Our goal is to create a program that is customized to your individual needs and interests. We achieve this by having small summer classes. As summer associates are exposed to the breadth of our practices through in-house training programs, direct interactions with attorneys, or work assignments, we expect that their interests will shift. Our summer classes are small enough that we can continue to tailor the program to each person’s emerging interests throughout the summer.
You will take part in a robust training curriculum that will arm you with the tools to do your best work and will allow you to make the most out of the nine week program. These include practical skills trainings and best practices advice provided by associates themselves, and introductions to different practice areas through panel discussions and hands-on training exercises, and meetings with administrative departments and management to educate you about the firm. We also strive to identify shadow training opportunities for each summer associate. Summer associates at Kelley Drye have attended hearings in local courts, sat in on depositions and arbitrations and toured client sites.
A summer at Kelley Drye is fast-paced and busy. Kelley Drye lawyers invest their time and energy to provide you with challenging, substantive assignments to help you discover what we do and where you think your talent and interests might take you within our firm. Summer associates get real assignments, often with tight deadlines and always with high expectations. We staff projects leanly and we expect our summer associates to step into the firm and roll up their sleeves. As a result, you start to learn immediately and continue to build skills, knowledge and confidence as the summer goes on. Our program is hands-on and it is hard work, but you will end your summer with a sense of accomplishment and a true sense of what it is like to practice law at the firm.
The summer experience at Kelley Drye is not limited to just the office. Informal social events are a great way for you to get to know the people who make Kelley Drye a great place to work, all while taking in the best of what each city has to offer. Whether it’s cheering on the Astros in Houston, grabbing a slice in New York City, or racing across the Potomac during our Annual Regatta in Washington, D.C., we want you to know who we are and experience the Kelley Drye culture first-hand.
A smaller program means more opportunity to work directly with our attorneys and receive valuable feedback. Twice during the summer—midway through and again at the end—you will have a formal, comprehensive review. Recognizing that immediate and contextualized feedback is critical to your development and to creating a meaningful experience at the firm, we also urge our attorneys to provide informal feedback after you complete each assignment, and encourage you to solicit feedback from our attorneys directly.
You will be matched with junior and more experienced attorney mentors who provide continuing personal and professional guidance as you navigate the summer program and the firm. The mentor program provides opportunities to meet and get to know your mentors socially, so that you have a network of support all summer long and when you return to the firm after graduation.
We participate in formal recruiting programs with select schools across the nation, but also welcome write-in submittals from 1L and 2L students.
Click here for 1L information.
Kelley Drye is offering 1L opportunities in the following offices: