Summer Program

The Summer Associate Program is the cornerstone of our recruiting efforts. Every year we hire law school students from around the country to work with us for 10-12 weeks in our offices in either Buffalo, New York or New York City. Our recruiting efforts are exhaustive and deliberative — and with good reason: we hire our summer associates with the expectation that they will excel in the program and join us as first-year associates after they have completed law school, and we hire first-year associates with the expectation that they will thrive in the firm and become valuable members of on of our diverse practices. We’re not just hiring bodies to fill our summer program — we’re hiring colleagues.

Mentoring is the backbone of our summer program and is the foundation of every new attorney’s experience at Hodgson Russ. Every summer associate is assigned a mentor who makes sure that the summer associate receives the right balance and kinds of work and becomes familiar with the firm’s history and structure.

We work hard to provide our summer associates with real work experiences. Summer associates confront legal issues that are concerns of real clients and often have the opportunity to present their conclusions directly to our clients. Our summer associates have addressed complex issues related to corporate structures, analyzed the applicability of tax laws to client enterprises, drafted motion papers, and researched how to overcome objections related to the admissibility of specific documents into evidence at a trial. At the end of the summer, you’ll have worked closely with partners and associates on important and timely issues.

We supplement the summer associates’ work assignments with numerous “lawyering” activities such as client conference calls, client meetings, trials, depositions, and court appearances. Summer associates can participate in pro bono assignments such as Medicaid Fair Hearings. Several of our summer associates have had the satisfaction of helping their clients successfully argue for Medicaid entitlements. Summer associates are also given an opportunity to practice their public speaking skills by researching and presenting a CLE seminar for our attorneys.

The summer is also busy with social activities. Summer associates meet with partners and associates outside the office and get a glimpse of Buffalo’s and New York City’s wealth of social and cultural venues. This past summer, for example, our Buffalo summer associates went on an evening sailing trip on beautiful Lake Ontario; attended a play and dined in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario; visited Niagara Falls and rode the Niagara Jet Boat; attended a cooking class; and played in a bocce tournament. The New York City summer associates enjoyed New York’s many fine restaurants and theaters, attended a chocolate tasting, went sailing on the Hudson, and enjoyed dinner and sports at the ESPN Zone.

Spend a summer with us and you’re certain to discover what everyone here already knows — Hodgson Russ is a great place to work.