Fractional Law Firm CMO’s Post

Summer Associates, listen up! As you wrap up your #lawfirm gig and head back to #lawschool, take a moment to ensure you end the summer on a high note. Here are two easy to incorporate tips that will help you stand out, leaving a lasting impression, and stay connected for the long run! Fractional Law Firm CMO Katherine Wilson, JD 💡 #legalmarketing #summerassociate #gratitude #linkedin

Congratulations! You have done all the work to get great grades and networked successfully, and now, you have accepted an offer to be a Summer Associate. I remember the feeling myself, and after the excitement wore off, I was only left with overwhelming questions. What can I do to be the best summer associate possible and receive an offer to come back to the firm? What strategies should I follow, and what are some things I should avoid? Especially as a first-generation law student, these questions remained unanswered. Now, having completed Summer Associate positions at two AM Law 100 firms, this episode seeks to answer these questions, as Johannes Alvarez-Rivero runs through the best tips and tricks for summer associates to leave a great impression on the firm they work at and easy to miss mistakes that should be avoided. The discussion is a aggregation of advice provided by a number of students inside and outside of Chicago law schools, all who have completed Summer Associate positions at a vast variety of law firms. 

☀️It's week two of our popular Summer Associate Instagram Takeover! Today, we head to the Washington, D.C. office to meet up with Marlee Sonico (Georgetown University Law Center, Class of '25), Kaitlin Fontana (The George Washington University Law School, Class of '25), and Anya Karaman (William & Mary Law School, Class of '25). Head on over to our Instagram stories to see what a day in the life of a Cozen O'Connor #SummerAssociate. And, if you're interested in applying to the program, the application period for 2Ls for summer 2025 just opened on June 1. Learn more about how to apply via the link in our comments. #lawfirm #amlaw100 #summerintern #lawstudentlife

Ed Cavazos, Gabby Regard, Gabrielle Torres, and Liz Zimmer hosted an engaging career panel, "Striving and Thriving as a Technology Lawyer in BigLaw," for the Journal of Law and Technology at the University of Texas School of Law. The discussion included practice overviews, a day in the life at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, the evolving legal landscape for technology lawyers, and strategies for maximizing a summer associate opportunity. We appreciate our attorneys for sharing their unique experiences, professional journeys, and valuable insights, which are significantly helpful for students as they plan their legal careers.

Law students, Take a hard look at the partners and senior attorneys in the firms/offices where you work this summer as an intern. Look at their work life with a critical eye. Do you want the work life they have? How many people stay at the firm for a long time? Do they enjoy the work? Make your list and ask yourself these questions. Why? Because, in all likelihood, the firm isn't going to change dramatically. If you work at a firm that requires high billable hours, even for partners, they will likely stay in that model. Be open to changing your mind about what you want to do. Law school does not expose law students to an abundance of practice areas. It's ok to change your mind about what you want to do. You are going to law school for you, not for someone else's idea of what you should do. #lawstudents

📢 Reminder for 1L Law Students Join us tomorrow, November 14, at 4:00 p.m. ET for an inside look at Akin’s summer opportunities, pro bono work and diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives. Don’t miss this chance to connect with our team directly. We hope to see you there. #LawStudents #LegalCareers #LegalProfession

We want to give a BIG thank you to Richard Zheng, our amazing intern, for his dedication and hard work over the past year! As he gets ready to embark on his next chapter, law school in the Fall, we couldn't be more proud of all that he has accomplished during his time with us in the Buffalo office supporting multiple Practice Groups throughout our footprint. We can’t wait to see all that he’ll accomplish in this next chapter. #FutureLawyer #TeamAppreciation #NewYorkLaw

The first legal document I ever drafted doesn't look like it was made by someone who had no clue what he was doing. On my first day as a summer associate, I drafted a protective order governing the exchange of confidential documents. It's the first of 16,000+ documents in our system saved under my name over the last 11 years. And it's a dang good protective order. Not because law school taught me anything about discovery or protective orders. But because I copied a protective order one of my colleagues had used on another case. Not reinventing the wheel is a powerful tool for aspiring and new lawyers. But there's also a danger. You could use the same protective order for 11 years without understanding certain provisions, until something comes up and you have to understand them the hard way. The better way is: "don't reinvent the wheel" while at the same time get training from the lawyers who invented that wheel. Senior lawyers, when you assign a task to your summer associate, provide some basics and context. When you get their draft, discuss it with them. If you don't, your summer associate should ask you to. The long view requires being both efficient and training-minded.

We recognize the immense value of mentorship in shaping the careers of law students and enhancing the experiences of our summer associates. That's why during our Summer Associate Program, we pair our summers with both a partner mentor and an associate mentor, to foster a supportive and growth-oriented environment. In their blog for Vault, Andrea Yang and Brooke Ross share more about how our summer associates are supported through mentorship and also include practical tips for law students and summer associates on how to get the best out of their mentor relationships. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/g2RXHFuj #lawstudents #summerassociates #futurelawyers #MBSummertoRemember

This is excellent, and I echo Christine Pirri, SPHR (she/her) in the universal application of this. I would add (and I apologize if I missed this), that in general terms, for mid-size and larger organizations, your job is to make you boss look good to their boss; and up the chain that goes. Good managers will share that positive view with their teams, and they will use that to help you advance your career. If you have a manager who isn’t doing that, seek out a senior member of the firm and ask if they can be a mentor and/or career advocate. (You can even do the latter *with* a good manager.) Caveat: Making your manager look good should not come at the cost of a false reputation or sacrificing your values. Take blame when it’s deserved, and only then — but never point the finger unless it’s actually necessary to move forward.