For more than 40 years, we have hired law school students to participate in Cullen and Dykman’s Summer Associate Program, which offers challenging assignments, training, mentoring programs, networking opportunities and social events to students after completion of their second year of law school.
Our Summer Associate Program is designed to allow law students to explore different practice areas while interacting with different attorneys at the firm’s offices in New York, New Jersey and Washington, DC. We strive to provide our summer associates with an accurate sense of what it is like to work as a first-year associate at Cullen and Dykman and hire each summer associate with the expectation that we will extend an offer for a full-time position, if possible. Summer associates are compensated on a basis consistent with that of our full-time first-year associates.
Challenging Work Assignments and Feedback
Summer associates generally remain “unassigned” throughout the 10-week long program, which provides them with the opportunity to work on a variety of substantive and challenging work assignments with attorneys throughout the firm. As a summer associate, you will perform legal research, prepare legal memoranda and correspondence, and draft legal briefs. You may also have the opportunity to develop hands-on skills through practical learning opportunities, such as attending court proceedings, trials, hearings, closings, depositions, arbitrations, client conferences and negotiations.
Work product is generally evaluated by the assigning attorney after the completion of a project or assignment. Summer associates will also receive a formal review halfway through the summer and then again at the end of the Summer Associate Program. Informal feedback may also be provided on a regular basis. We also encourage summer associates to proactively seek feedback from the attorneys they are working with throughout the summer.
Training and Mentorship
Summer associates are each assigned a mentor. The goal of the mentoring program is to foster relationships that allow summer associates to feel comfortable seeking guidance and input from senior attorneys, accelerating the students’ professional growth and connection to the firm. The mentor’s role is to assist the summer associate, provide general guidance, research and writing assistance and answers to any firm-related questions that may arise during the course of the summer. Mentors also facilitate social networking and the summer associates’ integration into the firm by taking them to lunch, joining the summer associates at firm events, and introducing them to attorneys and staff throughout the firm’s seven offices.
Networking Opportunities and Social Events
There are several opportunities for summer associates to become acquainted with attorneys throughout the summer. In addition to being introduced to attorneys through work assignments, the firm sponsors a variety of networking and social events to also encourage attorney interaction. These events may include but are not limited to informal lunches with mentors and other attorneys, sporting events, trivia nights, bowling, wine tasting, and a backyard barbeque hosted by one of our partners. We believe it is important to provide all summer associates with an opportunity to meet as many of the firm’s attorneys in person or virtually as possible and look for creative ways to establish these connections both inside and outside of the office.
Contact
Adele Mauro
Human Resources Manager
333 Earle Ovington Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Uniondale, NY 11553
Tel: 516.357.3884
Fax: 516.357.3781
amauro@cullenllp.com