At Brown Rudnick, our growth strategy includes hiring the best talent. We are committed to running a Summer Associate Program to help us do just that! Below, some questions – and answers – to help you learn more about our firm and opportunities that we offer.

How would you briefly summarize Brown Rudnick’s clients and practice areas?

Brown Rudnick is an international law firm with offices in the United States and Europe. We handle complex deals, sophisticated financial transactions, and challenging litigation. We represent clients from around the world, assisting with business-focused solutions that address today’s ever-changing, ever-demanding competitive marketplace.

With an entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset, we offer a broad slate of capabilities and talents in areas that include Corporate & Transactional, Intellectual Property, Securities, Tax, Cleantech, Climate & Energy, Finance, Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring, Complex Litigation, Real Estate and Government Law & Strategies. We assemble cross-disciplinary teams to suit clients’ specific needs.

Our clients are public and private corporations, multinational Fortune 100 businesses and start-up enterprises. We also represent investors, as well as official and ad hoc creditor committees in today’s largest chapter 11 bankruptcy cases.
Our growth strategy includes hiring the best talent and we are committed to running a Summer Associate Program to help us do just that!

Where is the Summer Associate Program hosted?
The summer program is based in the Boston, New York and Washington D.C. offices. That being said, our summer associates work with attorneys across all offices.

How many summer associates do you typically hire?
Our 2011 program had 22 men and women split between the Boston, New York and Washington D.C. offices.

What is the duration of the Program?
We typically begin right after the Memorial Day holiday in May and run for approximately 10 weeks.

Do I join a specific practice area for the summer?
No. We aim to expose each summer associate to multiple practice areas. We firmly believe that exposure to various areas of law will help develop and nurture your legal interests. This approach reflects our firm wide philosophy to encourage multi-disciplinary client teams and cross-department collaboration.

Will I have the opportunity to conduct pro bono work?
Yes! The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest (www.brownrudnickcenter.com) is a measure of the Firm’s strong commitment to the community and serves as an umbrella entity encompassing Brown Rudnick's pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement and public interest efforts. All summer associates can expect to be actively involved in pro bono and community service matters.

What can I expect to work on as a summer associate?
We aim to replicate a first-year associate’s workload, and we challenge each summer associate to accept a wide range of assignments. Typical responsibilities include: research and writing; attending trials, hearings and depositions; participating in client meetings and strategy sessions; conducting due diligence; and, in some cases, directly handling client matters. Each summer associate will also manage at least one significant pro bono client matter.

Do you offer a mentoring program?
Absolutely! Each summer associate benefits from the mentorship of an experienced Brown Rudnick partner. Mentors provide one-on-one feedback and advice, and help regulate work flow. In addition, each summer associate is paired with a junior Brown Rudnick associate who serves as a “buddy” – someone to help you obtain the “inside scoop” on life as an associate.

What social activities are part of the summer program experience?
At the beginning of the program, all summer associates embark on a special outing that provides a unique class bonding experience. In addition to this kick-off retreat, we sponsor a wide range of social activities including dinners and cocktail receptions, attorney and department lunches, spectator sports such as Red Sox / Yankees games, partner hosted cook-outs, cultural activities, cooking classes, team sports such as softball and basketball, and much more. We encourage you to work hard and play hard as a team.

How will I know if my performance is meeting expectations?
In addition to feedback provided by your mentor and buddy, Summer Committee members make sure that all summer associates are provided meaningful feedback on a regular basis. A formal mid-summer evaluation provides structured commentary on each individual’s performance. We aim to share tangible and actionable feedback throughout the summer.

What are your hiring criteria for the summer program?
Offers for a summer position reflect the Hiring Committee’s confidence in a candidate’s potential to become a highly skilled lawyer. Desirable characteristics include academic excellence, passionate commitment, creative problem solving skills, common sense and judgment, adaptability, self-confidence, and strong relationship-building skills.

Can you describe the call-back interview process?
Following each on-campus interview (conducted by a member of the Brown Rudnick Hiring Committee), we invite a select group of students to participate in call-back interviews. Each call-back interview is held in either the Boston or New York offices of Brown Rudnick (we will help facilitate all travel arrangements).

Our call-back interviews are typically 2 hours long and you can expect to meet with 4-5 attorneys, including associates and partners. You will also meet with an additional member of the Hiring Committee. Following each call-back interview, we aim to circle back with each candidate as soon as possible regarding offer status.

When are offers extended to join Brown Rudnick as a first year associate?
Typically, all summer associates are informed of hiring decisions in the month of August following the close of our summer program.

Is there a limit to the number of job offers extended at the close of the summer program?
There is no limit to the number of offers we are able to extend to summer associates. We consider the business needs of the Firm by geography and practice area and evaluate the merits of each summer associate’s performance.

Will an offer come from a specific department?
When first-year associate offers are extended, each summer associate is asked to rank his/her top three departmental choices and list office selection. Using this information, and the needs of the various practice areas, the Firm decides on final departmental assignments and notifies you of the department you will be joining.

What is the salary for a summer associate and first year associate at Brown Rudnick?

Compensation for all summer associates is currently equal to that of Brown Rudnick’s first-year associates.