The summer season of 2025 was fairly thrilling for summer season associates — in any case, summer season applications are actually again to the times of yore, sparing no expense to impress would-be associates with enjoyable instances and enjoyable work, too. From luxurious boat journeys to Beyonce field seats, this 12 months’s summer season affiliate expertise didn’t disappoint. Not like the times of yore, nonetheless, summer season associates are actually fearful concerning the rise of synthetic intelligence and Donald Trump’s have an effect on on the authorized occupation and the observe of legislation.
On condition that backdrop, what mattered most to summer season associates, and which corporations did they like greatest?
With agency repute at high of thoughts, this 12 months’s crop of summers had extra to consider than extravagant outings, like their corporations’ AI adoption and integration (or lack thereof) and the way their corporations dealt with (or mishandled) the Trump administration’s assault on Biglaw. Listed below are a number of the particulars from the American Lawyer:
Companies’ diverse progress on adopting and integrating AI into their workflows immediately impacted summer season associates’ experiences: Some corporations inspired frequent AI use whereas others appeared to shun it altogether. Summer season associates have been additionally cut up on how they considered AI, with a majority feeling equal elements hopeful concerning the know-how’s potential to make attorneys extra environment friendly and anxious about it eliminating entry-level roles. …
And within the background, legislation corporations’ dealing with of scrutiny from the Trump administration earlier this 12 months stays imprinted within the minds of summer season associates. Requested to what extent a agency’s response to political and social pressures influenced a summer season’s final employment resolution, 31% of summers stated it will “reasonably” impression their resolution, 21% stated they’d weigh corporations’ actions “considerably,” and 13% stated it will think about “extensively.” By comparability, 35% of associates rated corporations’ actions as not influential or barely influential of their employment resolution.
No matter how they felt about their corporations’ actions regarding Trump, the overwhelming majority (92%) had no plans to interview with different corporations, and 91% had already obtained a proposal of full-time employment or deliberate to obtain one sooner or later. With a mean weekly pay of $4,350, cash positive does discuss to summer season associates.
That having been stated, with out additional ado, listed below are the High 10 corporations:
- Choate Corridor & Stewart
- Proskauer Rose
- Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
- HSF Kramer
- Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
- Clean Romse
- Sheppard Mullin
- Fried Frank
- Morgan Lewis
Click on right here to see the total listing.
Congratulations to the entire corporations that earned the respect and appreciation of their summer season associates.
The Summer season Associates Survey: Sentiments Sail Or Sink Primarily based on Strategy to 2025’s Largest Challenges [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Legislation, the place she’s labored since 2011. She’d love to listen to from you, so please be happy to e mail her with any ideas, questions, feedback, or critiques. You may comply with her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or join along with her on LinkedIn.
