3. Summer Program

The Summer Associate Program is the mainstay of our hiring efforts at Schenck, Price, Smith & King. This program offers students the opportunity to learn first hand about our diverse practice areas and to work with our attorneys in a realistic work environment. The program strives to be something other than a "make-work" situation.

By using this approach, the Summer Program provides a meaningful experience for our summer associates, and at the same time it gives the firm an opportunity to meaningfully evaluate the legal skills of these aspiring developing lawyers. While no assurances can be made in advance, summer associates who do well during their tenure typically have been offered associate positions with the firm, and most of those have accepted the offers and returned to the firm following graduation or completion of a judicial clerkship.

We generally require that summer associates work for a minimum of eight weeks, starting at the beginning of the summer, so that they may gain a good overview of the firm's practice and its culture.

Compensation for summer associates is competitive with that of our peer firms.

Work assignments are made through a Summer Associate Coordinator - usually an associate who has participated in the firm's Summer Program, who devotes a substantial part of his or her summer for the purposes of implementing the program. We strive to provide work assignments that meet the interests of summer associates and encourage summer associates to try different practice areas. To ensure maximum flexibility for all, there is no rigid assignment or rotation system for summer associates at Schenck, Price, Smith & King.

In addition to the Summer Associate Coordinator, at least two partners regularly oversee the operation of the program.

The firm strives to provide each summer associate with some sense of what it is like to be a new lawyer within the firm. Summer associates are expected to keep track of their hours and participate in firm business and social activities. Summer associates routinely observe their amazement as to how quickly they feel they become part of the firm.

The firm works very hard to provide each summer associate with constructive feedback as to their work efforts. In fact, the program provides for an informal review of various writing projects undertaken by each summer associate at the midpoint of the program. Such writing projects are reviewed by at least three attorneys who attempt to provide constructive criticism and encouragement to the summer associates. This process is also repeated at the conclusion of the summer program. Of course, the firm always encourages summer associates to seek feedback directly from assigning attorneys.

During the course of the summer, summer associates are encouraged to attend court proceedings, depositions and client conferences. The firm also sees to it that its summer associates participate in various programs offered by the New Jersey Bar Association and the Morris County Bar Association.

Associate Development