Our summer program lets you know what life at Patterson Belknap will be like. We provide associate-level work. We include summer associates in varied facets of our matters, whether client meetings, transaction closings, depositions or court appearances. Our goal is to give summer associates the opportunity to demonstrate what we expect from all our attorneys—a commitment to legal excellence and a willingness to take on responsibility for representing our clients' interests.

This year, the firm has 15 summer associates. We purposefully aim for a modest-sized summer class. This not only is consistent with our strategy of carefully managed growth, but it also ensures each summer associate will receive meaningful experience and one-on-one attention.

Upon arrival at the firm, each summer associate is assigned associate and partner mentors who are there to provide guidance and answer questions. Along with the day-to-day training that comes with working on substantive matters for clients, we hold training luncheons and programs. Recent examples include a deposition training workshop, lunch with a federal judge and a discussion with in-house counsel from a Fortune 100 company about what clients expect from their attorneys. The summer program also includes orientation luncheons with each practice group to provide an overview of our practice areas.

We encourage our summer associates to take assignments from as many (or as few) practice areas as interest them. We do not rotate summer associates through practice areas. Instead, summer associates discuss their interests with the assignment partner, and the partner attempts to match assignments with the summer associates' interests.

In addition to professional opportunities, we offer our summer associates a variety of social activities. They often are the best way to meet attorneys and staff in an informal setting. Our summer events include:

• Welcome Lunch at The Rainbow Room

• Mentor/Mentee Cooking Class

• Broadway Show

• Baseball Outings (Mets & Yankees)

• Firm Outing

• Shakespeare in the Park

• Wine Tasting Event

• Softball Game on the Great Lawn

• Art Showing at Partner's Home

• Bowling

• Farewell Tea

We also participate in events hosted by the following public interest organizations: Asian American Legal Defense Fund (AALDEF); Advocates for Children of NY; ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights and AIDS Projects; Human Rights First; and Women's Bar Association.