Kirkland & Ellis

• “Was given the opportunity to handle substantive work without undue pressure. Trainings were extensive, well-prepared and informative. Plenty of shadowing and other learning opportunities, including directly with partners.”
• “I appreciated the hands-on training, specifically the mock deposition that we took halfway through the summer. The work experience was substantive. I helped with deposition preparation, sat in on depositions, worked with full case teams, and assisted with drafting motions and mediation agreements.”
• “I joined a couple of deal teams and helped out with junior-level tasks, and there were also opportunities for one-off assignments. The firm provided several training videos and in-person sessions on fundamental skills and a bigger-picture overview of the work we do for clients, including sessions with each of the main corporate practice groups (M&A, capital markets, investment funds, and debt finance).”
• “Work assignments are created and managed by staffing attorneys at the mid-associate level. This is to ensure that all summer associates in a group have the opportunity to work on substantive assignments. Also, each core practice group hosts its own major hands-on training throughout the summer in which summer associates get to work substantively and interface with partners.”

• “The firm emphasizes building relationships to best position first-year associates with the support system and team-ready atmosphere to hit the ground running. Summer events are abundant and really allow summers to not only build meaningful relationships with several attorneys but also find informal mentors in addition to the ones assigned by the firm.”
• “Overall excellent. Generally multiple social events per week for most of the summer. The recruiting team was fantastic, stayed engaged with the summer class throughout, and made the events fun. Partners generally attended practice-group-specific events. Really enjoyed my summer class and definitely built a lot of camaraderie with the group.”
• “The social events were fantastic—plenty of different activities that appealed to a range of tastes. The firm made a concerted effort to arrange events that would encourage interaction between the summer associates and the attorneys, as well as summer-only events, which were designed to facilitate class bonding.”
• “Amazing social events and so many great lunches and dinners. Much face time with lawyers. Built great relationships with my summer associates. Pickleball in Central Park was great. …”

• “Took several months to get a full workload in the open assignment system, but once I got on active deals, I did not have any trouble getting work. Pleasantly surprised by the amount I've learned and how confident I am after only one year of practice. Exploring multiple practice areas was somewhat harder than expected, as I found that I had to contact several attorneys and show interest before getting asked onto deals in a new practice area, but it is easy to get more work once people are familiar with you.”
• “I have been pleasantly surprised at how willing people are to train you if you ask them to. One thing that has been an adjustment is learning to adjust my schedule to accommodate that workflow is not consistent and assignments often come at unpredictable times.”
• “Kirkland is pretty transparent about the summer associate life not being like real life, particularly when it comes to staffing. Summers have a portal where you can sign up for projects, whereas in the real world, you've got to do your own internal business development and build relationships with partners who will bring you aboard. That's a very challenging skill to master, and the summer program cannot give you a real taste of that.”
• “My experience as a summer associate adequately prepared me for life at the firm, and I was not surprised by anything in particular when I started as an associate.”

At Kirkland, summer associates quickly become part of the team as they participate in training programs, shadow attorneys in meetings and negotiations, observe trials and depositions, and build connections through networking opportunities.

The four-week 1L Summer Experience introduces Kirkland and life as an associate. The program is intentionally exploratory, giving 1Ls the opportunity to learn how the firm works and understand our different practice areas. Whether sampling multiple practices or spending time with a particular group, 1Ls shape their experience through trainings, shadowing, and conversations with attorneys that help them assess their interests.

The 10-week 2L Summer Associate Program builds on this foundation, offering deeper immersion into firm life and client work. 2L summer associates contribute to real deals and cases, supporting high profile clients. Through our open assignment system, they have the flexibility to choose the matters they take on, supported by an integrated network to promote strong development.