A 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.
Click here to apply for our summer associate program
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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. Our summer associates are assigned mentors who ensure that they receive the right balance of workload and work type based on their particular interests.
Our goal is for all summer associates to return to Hodgson Russ as full-time associates, and so the firm devotes substantial energy, time, and resources into making each student’s experience challenging and rewarding. Summer associates confront the legal issues that concern real Hodgson Russ clients, and they frequently have the opportunity to present their conclusions directly to our clients. By program's end, 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. Most recently, one of our Summer Associates, working with partner Sujata Yalamanchili and law clerk Chelsea 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 to experience a bit of Buffalo’s and New York City’s wealth of social and cultural venues. These experiences have included an evening sailing trip on beautiful Lake Ontario; a visit to Niagara Falls and a ride on the Niagara Jet Boat; and an all-attorney bocce tournament. The New York City summer associates have also 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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Summer Associate '19
Fall Associate '20Business Litigation
University at Buffalo School of Law
Upstate NY Super Lawyers Rising Stars (General Litigation) 2023
City & State Albany 40 Under 40, 2023
Summer Associate '20 and '21
Fall Associate '22Business Litigation
Georgetown University Law Center
Board of Directors, Bar Association of Erie County
Business Journals' 2024 30 Under 30
Summer Associate '20
Fall Associate '21State and Local Tax
JD Supra Readers' Choice Award - Tax (2023)
State Tax Talks with Joe Tantillo Podcast, Creator and Host
