2022 DIVERSITY DATABASE PREMIUM SPONSOR Kirkland & Ellis

• “As an associate, I now know firsthand how difficult it is to give actual substantive assignments to summers, no matter how much you want to. I think Kirkland did an excellent job giving me a wide variety of assignments that were as substantive as possible given the circumstances, and were extremely helpful in encouraging me to try different practice areas and seek projects I was interested in.”
• “Kirkland summer associates take part in a robust program called KITA. The training that KITA provides is, bar none, the best training program on the market. The firm encourages summer associates to take part in substantive assignments to ensure summer associates get a glimpse of the assignments associates work on day in and day out.”
• “The firm provided good hands-on training and multiple seminars from partners discussing various legal topics. I felt like I had many opportunities to do real work when requested.”
• “While work assignments came through a centralized system, the program allowed summer associates to pick up work on an ad hoc basis through informal conversations with associates and partners (who were eager/willing to put us on projects). In my view, this system is the most conducive to professional development. …”

• “The firm has excellent summer social events, with both the larger firm population and smaller breakouts, which allows people to get to know others well during the program. Summers and attorneys are encouraged to reach out outside of these events, which allows for more organic opportunities to develop relationships.”
• “The summer associate program has a top-notch social program. It ranges from an e-bike tour of the national mall to box seats at a Coldplay concert. It truly is the best summer of your professional life!”
• “I thought the attorneys did a great job coming up with virtual social activities during the summer program. Even though the program was virtual, the social activities helped me start building relationships with the attorneys.”
• “It's no secret that Kirkland has one of the [busiest summer] social schedules. It felt like multiple times a week throughout, we were having big extravagant parties and events, meals at expensive restaurants, and just generally having a great time.”

• “The associates/partners did not give us any false expectations, and Kirkland's ‘free market’ system has lived up to the expectations set as summer associates.”
• “As is the case with other law firm summer programs, the assignments given during the summer were less substantive and demanding [than] work is for M&A as a first-year associate. Surprisingly, it was much easier to talk to partners as a summer associate than it is as a junior associate.”
• “I think the main difference is the pressure applied by attorneys and teams to have a set of knowledge that was really never taught.”
• “It has all fit my expectations exactly. Everyone was always super transparent about the fact that the summer experience is totally different from being an associate.”

• “There are weekly dinners where summers get to know smaller groups of attorneys. These are my favorites because it is most conducive to building personalized relationships.”
• “The mock negotiation was a lot of fun and we also learned a lot.”
• “Hawaiian luau [with a] full roast pig, band, and fire dancers; drag brunch pregame of Pride parade.”

Kirkland’s summer program provides students with a foundational opportunity to learn about our firm and practice, integrate into our culture, and experience life working in a major city. Kirkland’s tradition of giving junior associates early responsibility begins with the summer program. Throughout the ten weeks, you’ll work on diverse and sophisticated matters alongside associates and partners, who are eager to guide you along the way. Kirkland provides its attorneys—including summer associates—with responsibility and autonomy. The firm’s open assignment system uniquely enables associates to take ownership of their careers by choosing the matters on which they work while simultaneously providing them with an integrated support network to help ensure that all associates obtain robust work and development opportunities. In addition to substantive work, our summer associates participate in a series of legal education courses, well-being programs, and endless social events and networking opportunities to introduce you to Kirkland attorneys and life at the firm.