2024 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Ropes & Gray

• “As a summer associate, I was given many opportunities to shadow associates, sit in on meetings, and complete assignments typically given to first-year associates. The assignments were similar in nature to assignments I complete now as an associate, and during the summer, associates went out of their way to loop me in and give me feedback on my work product.”
• “The entire first few weeks are spent at in-person trainings or working through virtual programs. After that, we were allowed to take on real substantive assignments under the guidance of a junior or mid-level associate and ultimately received face time with partners.”
• “I got a good mix of substantive work in my desired practice group as well as across other groups that I expressed interest in. We completed trainings for all practice groups, which was a nice introduction to the other groups at Ropes.”
• “Ropes & Gray goes out of its way to ensure that you are getting substantive work as a summer associate. During my time as a summer associate, I was able to work on both billable work assignments and pro bono assignments, which gave me an idea of the difference between the two and an idea of how to balance them.”

• “Aside from the traditional formal social events, there's a ton of informal social events and interaction that they encourage summers to pursue as frequently as time allows. Everyone enjoys working with and socializing together, and the summer class forges strong friendships over the course of the internship.”
• “It was the best working experience of my life. The summer associates were, on the whole, delightful people, the associates were largely friendly and welcoming, and the social events were fun. I appreciated there wasn’t a huge emphasis on partying, and I never felt pressure to go out, but I did feel an incredible warmth among the attorneys, and there were many opportunities to engage in firm life.”
• “Events were frequent, usually really fun, and well-attended. The events helped summer associates who were not from the area get a taste of what the city had to offer. They were also always pretty laid-back and actually enjoyable as opposed to formal, high-pressure, and more networking-focused.”
• “The firm did a nice job of organizing and hosting a variety of social events both internally and externally. There was always something to do or someone to talk to, but I never felt pressured to show face at any, much less all, events. For me, the most valuable aspect of the summer program was talking to firm attorneys about what they do.”

• “My firm follows a centralized staffing approach, so I was told I would be able to work with a wide variety of partners, which is somewhat true. However, many of the partners prefer working with the associates in their offices.”
• “I am happy where I am, but I do think the firm was not completely transparent that I would be locked into the group. That was not how my recruitment process was presented. That said, I did not know I was locked in, and I don't have a problem with it. I have been pleasantly surprised by the group and the general acceptance of a steep learning curve.”
• “I thought the firm would be more hierarchical, a clear stratification between juniors/mid-level/senior associates and counsel/partners. However, I have had plenty of one-on-one meetings with partners to talk about assignments, and all associates have their doors open for drop-bys.”
• “I believed I would have more guidance on assignments. However, this has not turned out to be a negative because the work I do now is much more substantive and hands-on than I expected, which has allowed me to learn quickly, especially compared to my peers at other firms.”

• “I loved the event at Boda Borg, which allowed us summers to work together in small groups to solve escape-room-style puzzles. I got to know everyone better and had a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the event at the Boston Public Library; the venue was beautiful, and we all got to meet and get to know partners/firm leadership on a more personal level.”
• “Baseball game and volunteering at a food bank.”
• “I really enjoyed getting to kayak on the Charles River and getting to see Wicked. Ropes did a great job of ensuring the summer events were things that got us out into the community, not just events that took place at the firm.”
• “Playing on the Ropes & Gray softball team every Wednesday.”

Participating in our summer program will allow you to experience firsthand what it’s like to practice law at the highest level. Whether you join us in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, or Washington, D.C., summer associates get exposure to cutting-edge, industry-defining work for the world’s leading businesses and organizations. You’ll contribute to actual client matters, benefit from individualized mentorship, and gain practical and soft skills from our training program, regarded as one of the industry’s best. You’ll also have lots of opportunities to get to know your fellow summer associates and other lawyers at the firm and to build long-lasting relationships. We strongly believe that our summer program will give you the confidence, skills, and hands-on experience you need to hit the ground running as a first-year associate.