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Summer Associates

Duane Morris strives to attract the best law students and to offer the ideal environment for lawyers at the beginning of their professional lives. We endeavor to improve our Summer Associates Program each year to make Duane Morris a meaningful and valuable destination for summer associates. In 2012, the firm's summer associates rated the firm's program in the top three nationally in The American Lawyer's 2012 Summer Associates Survey. Duane Morris received perfect scores from the summer associates in three key areas: training and guidance; full-time associate and summer associate interactions; and inclination to accept a full-time job if one were offered.

Duane Morris offers interesting challenges to law students who participate in our summer program. We believe the program offers a realistic picture of our practice to aspiring attorneys who have an interest in sharing our goals and serving our clients. Our program balances challenging work assignments with constructive feedback, work-related activities outside the office and enjoyable social events.

Interesting Work Assignments

To introduce our summer associates to the breadth of our practice, each summer associate works on matters in many practice areas of the firm. Summer associates actively assist lawyers in current matters of importance to the firm, our clients and the community. Our summer associates learn how our lawyers work together to address client concerns and how their own work product contributes to the representation. They also have numerous opportunities to observe depositions, hearings, trials, client and board of directors meetings, negotiating sessions and closings.

A sampling of the work experiences of former summer associates includes:

• Preparing a draft of a patent application for a satellite technology product used in household situations
• Researching and drafting a memorandum on admissibility of photographs derived from concealed video surveillance equipment
• Attending client meetings and assisting in the preparation of the client's application to the SEC for authorization to conduct an initial public offering
• Researching corporate voting dispute issues and attending public stockholder meetings during which the research results were applied
• Assisting in preparation of briefs for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and attending the oral arguments

Special Training Programs

Our summer associates participate in an orientation program, ethics discussions, training sessions on intranet research systems, courses on legal theory skills, writing and taking depositions. Forms and other samples of written work product are provided to summer associates for their reference.

In the deposition training sessions, summer associates prepare by reviewing a videotape on taking a deposition, study the facts of a mock case and depose a witness who, along with the opposing counsel, is played by an associate of the firm. A court reporter records the proceedings and provides summer associates with a written transcript of the deposition. The summer associates also participate in a mock negotiation session. In this session, summer associates work in teams and negotiate a deal together and meet as a group for a lecture about negotiation skills.

Mentors

Each summer associate is assigned two mentors. An associate mentor oversees the pro bono project undertaken by the summer associate; a senior associate/senior partner mentor is responsible for closely involving the summer associate in a case or transaction. The summer associates also attend hearings, depositions, client meetings, client development activities and/or closings with their mentors and other Duane Morris attorneys.

Aside from these specific responsibilities, the mentors help introduce the summer associates to other lawyers in the firm and provide general guidance on any matter, whether or not related to particular work assignments.

Feedback

Summer associates receive informal feedback and evaluations of their work throughout the summer from the lawyers who assign them projects. In addition, to ensure that clear and helpful evaluations are communicated on a regular basis, the lawyers administering the summer program review the evaluations as they are submitted and periodically discuss with individual summer associates their work on particular projects as well as their progress generally. At the midpoint of the summer program, the hiring partner conducts individual reviews with each summer associate.

Social Activities

During the course of the summer, the summer associates and their guests become acquainted with our lawyers in a variety of social settings. They attend a wide range of events, including a tour with the chairman emeritus of the firm of his art collection both in the firm and at his home, followed by a wine and cheese reception. Summer associates also attend numerous lunches and dinners, concerts, golf outings and professional sporting events.

To foster a sense of community among summer associates, the firm also sponsors a social event, which includes only members of the summer class and their guests.