2024 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

• “Fried Frank did an excellent job of assigning substantive and interesting work during the summer at a pace that came close to the workload I have as an associate. Some of the work was even sent directly to a client, and my supervisor made sure that I saw the client's positive feedback on my work.”
• “The firm combined both substantive assignments with opportunities to shadow attorneys at every level of the firm (partners, special counsels, and associates). Fried Frank creates an environment for summer associates to try new practice areas and explore outside one's comfort zone. By using a flex model, summers are able to try new things and better determine the right practice fit.”
• “We were given a good mix of substantive assignments on real cases and trainings that included mock depositions and hearings, lectures, and observation opportunities. Partners and associates always gave me substantive feedback on my work, which was extremely valuable, and I feel that I learned a lot during the summer program.”
• “I handled a variety of substantive matters for each of the practice areas I was interested in. Each assignment was supervised by at least one associate, and I often interfaced directly with the supervising partners on the matter. Feedback was honest, fair, and in real time.”

• “The firm's summer associate program is so robust. You are paired with a partner mentor and then several associate mentors and a first-year buddy, which is great because [the buddies] are super junior at the firm.”
• “The social events were great, and all of the attorneys were kind and engaging with the summer associates. They really went out of their way to make the summer associates feel comfortable and to answer any questions we had. I also became close with many other summer associates and am still friends with them since starting to work as a first-year associate.”
• “The social aspects of the summer associate program were robust and varied. There were opportunities to spend time in small groups and also in larger group settings. I appreciated that there was an effort to have different types of social events throughout the summer. The events were well-attended by firm attorneys. Camaraderie among summer associates was very high.”
• “The summer program exceeded my expectations. Everyone was so nice and fun to be around at events. There was a good balance between talking about work and other topics with the older attorneys. Everyone in our summer class got along well, and we continue to be very close friends as first-year associates.”

• “Once you are full time at the firm, you are entrusted to take on longer-term assignments, and your responsibilities grow as you demonstrate that you are able to handle more complicated and substantive assignments.”
• “I think my expectations were pretty [much] in line with the reality. I got placed in the practice group I anticipated. The work is as varied as it was during my summer program, and there are a lot of opportunities for pro bono work, which is also consistent with what was advertised.”
• “I have been pleasantly surprised by the mentorship and firm’s desire to develop entry associates’ skills and to really invest in their development, exceeding my expectations I walked away from the summer with.”
• “It has differed in the sense that my expectation going in was that we would receive a high workload immediately and there would be a steep learning curve, but that has not been the case. Fried Frank has been very helpful in offering trainings and gradually increasing our workload over time (of course, with the occasional busy week when deadlines are tight), which was a welcome surprise.”

• “I loved the cooking class. A chef at a popular Laos restaurant taught us all how to make traditional dishes. We worked in small groups with partners, which allowed us to build better relationships with them.”
• “The partner-summer law clerk dinner was my favorite summer event. We got to sit with partners in various practice groups to learn more about what they do, who they are, and how they got to where they are today.”
• “We had an associate-run pizza-making class/evening where former pizzaiolos-turned-lawyers taught us how to make a decent pizza from scratch.”

As a critical part of our recruiting process, Fried Frank’s summer associate program provides a realistic view of associate life and the opportunity to experience our firmwide collegiality. We offer a balanced program of challenging assignments, ample training, and social events to energetic and motivated candidates who demonstrate high levels of intellectual ability and creativity. Assignments of substantive work for sophisticated clients are distributed based on interest while ensuring experience across various practice areas, as well as involvement in pro bono matters. Summer associates often are involved in client meetings, negotiation sessions, closings, court appearances, and depositions. Our “Summer Associate Academy” combines practice area insights from partners and associates with training for legal and business situations that arise in the real world. We also host a variety of social activities so that summer associates are able to spend time with our partners and associates in a fun, relaxed setting.