Summer Program

Follow your interests

Before you join us, we will ask you about your practice area interests. If you want to work on specific matters or with specific lawyers, let us know and we’ll do our best to make this happen.

Learn on the job

You will have multiple assignments at once, which have real deadlines and will require effective time management. Typical assignments include writing briefs, motions, legal research and analysis, contracts and client memoranda, client development pitches and initiatives and performing due diligence in transactions. 

Our lawyers include summer associates in conference calls, depositions, negotiation sessions, hearings, closings, trials and other out-of-office activities.

Overseas opportunities

Each year we offer a limited number of overseas work opportunities to our summer associates. Participants will have the opportunity to visit one of our international offices for two to three weeks during our Summer Program. This rotation gives summer associates the ability to work on short-term work assignments in these offices and experience first-hand how White & Case lawyers collaborate as One Firm across offices and national boundaries. Selections for this program are based on business need, practice area interests and, in some instances, language skills. Below are a few of the offices that hosted US summer associates in recent years:

• Brussels
• London
• Madrid
• Melbourne
• Paris
• Singapore
• Tokyo

You may also be invited to participate in business meetings or client work that provides you with the opportunity to visit one of our offices outside the US.

Timely and meaningful feedback

We believe that quality feedback is important for continuous growth and development. At the start of the program, summer associates are provided with the criteria on which they will be assessed. This includes their performance against our core competencies: Expertise, Tenacity, Client Service, Entrepreneurship and Collaboration.

Over the summer, lawyers will be asked to give formal and informal feedback on the quality of a summer associate’s work product, their verbal and written communication skills, teamwork, client readiness and ownership of matters. Real-time feedback means there’s time to address any areas for improvement quickly. 

Mentors

You will be provided with a number of formal and informal mentors to help integrate you into the Firm, and our recruiters are always available to support you as well. Talk to your partner mentor about the type of work you would like exposure to. Counsel and associate mentors will help make your summer experience as productive and beneficial as possible. In some locations, you will be paired with a junior associate who will act as an informal mentor and help integrate you into the Firm. 

Training seminars

Build your legal knowledge through a series of training seminars on topics including law firm economics, better lawyering through mindfulness, working effectively in a hybrid working environment, business skills training and project management.

Social activities

We want you to get to know our people as well as learn about our business, so each office organizes a variety of social events. Expect cooking classes, wellness events, new skills events and more, where you can relax and network with your fellow summer associates and our lawyers in a casual environment.