Summer Program

Simpson Thacher lawyers work on headline cases and transactions—and our summer associates contribute on multiple levels, participating in our most important deals and disputes. During the summer, we don’t promote or showcase particular practice areas or certain partners. Instead, we integrate exceptional students onto our collaborative teams, as it is our excellence across many disciplines that sets us apart. Through our multifaceted, interactive summer program, our summer associates have the opportunity to experience both the Firm’s day-to-day work and our broader culture.

Simpson Thacher operates formal Summer Programs in New York (our largest class), Houston, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Washington, D.C. and London. Each year, a number of summer associates split their time between a U.S. and international office, working in London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo or São Paulo. Our Asian and Brazilian offices provide outstanding opportunities for summer associates with the requisite language skills. As part of our ongoing efforts to recruit a diverse array of high caliber attorneys, we also hire a number of 1Ls for our 1L Diversity Program in our U.S. offices.

Assignments & Training

Assignments provide summer associates with a realistic experience of associate life. A small team of partners and senior associates are responsible for assigning work from all departments. These attorneys regularly communicate with summer associates to determine their preferences and facilitate the staffing process.  We encourage our summer associates to use their time at the firm to gain a greater understanding of the types of work that we do and to learn about the many options available to them as they begin their legal careers with Simpson Thacher.

Our flexible approach to staffing allows summer associates the freedom to work in a single department and move around within it, or to choose work from among our many departments and practice groups, including:

• Corporate, broadly organized into the following practice groups: Banking and Credit (which includes Project Finance and Restructuring and Bankruptcy); Capital Markets; Mergers and Acquisitions; and Private Funds.
• Litigation, offering various practice specialties, including Competition, Government and Internal Investigations, Insurance and Reinsurance, Intellectual Property, International Arbitration and Securities Litigation.
• Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits
• Exempt Organizations
• Personal Planning
• Real Estate
• Tax

Summer associates work side-by-side with partners and associates on complex client projects. These work assignments develop and refine research, writing and legal analysis skills. Summer associates learn first-hand about trying cases, drafting motions and agreements, negotiating effectively, and closing deals.

Typical assignments for summer associates include writing briefs, motions, contracts and client memoranda; assisting in drafting and negotiation sessions; assisting with taking and defending depositions, as well as witness preparation; attending critical meetings; and performing due diligence in corporate transactions.

Summer associates also participate in frequent formal training programs to supplement their hands-on experience. Seminars and training sessions are geared to summer associates’ needs, including seminars on legal writing and mock depositions. Summer associates are also always invited to the Firm’s general Continuing Legal Education seminars (an ongoing bar requirement for lawyers) and other Firm-wide training programs.

Mentoring & Feedback

Mentoring is provided at every level of the Firm, but it is particularly important for summer associates.  Each summer associate is assigned an associate and a partner mentor to provide regular guidance throughout the summer program. The pairings may be based on a school tie, common background or interest, or a special connection made during the interview process. Partner mentors are not only available to talk and advise, but also work directly with their mentees.

More than anything, it’s the give-and-take of daily work that affords the most rewarding mentoring opportunities. All Simpson Thacher lawyers assume a responsibility to engage our summer associates and thus contribute to an invaluable learning experience. Both socially and professionally, we seek to build a dynamic mix of lawyers across our practices.

The review process for summer associates mirrors what we use with all associates, offering prompt, specific feedback and reviews. Supervising lawyers offer verbal work assessments both during assignments and at their completion. Thereafter, supervising lawyers complete a written evaluation, and a Recruiting Committee partner meets with each summer associate at mid-summer and again at the end of the program. We understand, and even expect, that many summer associates will be experiencing a professional setting for the first extended period of time. As a result, “real-time” feedback, guidance and mentoring are critical.

We also seek input from our summer associates on ways to improve the quality of the summer experience. Our partners and associates pride themselves on maintaining an open door policy.

Social Events

Throughout the summer, we sponsor a variety of lunches in local restaurants, as well as dinners at partners' homes to help foster a sense of community. But the experience goes beyond these gatherings—in each city, we host a broad range of interactive social events because we genuinely believe that these events help bring our summer associate class together and plant the seeds for lifelong friendships.  Our goal for every summer associate is to create opportunities to interact with a broad representation of the Simpson Thacher community.  At the end of the summer, we want our summer associates to feel comfortable choosing the Firm as a whole.