Foley & Lardner LLP

• “I received many substantive work assignments while at Foley as a summer associate. I did research, wrote memos, and helped revise policies for companies. Additionally, the firm had an extensive training program that helped me strengthen my practice.”
• “Foley uses a summer assignment portal that allows summers to pick and choose their own assignments. This was very helpful. ... The assignments were substantive, and I received the support and feedback that I needed.”
• “I was taught to use the system that my firm uses so that when I started full-time, I knew how to use most of the programs. As far as substantive work goes, most of my work was research-related with some discovery issues and motions practice; the work was generally engaging, and the attorneys spent considerable time briefing me on the substantive issues to ensure that I understood my tasks and research/motion objectives.”
• “I had total ownership over drafting a brief for a pro bono client. ... I was responsible for the review of more than 2,000 documents, figuring out the relevant legal arguments, and finalizing the brief for submission to the [judge]. I attended the client's hearing and watched the judge review my work in real time. He was convinced, and I was very excited to find out in September that we won for the client. ... I was taken seriously and given real responsibility. I appreciated that there were real stakes and deadlines. It was a rewarding experience that helped me develop my reputation at the firm from the get-go.”

• “Our class was very close, and we formed connections with the attorneys in the office over the course of the summer. My favorite summer event was the retreat in Chicago where we were able to connect with other summer associates at the firm nationwide.”
• “The firm had a great balance of different types of social events, spaced out enough each week that I didn't ever feel like my social battery ran too low (which was big as an introvert). Attorneys were very friendly with the summer associates as well as with each other. The firm's summer associate retreat in Chicago was fantastically organized and run. My favorite summer event was a kickball competition held between summer associate classes from various Dallas law firm offices.”
• “The firm put a lot of effort into providing social programming. These included dinner parties with partners, happy hours with associates, outings with summer associates from other offices, and a retreat to Chicago.”
• “My summer associate class was very close. The firm does a great job of making sure that summer associates are able to meet with many different associates and partners in the firm. We had organized events such as mini golf, restaurant roulette, lunches, and tours. My favorite event was our restaurant roulette event where we randomly chose a restaurant and ate there for dinner with two partners, two associates, and two summer associates. It was a great way to meet people at the firm while also trying out a new Chicago restaurant.”

• “My experience at Foley & Lardner is commensurate with the expectations I had as a summer associate. Teams are kept lean, and attorneys are given lots of opportunities to argue motions, responses, replies, and to take depositions or participate in mediation/arbitration.”
• “Pleasantly surprised by the growth of the [my] office and consistency across the [my] practice group. Moving away from the centralized work assignment portal that we had as summers was somewhat of an adjustment, but ultimately a good thing as it requires more personal direct outreach.”
• “I think a lot of the work I do on a day-to-day basis is different than what I was given as a summer associate due to the fact that a law student could not do it. A lot of my work is communicating with clients and local counsel, which I was not exposed to over summer. However, I do think the attorneys in my group did a good job laying out expectations for how the job would change once I started full time as an attorney.”
• “Honestly, my firm is more or less everything that I expected. I think the only thing that somewhat surprised me is how substantive the work is at my firm this early on in the first year of my career there. Being transparent, I was not expecting to get a ton of substantive work in my first year as an associate, but so far, I've already been tasked with writing multiple motions, attending hearings, and communicating with clients. Foley has been delegating considerable responsibility to me early on, and I recognize that is not a common practice in the BigLaw industry and am grateful for that experience.”

For more than 180 years, we have deeply committed ourselves to offering law students an environment rooted in integrity, camaraderie, thought leadership, innovation, diversity, stewardship, and professional satisfaction. Our summer associate program strikes a balance between substantive work experience, opportunities for professional development, and social activities in and around the cities where we host summer programs. Our popular Foley Academy training program is designed to provide practical pointers not necessarily covered in the law school curriculum and is aimed at positioning our summer associates for a successful and rewarding career. The summer program features a summer associate retreat, bringing together the summer associate class from around the country for an interactive multiday program. This event brings together all of our summer associates from across the firm to connect with one another, meet firm leadership, and gain a deeper understanding of Foley’s vision, strategy, and culture. Beyond the retreat, our summer program includes a variety of social events such as baseball games, paint-and-sip gatherings, cooking classes, and community engagement activities—such as those supporting our partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America—that offer fun, purposeful ways to connect with others and give back throughout the summer.