Williams & Connolly LLP

• “I was given meaningful substantive work, including drafting briefs, factual development projects, and important research questions. The work I was given as a summer may have been simpler than what I do as an associate, but it did not feel like they were making up assignments just to give me work—this was work that an associate would be doing if I hadn’t been there.”
• “The supervising attorneys did a great job integrating me into the team and giving me substantive assignments that pushed the case forward. I got the chance to work on a wide range of very interesting matters.”
• “The work-related aspects of the summer program were amazing. I worked on very high profile matters (think big Supreme Court cases) and I traveled with the firm to trial. I also was not relegated only to research assignments but got drafting experience and other substantive work similar to a normal associate.”
• “Summers receive substantive assignments and are integrated into case teams. There are lots of training programs, including panels by notable trial teams and talks about firm history. The assignments committee puts in every effort to get summers the types of experiences they're looking for.”

• “The firm had at least one social event every week, and the social events spanned a wide variety of events, including sporting events, happy hours, Kennedy Center performances, and karaoke.”
• “The firm does a great job of planning about one structured social event a week, as well as virtually limitless opportunities to grab associates and/or partners for lunch or dinner outside the firm. I was fortunate also to have a great summer associate class, many of whom I'm still in touch with.”
• “There was at least one firm-planned social event every week, and they were fun and well-attended. In addition, I attended at least two other firm-sponsored lunches or dinners with a different group of partners or associates each week. I participated in the firm's softball team and felt as though I got to meet a wide range of other summer associates and full-time employees.”
• “Social events were frequent and well-attended, and they did a good job encouraging strong attendance by changing times so different people's schedules were accommodated rather than creating overwhelming events or relying on the same cohort's attendance. Summer associates often had after-event outings that built more camaraderie.”

• “I don't think being an associate has materially deviated from my expectations. Of course, there are certain aspects of the job that are a lot harder as an associate than you could be prepared for as a summer. But I definitely do not think I was misled in any way about how life at the firm would be once I returned as an associate. The work is just harder. Everyone at the firm is very open to share advice and help calibrate expectations too—there's definitely a culture of helping each other out as associates and a great informal mentorship dynamic.”
• “I feel like my experience of practicing at the firm has met the expectations set when I was a summer associate. I have generally been able to work on matters that I am interested in, and I feel like the attorneys are respectful of each other’s time.”
• “Things are basically as advertised! The firm is clear that the day-to-day of being a summer associate is intentionally less stressful than being a first year so that you have the time and opportunity to get to know folks around the firm.”
• “My experience as a summer associate did not prepare me for how much I would hit the ground running when I came back to the firm. I think everyone has a vision that a junior associate does not have ownership over anything, but that is far from the truth at Williams & Connolly. From the jump, I was managing aspects of cases, drafting the majority of briefs, communicating with clients, and communicating with other firms. The summer associate program is much more supervision-oriented, but having substantive responsibility as an associate has been a pleasant surprise!”

• “My favorite summer events were the karaoke night and the DC United game.”
• “My favorite summer associate event was a cruise on the Potomac River.”
• “Nationals baseball game, weekly softball and soccer leagues.”
• “Karaoke night.”

Our program aims to integrate summer associates into the firm, so they are exposed to a range of work that the firm handles and have the opportunity to work with multiple partners and case teams. Summer projects are assigned across all subject areas, and summer associates can request assignments in practice areas of interest. Projects include traditional research and writing, as well as observational opportunities at court proceedings, depositions, and meetings. Because there are usually a number of trials happening during the summer, summer associates sometimes work with trial teams. We also host presentations about subjects such as various attorneys’ practices, the firm’s history, and our noteworthy cases. While we have a robust social calendar, all summer events are optional so that summers have the flexibility to get better acquainted with each other and their firm colleagues.