Skadden

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Skadden Mentors

• “There is a plethora of training opportunities throughout the summer through formal sessions focused on different practice areas. You are able to rotate through different practice groups based on your own rankings of the groups, which is a helpful way to be able to explore different areas.”
• “I was encouraged to seek out different kinds of work and always got to try anything I wanted to work on. The work was always appropriate for my level, and I always got good instructions.”
• “Skadden's summer associate program perfectly combines real, substantive work that a junior associate would be doing with challenging trainings that really make you feel like you work at the firm.”
• “We were encouraged to try out a variety of matters across any practice area we were interested in. There were many opportunities to shadow substantive client calls and get hands-on experience with drafting under the guidance of attorneys.”

• “The Skadden recruiting team truly pours their time and energy into the events they put on. They have made an incredible effort to focus on diversity of interests, de-emphasize drinking for those who are not interested, and incorporate all of the amazing resources we have around New York City into our events.”
• “The summer associate program includes many social events. I felt like I could establish genuine connections and meaningful relationships with my peers and the attorneys at Skadden. I had a lot of fun at the parties the partners hosted at their homes.”
• “The Skadden summer is legendary for a reason. I am genuinely close friends with five or six people at my firm thanks to the summer program. They will surely be at my wedding.”
• “The summer program included a lot of fun events that helped you get to know attorneys and partners in a more casual environment. My favorite was when we had a box at a Red Sox game!”

• “I was pleasantly surprised that the level of training and the attention that I got from partners during the summer continued once I started full time. They still wanted me to learn as much as I could and be the best [practice] attorney I could be.”
• “People at Skadden are intense, but Skadden partners, counsel, associates, and HR were transparent about the intensity from the beginning. People were still down-to-earth and created excitement about going into each respective practice. If you weren't afraid of the intensity and connected with the attorneys, it was an easy fit.”
• “The work assignment system is not as formalized as it was for the summer associate program.”
• “I have been working on incredibly small teams with a lot of client exposure from the beginning, which was what associates said during my summer, but I have been really happy with how true that has been.”

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.