of work hours together. The events were fun and impressively organized considering the state of the pandemic in 2021.”

Associate Experience vs. Summer Expectations

• “Practicing as an associate brings more responsibility than working as a summer associate. Work done by associates usually has much tighter deadlines, and is substantively more challenging. As an associate, I have less ability to choose assignments, and instead am assigned to cases based on my availability.”
• “Tend to work with specific partners more than expected. And a better work-life balance than anticipated.”
• “I feel that the summer experience was very indicative of my experience at the firm today. I have been pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie of the people in my practice group. Completing a summer program online, I did not know what to expect once we were back in office. However, everyone has been nice, helpful, and available to me.”
• “The summer program was a very accurate reflection of my experience as a junior associate. There have been no surprises in terms of type of work, expectations, culture, etc.”

Favorite Summer Events

• “I enjoyed a virtual wine-tasting event we had with a vineyard.”
• “In-person event at a rooftop bar.”
• “Cocktail-making class with attorneys at the firm–fabulous instructor!”
• “The first in-person event. Drinks at a local restaurant where the summer associates met in person for the first time. Great energy and attendance by partners and associates.”

Cadwalader’s summer program offers an opportunity to experience life as an associate. Our diverse summer classes comprise students from varied backgrounds from different law schools across the country, including interns participating in the SEO program. There is no formal rotation system for summer associates, and they are encouraged to take assignments from any of our practice groups through our assignment database or directly from attorneys. Each summer associate is assigned two associate assignment managers who filter work and ensure they are receiving assignments from the practice areas of their interest. Each summer is also assigned one partner mentor and one junior associate mentor. We offer a variety of trainings, both internally from attorneys and from outside consultants. Numerous social events are planned throughout the summer to encourage summer associates to get to know each other and the attorneys in a setting outside of the office.