2022 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER White & Case

• “I summered during an intense year (2021), and all attorneys were extremely busy, but they still tried hard to allocate time to Zoom chats, and explained to us assignments separately in detail. We received a lot of substantive assignments due to the amount of work at the firm that summer, and our help was greatly appreciated by our teams. I received the kinds of work that I wanted to try.”
• “Work is handed down through an allocation portal, which matches your stated interests with work availability and attorney requests. This was handled well by the team. In addition, attorneys can ask summer associates for one-off work requests.”
• “The firm gave me assignments that I ended up doing as a first year as well. The work you do as a summer reflects that you would do as a junior associate—the firm doesn't hide the ball.”
• “We received substantive assignments from the beginning. I felt like I was given a surprising amount of responsibility, and my supervising attorneys really encouraged me to take ownership over everything I did. This made me much more invested in the work, and I learned a lot through the feedback I received on those assignments. Overall, it was a very exciting experience.”

• “The summer was a fully remote summer, and the firm kept it fair to avoid in-person programs. We had weekly social activities, all voluntary, over Zoom. We had wine tasting, cake making, an escape room, casino nights, soap making, and many interesting events. Work was exceptionally busy, but attorneys were enthusiastic and involved with summer programming. We had a lot of cross-office bonding activities, and our class became quite familiar with each other.”
• “Attorneys here make an effort to go to social events, and there is always good attendance. I was a summer associate during the pandemic, and attorneys still came to virtual events, lunches, and happy hours.”
• “The events were fun, and there were not too many of them to the point where it felt overwhelming. I appreciated that it felt okay to skip an event if I was tired (or, of course, if I had work—but I was not usually told to skip an event due to work).”

• “The only thing that surprised me was that I expected the firm culture to get worse. Everyone always hears about the summer being very fun, so my expectation was that, when we got here, the firm culture would shift to a less friendly and more corporate environment. That was not the case.”
• “As a summer associate, you are generally catered to in a way that does not reflect reality as an associate. But I knew that going into both my summer and my full-time position, so I would not say that my expectations were misinformed. If anything, I expected life as an associate would be an even bigger grind, so I was pleasantly surprised when that turned out not to be the case.”
• “I think the ability to choose a practice area was overstated, since there are limits on how many associates each group can take.”

• “We had a virtual ukulele-building event; I still have mine and occasionally practice playing.”
• “My favorite summer event was a wine tasting at a vineyard in Napa Valley. We all had a great time bonding over our shared appreciation for wine, and the firm made sure non-alcoholic alternatives were available.”
• “Concerts and sushi making were my favorite. The trip to New York is a fan favorite.”
• “I loved the Hot Wings hot sauce-tasting program.”

We pride ourselves on giving summer associates real work for real clients with real deadlines. During week one, the entire class is invited to the New York office where summer associates across the US will have the opportunity to network with their peers and learn more about the Firm, our people and our culture. Programming includes various workshops, talks from lawyers, and a team-building activity as well as an overview of our Global Citizenship and Diversity Initiatives and a seminar on law firm economics, which provides a general understanding of how law firms operate. We include a full curriculum of training programs following week one in addition to hands-on training working side-by-side with our lawyers. Our Staffing Managers ensure that each summer associate is exposed to a variety of work, including pro bono matters. Summer associates are assigned mentors to provide career guidance and ensure a smooth transition to the firm. A variety of social events are available to help foster internal connections. At the end of the program, our summer associates will have a thorough understanding of what it is like to be a junior associate at White & Case.