2024 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

• “I was assigned substantive work from the start and felt like I made meaningful contributions to my teams. All of the attorneys I worked with were available to provide me with guidance.”
• “The firm treats its summer associates the same as first-year lawyers—to the extent reasonable. The firm does a good job of placing summer associates in close proximity to partners and associates, so there is a lot of learning via osmosis.”
• “The summer work assignments are significantly more substantive than work you might get at another summer program. As a summer associate, you are really part of the team.”
• “The work was substantive and enriching. The flat structure helped me feel like an integrated member of the team.”

• “There were many more social events than I expected during the summer, and I enjoyed them. The rest of the firm is excited about the summer program and comes together during that time. The events are generally well-attended. Additionally, there was a lot of camaraderie among summer associates, in part because of the small size of the class.”
• “Our social events were well attended by attorneys, providing a great opportunity to get to know people at the firm. There was a good cadence of social events throughout the summer. I also appreciated that the firm allowed summers to plan certain events and supported these outings.”
• “The summer class is much smaller than other firms, however, so there was a real opportunity to bond with fellow summer associates.  There was a lot of opportunity for interaction with other attorneys at the firm, whether through having lunch in the Attorney dining room or through the formal mentorship events.”

• “During my summer program, I was definitely busier than my friends at other firms. However, I was not as busy as a full-time associate at WLRK. The associates did a good job of protecting us from being overwhelmed with work and still encouraged us to attend every event.”
• “I was expecting to dislike the work and was not 100% sure whether I would join the firm full time. The summer experience completely changed my mind. The interesting nature of the work and the responsibilities we're given at an introductory level were the biggest factors.”
• “I think the summer gave me a pretty accurate impression of being an associate at Wachtell. I left the summer understanding that Wachtell operates on a very flat structure with small teams, where every member is expected to contribute, and no one is given busy work. I had a busy summer and worked hours similar to those I've worked as an associate.”
• “My experience practicing at the firm has largely conformed with the expectations I had as a summer associate. I believe my work and matters during the summer, as well as attorney interactions, fairly represented my current experience. It is difficult to mimic what being a full-time attorney is like during a single summer, but I think the firm does as good of a job as it can.”

• “Shakespeare in the Park, dinner around town.”
• “Hamptons event was up there, but a lot of the gatherings were fun. Best part was that you could make your own event (you just told the firm what you wanted to do with your class and put it on your card).”
• “Dinner Around Town is a great WLRK summer event. At this event, summer associate and associates are randomly assigned to small dinner groups; each group has dinner at a restaurant somewhere in the city.  You are permitted a plus one, which makes the event even more fun. It was a great opportunity to meet attorneys you might not otherwise (e.g., outside of your practice group) and to have smaller group interactions.”

Each year, we look to select a small and diverse group of highly motivated and well-rounded students with the objective of giving each summer associate an experience as close as we can to that of a new associate. We expose summer associates to all facets of our practice and actively involve them in negotiations, client meetings, and courtroom and deposition sessions. Summer associates rotate through our corporate and litigation practice areas and choose one or two other practice areas to round out their rotation schedule. In addition to the real client work they are assigned, summer associates also get to experience some of the best entertainment that New York City offers and enjoy the company of our attorneys outside of the workplace.