Pillsbury

• “Meaningful tasks with real deadlines. They give you room to learn without letting you fail.”
• “I had the opportunity to choose my own work assignments. Every attorney I worked with made sure to provide proper training and guidance throughout the summer.”
• “Pillsbury’s struck a nice balance of providing substantive projects and practical trainings that allowed me to get a sense of the day-to-day while also giving me the confidence I needed to grow into the role. This was bolstered by the real-time and cumulative feedback that the assigning associates, counsels, and partners gave me throughout.”
• “I was given substantive projects in the areas I was interested in and worked closely with a variety of senior attorneys. I was also able to assist on projects in other practice areas to gain familiarity with the firm’s offerings.”

• “I enjoyed the social events and felt I was able to genuinely connect with both attorneys and fellow summers, with my favorite being a progressive in-home dinner hosted at two attorneys’ residences.”
• “There were regular events throughout the summer, but it wasn't too overwhelming, only one or two a week. The summer associate class was very close.”
• “We had weekly social events and frequent lunches, as well as a summer associate retreat to meet other summers from across the firm. My favorite event was the tiered dinner and cocktail party that was hosted at various attorneys homes.”
• “I thought we had a perfect number of events (not too many where it was overwhelming, not too few either), and each event had good attorney participation. My favorite event was going to a Broadway show.”

• “While I initially assumed I would be limited to my main practice area, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the opportunities to pursue other interests and by the firm’s willingness to connect me with attorneys across offices doing work I find compelling.”
• “The firm was always completely open and honest, and I was under no false impressions. Over the summer, I was told the groups hiring, was able to rank them, and then was told it was market-dependent. I appreciated this and was still given my first-choice group.”
• “I have found I still have the flexibility of seeking work from outside my specific practice group, which I like. Overall, I think the firm is less social outside of the summer program and generally have the sense that people come in to work and are less interested in attending firm-sponsored social events, whereas during the summer, there is broader participation.”
• “One thing I love about Pillsbury is the attorneys and staff in my office have always been honest with me. During the summer, they gave me the amount of work I could expect as a first year and had multiple formal and informal meetings where attorneys told me what to expect. As such, my expectations have been completely aligned with the firm reality.”

Pillsbury's summer program provides law students with exposure to the types of work performed by practicing attorneys across a range of matters and industries. Summer associates receive substantive assignments that may include transactional work, litigation support, legal research, drafting, and participation in client meetings, negotiations, due diligence reviews, depositions, and court proceedings. The program offers flexibility for students to explore multiple practice areas or focus on areas of particular interest. Professional development is supported through formal training sessions covering topics such as legal writing, ethics, practice skills, leadership, and client service. Each summer associate is paired with a mentor and has opportunities to build relationships with attorneys across the firm through a collaborative team-based environment.