Dentons

Training & Assignments

• “Each summer associate is paired with an associate mentor, as well as a work coordinator, who makes sure you are getting enough work and learning the most you can at the firm.”
• “The work was challenging and provided me with a great perspective of what types of projects I would be doing as a first-year associate. The partners were all very approachable and answered all my questions enthusiastically. I felt guided and supported throughout all my assignments.”
• “I was given real experiences and got to witness stages of an M&A transaction by assisting with the editing process and sitting in on client calls.”
• “The firm allowed me to see what it is like to work as a first-year associate while being understanding of my lack of experience in the field.”

Social Opportunities

• “The firm put together various social events where I connected with associates and partners around the firm. Given how approachable my colleagues are, the social events were not high-pressure at all.”
• “The social events while I was a summer associate were exactly enough for me. I enjoyed that the programing was once a week and was not used as an excuse to drink alcohol.”
• “We had many, many events—almost weekly. They were very unique and allowed me to explore things around the city that I had not experienced. They were not well-attended, however. This, in part, was a good thing, as it allowed me to really get to know those who did attend.”
• Our program put on social events every couple of weeks. Many of them had different focuses and different groups of attorneys. … Outside of social events, there were many opportunities to interact with the firm's attorneys, such as catered lunches on Tuesdays, and various networking or business development-type events put on by partners, which they often invited the summer associates to attend. I also reached out to partners in multiple office locations whose work seemed interesting, and they were always willing to hop on Zoom calls to meet and discuss their practice. Several partners also reached out to the summers to set up lunches and happy hours. …”

Associate Experience vs. Summer Expectations

• “As a practicing attorney, I now see that there is more riding on my work that I do for others. There is a learning curve for learning how to understand billing. I have been surprised that they do not expect me to know everything and want to help teach me.”
• “I have been more than pleasantly surprised with the mentorship, practice development, and increasing amount of substantive work I have been getting at an incremental rate. I've had the best amount of interaction with partners and senior managing associates who care about making sure I am learning and progressing. Did not expect to like it as much as I do.”
• “My experience at the firm exceeds my expectations from my summer program. I handle more substantive work and have meaningful partner interactions.”
• “I was given more responsibilities than I thought I would get when first starting, which has allowed me to grow and has been very beneficial for me. The partners I work under trust me and allow me to try things on my own before they give input and help.”

• “I loved going to the Cubs game, architecture tour, and the color factory.”
• “My favorite summer event was one in which we each designed a cookbook page about our favorite meal. The different pages from all of the associates were then compiled into one large summer class cookbook.”
• “Seeing Hamilton on Broadway.”
• “Virtual escape room.”

Law students who join our Summer Associate Program experience the energy, creativity, and collegiality that defines life at Dentons. We fully immerse our summer associates in the firm to provide a realistic picture of what being a Dentons lawyer is like, and we’ve designed our program to give students the tools needed to succeed. Our smaller class size allows for a more personalized experience; Dentons summer associates are paired with mentors who provide guidance and advice throughout the summer and our summer associates work side-by-side with attorneys to get involved with actual client matters and meaningful pro bono work. We offer practical training in areas such as legal writing, ethics, and oral communications and also offer a variety of networking sessions and fun social events. Our program balances real work, training, and networking to show what a career at Dentons could look like.