2022 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Jones Day

Training & Assignments

• “Work assignments were very organized. Each summer associate is partnered with a mid-level associate (known as a "work assignor") who seeks out work that the summer associate is interested in. This allows for a more meaningful summer experience, where the summer associate can find more work in areas that they wish to experiment in.”
• “I had real work, but still felt like I had training wheels on, which was nice.”
• “Work assignments were varied and well-coordinated. They were appropriate for the skill level of a summer associate, but still managed to challenge my abilities at times, and allowed me to grow overall.”
• “Throughout my experience as a summer associate, I had a very manageable mix of client work paired with other non-billable projects. I received instruction on how to complete the assignments, and had ample opportunity for assistance if needed.”

Social Opportunities

• “I made great friends amongst my summer associate class and other coworkers. Everyone was welcoming and friendly. It was a very collegial class and office. We had at least one social event per week, and did things like kayaking, hiking, a cooking class, and attending a Red Sox game. We really got to know the city, coworkers, and our firm really well.”
• “The firm definitely excelled in the social aspect. The firm took care to plan a lot of events, often more than once per week, and each event was well attended and enjoyable. The firm feels very collegial over the summer.”
• “Many events, including a baseball game, Broadway show, axe throwing, and dinners.”
• “Shared offices or ‘bullpens’ made the summer program so much better to have a group of summer associates back in the office to talk to.”

Associate Experience vs. Summer Expectations

• “Work-life balance was significantly better than I expected as a summer.”
• “When I entered BigLaw, I assumed I was beginning my life at a sweatshop. My experience has been the opposite. At Jones Day, you're treated with the respect of an attorney, given hands-on projects, and get to work with some of the nicest, smartest lawyers in the country, who are extremely respectful of your time. It was shocking to me just how respectful teams are of associate time.”
• “The only difference really is that as a summer, you had work handed to you, and assignments lined up. As a new associate, it is a lot more ‘on your own’ in that you must seek out assignments, and do a lot of the legwork yourself that was done for you as a summer.”
• “As a summer associate, I was encouraged to work with several practice groups to find the best place for me. However, after starting as a first-year associate, I found that several attorneys encouraged me to pick a practice group sooner rather than later.”

Favorite Summer Events

• “Happy hours, associate cookouts, cooking event, Top Golf, and in-office activities.”
• “Washington, DC trip.”
• “The firm did a ‘Court of Uncommon Pleas’ where we took fake court cases, and held oral arguments about fun topics, such as whether Pittsburgh was a Midwestern or Northeastern city.”
• “There was a dinner where they made the formal offer at the end of the summer, that was my favorite.”

Jones Day provides unlimited opportunities for talented lawyers, not only within the Firm but in boardrooms and courtrooms worldwide. Participation as a summer associate is the best entryway to these opportunities. Our dedication to training and the relatively small size of the summer/new lawyer programs enable us to staff matters leanly, providing summer associates and junior lawyers with substantive and meaningful experiences on cutting-edge legal matters. Because of the Firm’s structure and supportive and collaborative environment, summer associates and junior lawyers also have vast resources at their disposal, not least of which is the Firm's deep and well-regarded bench of 2,400 practitioners across the globe. In addition, summer associates join in pro bono projects and community service work with organizations both inside and outside the law to address pressing social issues, including social and racial injustice, human trafficking, asylum, clemency, domestic violence and veterans’ affairs, to name a few.