Is there a mentoring program for summer associates?

Yes. Summer associates are paired together and matched with three or four associates of varying seniority and practice areas. This approach offers summer associates exposure to a broad range of experiences during their stay at the firm. The mentor group acts as an invaluable resource and helps guide their way while at the firm. This includes meeting on a regular basis to discuss assignments, having informal lunches with other attorneys, or simply answering questions — big and small. Our Mentoring Program, available to all associates, helps ensure that we retain our lawyers and help them find fulfillment and success at the firm.

As a summer associate, what types of training opportunities are available to me?

From the outset, we are committed to providing our summer associates with training and feedback designed to enhance their lawyering skills. Although we presume that our summer associates will have basic legal research skills, we offer a brief refresher on the wide variety of resources available to our associates. Summer associates are also invited to participate in seminars, workshops and events designed to introduce new attorneys to many of the issues and situations they will likely encounter early in their careers. Practice area representatives also make presentations throughout the summer to educate summer associates about what attorneys in each department do on a daily basis.

Furthermore, we strongly believe that training should not consist solely of formal programs and seminars in a classroom environment. The best training is gained from meaningful work experiences. Because of our size and structure, our summer associates and junior associates usually work directly with senior associates and partners in small teams and get training “on the job” in the form of real-time feedback on their assignments.

Can you describe the hiring process at S&W?

Interviews. Each year, we conduct on-campus interviews at a variety of law schools and participate in several job fairs throughout the Northeast. If we're interviewing at your school (see our on-campus interview schedule), please submit your résumé and law school transcript through your Office of Career Services. If we cannot offer you an on-campus interview or if we are not conducting on-campus interviews at your school, please send a résumé, cover letter and law school transcript to Janet Brussard, our Director of Legal Recruiting.

After evaluating our on-campus interviews and write-in candidates, we invite some candidates to "call-back" interviews at the firm's offices. Candidates invited to interview at the firm will be asked to contact Janet to schedule an appointment. Morning interviews typically begin at either 10:00 or 10:30 a.m. and afternoon interviews at either 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. You should plan on spending at least two and a half hours with us. During a typical call-back interview, we will arrange for you to meet individually with three or four attorneys for approximately 30 minutes each. We customarily try to select interviewers with different practice specialties and levels of expertise in order to give you a balanced perspective of our law practice. If you would like to meet with an attorney in any specific practice area, please let us know in advance of your visit, and we will try to accommodate your request.

Because we realize the recruiting season is a busy time for you, we now offer candidates the opportunity to interview at the firm on Saturdays. Two Saturdays in September are designated as “Super Saturdays.” On Super Saturdays, morning interviews begin at 10:00 a.m. and the afternoon session begins at 1:30 p.m.

Decisions. Our Hiring Committee meets twice each week during the hiring season to review interviewers’ feedback and to make decisions regarding offers. Our goal is to make as prompt a decision as possible after your interviews; however at times during the process, it may take more than a week. If we extend an offer, we will ask that you let us know your decision as soon as possible. While we will hold offers open in accordance with the standards of your law school and the National Association for Law Placement, the sooner we hear from you the better we are able to make decisions regarding other qualified candidates. 

How will the firm handle interview travel expenses?

Will I work on pro bono matters over the summer?

Service to the community is a highly valued and long-standing tradition at S&W. We encourage all of our summer associates to participate in pro bono projects and provide a variety of programs to promote pro bono opportunities. In particular, through our involvement with the Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) and the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP), we offer our summer associates the chance to gain hands-on experience handling employment cases for low-income workers. The program includes GBLS training as well as guidance from a firm partner, and it allows summer associates the chance to participate in all aspects of the administrative court hearing — from the initial client interviews through the completion and ruling of the case. We also offer summer associates the opportunity to assist in the representation of victims of domestic violence seeking restraining orders. Summer associates are able to participate in client interviews, safety planning, case preparation, and assist during the hearing.

Another pro bono opportunity unique to S&W is the chance to participate in S&W’s International ChildFind Program. Under the program, S&W attorneys provide legal assistance to parents of limited financial means, whose children have been abducted across sovereign borders. The project is led by S&W partner Barry Pollack, who has successfully represented parents and children in more than a dozen international child abduction matters.

In addition, summer associates may also participate in the Suffolk Probate and Family Court “Lawyer for a Day” program, a pro bono initiative aimed at providing legal representation to low-income clients. Through this program, summer associates have the opportunity to work with clients on issues such as paternity, domestic relations and guardianship of minors and to gain experience writing affidavits, preparing client forms and interacting with clients.

How is work assigned to summer associates?

Summer associates are given the opportunity to review all outstanding projects over the firm’s Intranet and to choose an assignment based on their interests. Once they have selected an assignment, an e-mail is sent to the assigning attorney and the summer associate follows up with a phone call. Throughout the summer, the summer directors will check in with each summer associate to ensure that he or she has a mix of assignments varying in duration, subject matter and supervising attorney. Summer associates are encouraged to take a variety of assignments from all departments so that they can get a better sense of the entire firm. 

What types of assignments can I expect to work on?

As mentioned above, the Summer Program is structured so that summer associates can choose their own assignments based on their individual interests as well as from all practice areas of the firm. We strive to provide a mix of practical and analytical projects, as well as opportunities to participate in closings, drafting sessions, depositions and other "hands-on" activities. 

What is the salary for a summer associate?

We pay our summer associates the equivalent of a first-year associate's base salary on a bi-monthly basis.

We offer a comprehensive benefit package to our lawyers, including:

• Health, dental and life insurance
• Matching 401(k) plan
• Four weeks vacation annually
• Advanced payment of health club dues
• Chair massage services at the firm on a bi-weekly basis
• Firm-subsidized food services (varies by location)
• Long- and short-term disability insurance
• Business travel accident insurance plus AD&D
• Firm-provided BlackBerry
• Health and dependent care reimbursement accounts
• Emergency childcare programs
• Counseling and referral programs
• Assistance with health care issues via Health Advocate, a health care assistance company, for you and your extended family
• Annual benefit of $2,000 for discounted eldercare solutions for aging adults and family caregivers from Seniorlink
• Payroll deduction for auto, tenant’s and homeowner’s insurance

What is your dress policy?

The firm’s dress policy is business casual. Everyone is expected to wear appropriate business attire and to use good judgment in matters of personal grooming and dress. The business casual policy enables everyone to avoid “suiting up” on a daily basis, allowing for a more comfortable and relaxed atmosphere in the office. However, the perception of the firm and the image we present to our clients, our guests, other attorneys and the public is extremely important. Accordingly, each attorney wearing business casual dress is expected to keep an appropriate change of clothing in his or her office so that he or she can dress up should the need arise.

How does the firm approach diversity, and what are the firm’s diversity initiatives?

Our commitment to diversity is one of our firm’s core values. We recruit with an eye towards diversity at S&W because we believe that the presence of diverse cultures and experiences strengthens and enriches our practice. Our Diversity Committee creates and implements initiatives to encourage a balance of race, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender, age and physical ability within our firm. For more information on our diversity initiatives, please see our Diversity page.

How does S&W evaluate and review summer associates?

Throughout the summer, feedback on assignments is provided both informally and formally. At the completion of each assignment, assigning attorneys complete formal evaluations and are encouraged to give their verbal feedback directly to each summer associate. Moreover, the summer directors and the hiring partner meet with each summer associate at the midpoint and the end of the Summer Program in order to provide comprehensive performance evaluations on completed assignments.

How would you describe the people at S&W?

We look for candidates with the ability and motivation to handle challenging legal and business matters with competence and confidence. We have adopted a less-structured approach than some of our peer firms and we typically work in smaller teams, therefore we also look for individuals who are ready to take some control over their careers and who can deal directly with clients and opposing counsel. Academic excellence, analytical ability, work experience, interpersonal skills and leadership qualities are all taken into consideration when we make our hiring decisions.

How would you describe the firm’s culture?

Our core purpose is to provide superior legal services to our clients, but our philosophy is that superior legal services alone are not enough. Our devotion to service is matched by our commitment to each other and a collegial, friendly and balanced environment. Our philosophy requires superior knowledge of the law and a deep understanding of what works in an ever-changing market, but it also encourages an entrepreneurial spirit, proactive and creative problem solving, and the highest levels of client service. It's a philosophy that our lawyers embrace — and that today's legal service buyers demand. Our clients appreciate the quality of our lawyers, their cumulative decades of experience in a variety of industries, and the attention our partners, associates and staff give them.

Will I have exposure to partners/clients of the firm?

Yes. We generally have a 1:1 or 1:2 partner to associate ratio on each matter. As a result, we believe that our summer and junior lawyers have significantly more contact with partners and senior associates than they might experience at many other firms. We also endeavor to give summer and junior associates early client contact, which is possible due to our lean staffing levels.  

Are there opportunities to work part-time?

Sullivan & Worcester attorneys work hard; there is no getting around it. But we also recognize that the people who work here are multi-dimensional individuals, each with civic, family and personal obligations. We do our best to create a balanced work environment, and offer both family leave time and part-time schedules on a case-by-case basis. Several partners and associates at our firm are successfully managing part-time schedules.

Will a clerkship affect my involvement with the firm?

We encourage law students to consider clerkships because we believe that a clerkship will enhance their skills as lawyers and provide a rewarding experience that cannot necessarily be replicated in a law firm. Sometimes our associates clerk for one-year terms immediately after finishing law school. In these cases, the firm typically allows the associate to join the firm after completing the clerkship with a second-year associate status and pay rate.