Insights
Valuing Your Summer Associate Experience
Jackson Kelly Associate Julie Merow offers some advice on how to handle your time as a Summer Associate
June 22, 2023
By: Julie E. Merow
Whether you are working in-house, in the public sector, private sector, at a large firm, small firm, or no firm at all, your summer work is immensely important. It has nothing to do with setting yourself up for the next 40 years of practice – while that concept may sound nice and calming to some and very boring and lifeless to others – summers are about learning what you like, do not like, and have to have in your work life and beyond. Summer is a trial run (no pun intended) of what your life might look like as a practicing attorney, and it is, in my opinion, the most exciting time of law school. I will preface this by saying that if you do not feel your summer experience is valuable, know that there is great value in learning early on what work environments and practice areas you do not want to pursue.
The first summer of law school is a bit of a whirlwind and goes too quickly without enough time to absorb everything you are seeing at work and how the world of law is turning on the other side of your research assignment. The summer months are the prime opportunity to meet several people in different departments and practice areas. Be present in the office if permitted and participate in office programming and functions, both in and out of the office when possible.
Say yes to any and all assignments when availability allows. By no means does an employer expect you to spend your summer months covered in client files, but as you know, your best bet is accepting any assignments you can from an array of practice areas or departments when you have capacity to do so. The law is vaster than we know and exposure to as many areas of it as possible during the summer months can assist you not only in choosing a practice area for post-graduation work, but also often leaves you with practical knowledge for years to come.
Comparison is the thief of joy, but there is some value to discussing the experiences you have at work with classmates, friends, and other summer colleagues. By hearing what other’s work lives look like, you can have a better understanding of what type of environments, expectations, and opportunities exist, or don’t, at places outside of your own. This is a good tool as a second-year summer employee for measuring how you feel about your work and what is and is not important to you as you seek a full-time job offer.
Pay attention to the tasks and assignments which you (1) enjoy most, (2) tolerate, and (3) do not want to repeat. Observing how you complete work and the type of work you enjoy and do best helps not only narrow the area you wish to practice in, but also exposes skills and systems where you can improve. As both summer years come to a close, make known (in a gracious manner, of course) the type of work you found most helpful for learning and training, and where you feel you have performed best, including the colleagues you worked well with. Employers value understanding how potential employees see themselves fitting into a workplace dynamic and know employees work best when able to work in the areas they feel they perform well.
Easier said than done in some settings, but you need individuals both in and out of the workplace who (1) you trust and (2) encourage you. True networking (events, receptions, presentations, etc.) can be intimating and seem artificial, but luckily summer brings several opportunities to meet and mingle in casual and nonwork environments with those working in the area. Take advantage of what Charleston, or your summer city of choice, has to offer and you’ll find familiar faces around nearly every corner in no time.
For Charleston summer employees (legal and nonlegal), I encourage you to follow Charleston Events for schedules of events including sports, concerts, minigolf, beer fests, and more happening this summer (there’s even an App)! Capitol Market has many wonderful West Virginia products and treats to see while just strolling through and offers several events year-round. For networking and professional development, check out the Charleston Area Alliance and its young professionals subsidiary, Up Next Charlie West (formerly-known as Generation Charleston). The Alliance offers a monthly Business After Hours event and regular programming for professionals in the area. Get out and explore the beautiful Kanawha Valley by taking a trip to the Kanawha State Forest, offering biking, hiking, camping, fishing, and more.
West Virginia University College of Law and many regional law schools provide a free all-access American Bar Association membership to each of their students. The ABA Law Student Division offers podcasts, blog posts, career webinars, reading materials, and more to assist law students in navigating their way from law school acceptance to graduation, and graduation through bar-passage. Likewise, the ABA Career Center resources are available to law students seeking full-time employment, as well as internships, externships, and part-time opportunities.