Desmarais LLP

• “The work I received as a summer associate has been very similar to the work I have received as an associate. The biggest difference has been the amount of work. The training prepares you very well for the different aspects of the work you could do but is not guaranteed to align with the work you are currently doing.”
• “I found the work I received as a summer to be comparable to the work I now receive as an associate. The training and mentoring were top notch. The summer associates were paired with associate mentors, and we had the opportunity to participate in a trial training program.”
• “The summer associate program involves mock training activities as well as real-world, substantive experience. In my summer, we took mock depositions of actors (with a court reporter and everything) and put on a bench trial with some of the leading partners acting as judges. I also wrote a significant portion of a motion for summary judgment. I was impressed with how much direct interfacing I got with the partners I worked for.”
• “[T]he work I completed as a summer was very similar to the work I was exposed to in the first few months starting as a law clerk. I received substantive assignments that were used by the case team and in client updates. The training and mentoring I received—informal and formal at the associate and partnership level—was very accessible. Associates and partners alike were always happy to jump on a call, answer questions, and speak about the firm's work. Additionally, the firm organized a trial training module during which we practiced deposition preparation, taking and defending depositions, and oral argument skills.”

• “The firm organized a trip to John Desmarais' beach house, where we had a virtual concert with John Legend.”
• “We went to the founding partner’s summer house and spent the day with different associates and partners from the firm.”
• “Definitely the day at John's beach house!”
• “The weekend the firm brought all the associates to NYC was my favorite social event. Trial training, which involved being on teams of three with fellow summers, was my favorite training event.”

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.