Fish & Richardson P.C.

• “Fish's summer associate program is equal parts training opportunities and substantive work, in my experience. The first portion of the summer is dedicated to an immersive training in firm life and patent law, and assignments are focused on developing legal writing skills. The summer then moves onto more substantive work, as summer associates are paired with individual partners and case teams to assist in legal research, drafting, and so on.”
• “My assignments coordinator checked in several times a week to make sure I wasn't overbooked, but I also had plenty to do. Everyone who supervised me was careful to make sure that the assignments I had were challenging enough to be interesting, but didn't require more technical expertise than I could have been expected to know as a summer associate. I felt like I was really able to contribute, but was never spinning my wheels.”
• “The program was good; I had mostly positive feedback shared with me in real time, but wish I had received constructive feedback in real time versus at the end of the summer period. It did not meaningfully affect my decision to stay with my firm, but I did feel a lack of chance to improve, or expect what constructive feedback is like at a firm."

• “Our summer associate class was small, and I made good connections with a handful of fellow summer associates, albeit with ones in other offices.”
• “I was a summer during a remote summer due to COVID-19, and Fish did a great job of pivoting. We had weekly virtual summer events, formal and informal mentorship pathways, summer associate group chats, and a budget for ordering food and activities to (virtually) meet with other summers and attorneys. We also had a two-day, in-person summer associate event in NYC, and a summer associate retreat held later that year filled with programming, time for fun, and, of course, Fish swag!”
• “The summer associate retreat was fun and well attended.”

• “You know what you're getting into after summering at Fish. Not only is your practice area clearly defined over the summer, but the reality about what type of work a first year will perform is very transparent. I would say the only major difference is in time and trust. Obviously, a first-year associate is putting in significantly more hours than a summer associate does. But beyond that, there is immediately a high level of trust placed on young lawyers at the firm. You are trusted to do your job, and your opinion is welcomed.”
• “I work with the same partners I worked with as a summer, and on many of the same types of assignments, although now they are more advanced. My summer was remote due to COVID-19, so there are notable differences (obviously, we are in the office now). This was to be expected, however.”
• “It hasn't. I'm much busier than I was as a summer, obviously.”

• “Summer associate retreat to Torrey Pines.”
• “The summer retreat in La Jolla; it was like a full-on associate retreat. It was a great time.”
• “I really loved getting to spend time together in person. The atmosphere is so welcoming, and it's really great to see in person the number of people, both attorneys and staff, who spend their entire career with Fish. It makes it feel like more than just an office, and it's good to imagine growing here.”

Fish & Richardson’s summer program is the cornerstone of our recruiting. We bring in the top students from across the country, and through significant investments of time and resources, we begin developing them into the Fish attorneys who go on to become leaders in the industry. To achieve this, our summer program is known for having real work that provides hands-on training and ongoing feedback. Summer associates tackle the tough legal issues that clients come to us to solve, and projects include preparing patent applications; conducting research for litigation; and attending client meetings, depositions, and even trials. Equally important to our summer program are the social events that integrate summer associates into the firm culture, including a firmwide summer associate retreat. Summer associates and attorneys get to know each other at dinners, concerts, and sporting events and through friendly competition across offices. Each summer associate is assigned a mentor who advises them throughout the summer.