Freshfields US LLP

• “Freshfields did a great job at providing summer associates with substantive tasks and enabling them to both attend and participate in regular training sessions. In particular, I enjoyed sitting in on a mix of junior associate trainings and sessions tailored for summer associates (including a great session on the corporate law issues of HBO's Succession).”
• “The open-market system allows summer associates to try out as many practice areas as they want. Summer associates are encouraged to take on pro bono assignments. Summer associates were able to stay involved with deals for the entire summer to see and contribute to more of the process. Work assignments were in line with assignments given to first-year associates.”
• “The work was highly substantive, and I felt like a valued member of the team. I spent a good chunk of my summer prepping for a presentation for the GC of a global company and was given the opportunity to speak during that presentation, which made it feel as though the time was worthwhile.”
• “No work assignment was ever made up or just fluff, and we felt like genuine members of the team. The partner on a deal still remembers my contributions as a summer associate and talks about them.”

• “The firm events team did a phenomenal job at organizing a range of social events, many of which included activities (e.g., mini golf, table tennis). I was also able to interact with many associates and other summers thanks to the firm policy on free lunches.”
• “The firm provides a variety of social events for all different types of summer associates. Many of the social events are led by various ERG groups, which emphasizes the firm's commitment to diversity. The firm also provides summer associates with the opportunity to visit international offices, which builds incredible bonds among the summer associates.”
• “We had a lot of fun at social events, and they were well attended by partners. I particularly liked the dinner series, where we got to get to know senior-level attorneys.”
• “Attorneys, including partners, did a really impressive job making themselves available to summer associates. Most of my lunches with attorneys were one-on-one, and everyone was genuinely interested in my professional goals.”

• “In large part, my experience as a summer associate provided an accurate snapshot into daily life at the firm as a first-year associate. Indeed, I am especially pleased that the nature of the tasks that I was assigned as a summer was reflective of the kind of work I have been carrying out as a first year.”
• “I was surprised by how varied the work can be in terms of business. The summer associate workload was more consistent. I was pleasantly surprised that people seem to be as generally pleasant to work with as they were during the summer.”
• “The main difference is obviously the hours. As a summer associate I definitely had some busy days, but otherwise often did not have a full calendar. As an associate, it is much faster paced, and there is much more work to do.”
• “People were very transparent about how different the summer and the first year would be. I felt prepared for the increase in difficulty of the first year and how work assignments would be handled. The only major difference was that we were placed in pods for multiple practice groups, which is better than what I thought would happen.”

• “My favorite event was our last one. It took place at SPIN New York, a ping-pong social club in Midtown, and was followed by food and drinks right across the street!”
• “Hamilton followed by drinks and dessert!”
• “The San Francisco Giants baseball game, kayaking trip in Sonoma, and the international business trip were my favorite summer events.”
• “The standout ‘event’ was the week we all spent abroad at various Freshfields offices throughout Europe. This was an amazing opportunity to get to know other Freshfields attorneys abroad and gain exposure to the sort of cross-border work Freshfields is known for.”

Freshfield’s Summer Associate program offers a truly global law firm experience. Beyond great projects working alongside our attorneys, there are many fun social and cultural events for the Summers to get to know each other and people around the firm.

Each 2L Summer Associate is invited to attend an international business trip. Our 2024 summer program host offices include London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Madrid, Munich, Rome, Singapore, Tokyo, Vietnam Paris, Vienna, Brussels, and Frankfurt. International client work and international travel opportunities are defining features of the Freshfields experience.  

To find out more, please visit us at United States Careers at Freshfields | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer