Desmarais LLP

• “This is the only firm that prepares you to be an associate. I split with a BigLaw firm and can comfortably say that this firm did a better job than any other.”
• “The Summer Trial Training program was an excellent way to prepare and practice the actual experience of litigation. The type of work is very similar, and there is more to do now, but that amount grows with getting comfortable and learning all the different steps for projects.”
• “I got good work, more substantive than peers at other firms (e.g., drafting arguments for brief). Mentoring was good; I got to work very closely with senior associates and partners—both of which were kind and open to questions. My experience during the summer and during my first year has been comparable.”
• “I enjoyed working on real matters, and I think [they] had a good level of importance. I was doing real work that needed to be done, but it was not so important that it stressed me out too much. The social stuff was great because we had a lot of one-on-one associate lunches along with all the other events.”

• “The Desmarais Summer trial training was my favorite event. Because our summer was remote, we did a simulated claim construction hearing, which was extremely rewarding and fun. It was great to get into the weeds of everything and actually practice oral argument skills.” 
• “Every summer, DLLP invites the summer class to a beach party. It is a great, relaxed atmosphere where you can get to know your fellow summers as well as other attorneys at the firm.”
• “The boating outing at John's house!”
• “Wine tasting in Napa Valley was super fun.”

We view our summer program as the first three months of an incoming associate’s career. We staff our summer associates on our case teams just like our other associates—by considering the particular summer associate’s interests as well as the firm’s needs. Summer associates work with attorneys at all levels, from first-year associates to partners, and they become an integral part of their teams. We provide formal training for our summer associates, including weekly lectures, and trial advocacy training programs—the same type of formal training programs we provide to our full-time associates. We also provide informal training to our summer associates through constant feedback regarding their work assignments. In addition, we try to give our summer associates the opportunity to experience many different aspects of patent litigation, and often invite them to attend client meetings, court hearings, depositions, and trials.