Summer Associate Program
An Unbroken Commitment to Our Summer Associate Program
Every summer for more than forty years, we have hired law school students from around the country to participate in our summer associate program. 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 one of our diverse practices. We’re not just hiring bodies to fill our summer program — we’re hiring colleagues.
The goal of our summer associate program is to provide our summer associates with a realistic sense of what it is like to work for Hodgson Russ. We provide our summer associates with opportunities to do meaningful work on actual client matters, to participate in training programs along with our associates, and to get to know our lawyers and one another through a variety of social events.
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Mentors and Meaningful Work
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 he or she receives the right balance and kinds of work based on his or her particular interests.
Because we hope that all summer associates will return as full-time associates, the firm devotes substantial energy, time, and resources into making each student’s experience challenging and rewarding. Summer associates confront legal issues that are concerns of real clients and often have the opportunity to present their conclusions directly to our clients. At the end of the summer, our summer associates will have worked closely with partners and associates on important and timely issues.
Learning by Example, Learning by Doing
At Hodgson Russ, we don't just encourage our summer associates to do meaningful work...we expect it. We supplement summer work assignments with numerous “lawyering” activities such as client conference calls, client meetings, trials, depositions, and court appearances. Summer associates are also given an opportunity to practice their public speaking skills by researching and presenting a continuing legal education seminar for our attorneys.
Summer 2022 Associate Sarah Shields, working with partner Sujata Yalamanchili and law clerk Rebecca Reinhardt, contributed to an article published in the October 10, 2022 issue of TaxNotes State.
Making Connections to your Colleagues and Communities
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. In one recent summer, for example, our Buffalo summer associates went on an evening sailing trip on beautiful Lake Ontario; visited Niagara Falls and rode the Niagara Jet Boat; and played in a bocce tournament. The New York City summer associates have been to Yankees games, taken cooking classes, and gone on a tasting tour of famous Manhattan pizzerias.
Spend a summer with us and you’re certain to discover what everyone here already knows — Hodgson Russ is a great place to work.
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