Skadden

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Skadden Mentors

• “The firm provided each summer a starter assignment in their top-choice practice group so people could get their feet wet. Then, we each had weekly meetings with summer work coordinators to make sure we were getting the amount and types of work we wanted. We had multiple training/learning sessions each week, which helped me feel prepared to do my work and proceed through the summer.”
• “The summer is what you make it. You can take on as much or as little responsibility as you are comfortable with and will be well-supported. The firm requires summer associates to participate in extensive and well-planned training programs depending on the summer associate's interest (i.e., litigation vs. transactional). As a summer associate interested in transactional work, I found this particularly helpful because it gave us an opportunity to do manageable transactional work over the summer and learn the aspects of transactional work that law school does not teach you. The attorneys are very involved in and enthusiastic about the training program.”
• “Skadden provides plenty of resources for training. What truly makes a difference is whether you leverage these resources to develop into a great summer associate. The work assignments were well-balanced with the opportunity to network with associates at the firm. Overall, I had an amazing experience as a summer.”
• “We were given assignments to work on early on, and once you gain the trust of the team members you're staffed on, the work increases substantially (in both substance and experience). This firm values relationship-building, even as a summer associate.”

• “Skadden places a big emphasis on social events, and we went out with our summer class at least every Thursday. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I was worried that it was going to be a situation where there was too much social pressure to attend or drink at these events, and that was not the case.”
• “The camaraderie among summer associates is pretty strong. One of my favorite things is that you can do summer-only social events to get to know one another without needing an associate present. I liked the flexibility of the spontaneous summer events, such as doing workout classes or getting pedicures with the firm attorneys.”
• “Skadden's summer program is unrivaled. There were constant opportunities for social events, with at least one big event planned each week. Firm attorneys were invited to these events, which gave us the opportunity to network with existing attorneys as well as the other summers. In my class of about 100 summers, I can confidently say I met every one of them and to this day I know the names of probably 95. My favorite summer event was our gala at [an iconic New York museum], where we rented out the entire building and could even see the artwork while we ate and drank.”
• “The summer program has a wonderful set of social events, and all of the events are thoughtful and fun. There were activities like escape rooms, fancy dinners, craft nights, and a reception at [one of New York’s most famous museums]. The firm is very social; however, people are not penalized if they do not attend events. Generally, attorneys at this firm enjoy hanging out and spending time with each other.”

• “I've been pleasantly surprised by immediately getting more substantive work as a first-year associate than I expected. I also was pleasantly surprised that I would be working with the partners in my practice group pretty much right away.”
• “It's difficult to receive substantive corporate work as a summer intern (much easier to receive substantive litigation work) simply due to the nature of corporate work. That's why the M&A simulation process was so impactful in exposing me to the corporate path. Additionally, I found that most attorneys were very social but not necessarily ‘fratty.’ ... I do think it's a firm where being social is beneficial to your position within the firm.”
• “In the summer, we received assignments through a centralized portal and were able to update the attorney development team with our workload and the kinds of things we wanted to work on. As an associate, there is no centralized staffing, and I receive assignments either by requesting work or just by receiving it from more-senior attorneys. This results in a slightly less-even workflow but, on the other hand, is probably more useful to the attorneys who need urgent assistance.”
• “I was unsure what practice group I wanted to be in, so I liked that Skadden was strong amongst all of its practice groups.”

Our summer associate program drives our hiring efforts. Full programs are offered in Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington, and Wilmington. Our flexible program provides opportunities to learn firsthand about our extensive range of practices. Summer associates gain experience comparable to that of junior associates, including attending client meetings, traveling to client locations, and assisting senior attorneys in addressing client needs. Summer associates working on corporate projects receive exposure to drafting and negotiation sessions, while those in litigation gain familiarity with depositions and court proceedings. Participants receive formal reviews, and our attorneys provide informal feedback on projects. Additionally, the majority of our summer associates work on pro bono matters. Of course, we hold numerous social events outside the office to help our summer associates to become acquainted with colleagues throughout the office.