Spend the Summer With Barclay Damon
Participating in Barclay Damon’s Summer Associate Program is an excellent opportunity for law students to gain invaluable, real-world experience in a fast-paced law firm environment where they will work with attorneys and other professionals on active client matters. Students from law schools across the country join us with the goal of learning as much as they can to make informed choices about their future careers as attorneys. Barclay Damon’s Summer Associate Program has positions for 1L and 2L students and runs for 11 weeks, starting the day after Memorial Day.
Learn more from past summer associates and other members of the Barclay Damon family, and consider applying for a 1L or 2L position.
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“I’ve had the privilege to attend the Barclay Damon Summer Associate Program, [which included providing pro bono services] . . . I’m already seeing the impact that you can have on a community by giving away your time for free . . . to be able to do this in the small capacity that I’m able to provide to the team, it’s really my honor.”
— Brenden Diaz, Former 1L and 2L Summer Associate, Buffalo
1L Summer Associates
Barclay Damon offers paid internships to first-year law students whose unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences will contribute to an inclusive and dynamic law firm. 1L summer associates work with attorneys across the firm’s platform of offices and practice groups. They perform substantive legal work akin to that provided to our first-year attorneys. They are given opportunities to accompany attorneys to client meetings, closings, court appearances, hearings, and depositions, among other activities. Our 1L summer associates have the freedom and flexibility to explore all that Barclay Damon has to offer, gain experience in a wide range of matters and subject areas, and develop a realistic sense of what it is like to be a practicing attorney.
2L Summer Associates
At Barclay Damon, we recognize that by their second year of law school some students may have decided that they want to be a litigator or a transactional attorney. They may know whether they are better suited for adversarial or collaborative work. They may not, however, have decided on their preferred practice area. Our program is designed to help students figure that out. Barclay Damon’s 2L summer associates are hired into practice “tracks”—litigation, transactional, or hybrid (a combination of litigation and transactional work)—enabling them to focus on their desired style of practice while continuing to learn and explore different practice areas and industries. Like their 1L summer associate colleagues, 2L summer associates accompany attorneys to meetings, closings, and appearances and perform substantive legal work that closely mirrors what can be expected during the first few years of practice as an associate.
“In my 1L summer, I was exposed to so many fields of law and different practice areas that probably wouldn’t be possible at every other firm. And I’m fortunate that I got to hone in on a specific practice area in my 2L summer. I feel like it’s really prepared me for working as an attorney after I graduate.”
—Kaitlynn Chopra, Former 1L and 2L Summer Associate, Albany
Cultivating Great Attorneys Through Mentorship
Our summer associates receive one-on-one mentorship from attorneys in the firm. We know that the more face time summer associates get with our hardworking attorneys and staff, the more practical skills they’ll be able to develop and refine to ultimately build a strong foundation for their career. Mentors not only give summer associates constructive feedback on their work assignments but also serve as understanding and empathetic confidants.
Summer associates are assigned an attorney mentor who reaches out before the program begins. This is the person they’ll turn to with questions about their workload as well as general questions about being an attorney. The attorney liaison in each office oversees the Summer Associate Program and is another person summer associates can look to for mentorship and support. It is also common for summer associates to develop informal mentorship relationships with other attorneys in the firm in addition to their assigned mentors.
“It’s a great place to work. Everyone’s really kind. Everyone’s really open—answering your questions and mentoring you even if they’re not your official mentor.”
—Alexander Goodermote, Former 2L Summer Associate, Syracuse
Professional Development Opportunities
Barclay Damon summer associates are given a plethora of training opportunities to aid in professional development. Below are examples of workshops and presentations that have been offered throughout the summer:
- Best Practices for a Barclay Damon Summer Associate
- Legal and brief writing workshops
- Tax 101 seminar
- Practice area presentations
- Knowledge management and legal research
Training opportunities like these lay the foundation for Barclay Damon’s professional development efforts. The more our summer associates learn during their time at the firm, the more comfortable and confident they’ll be when it comes time to start their careers as full-time attorneys.
Get to Know Your Colleagues
Throughout the course of the program, our summer associates have ample opportunities for professional networking inside and outside Barclay Damon’s platform of offices. A few examples include a party to kick off the program on the Barclay Damon Tower Rooftop Terrace in Syracuse, a midsummer party with members of the firm’s leadership team and attorneys from across the firm, firm-sponsored happy hours, an annual two-day offsite firm summer attorney retreat, lunches with associates, and playing on the firm’s Buffalo softball team, among many others.
“I’ve made connections with numerous partners, associates, and managerial staff as well. I feel like I’m able to network better.”
—Joslin Valiyaveettil, Former 1L and 2L Summer Associate, New Haven
Pro Bono at Barclay Damon
Pro bono work is a keystone of Barclay Damon’s opportunity, inclusion, and belonging. Our summer associates have the opportunity to work on pro bono matters to provide free legal assistance to low-income individuals and organizations that assist them. In addition, summer associates can join the Opportunity, Inclusion & Belonging Leadership Team in their office to participate in activities that benefit their communities. Click here to learn more about the firm’s innovative, award-winning pro bono program.
Come, Join Us!
Summer associates’ time at Barclay Damon doesn’t necessarily end when the program concludes. In years past, some 1L summer associates have returned to Barclay Damon to participate as 2L summer associates. It is our goal to have many summer associate program participants eventually join Barclay Damon as associates. Watch the video above to hear the experience of one of our former summer associates.
How to Become a Barclay Damon Summer Associate
Summer associate partners Meghan Dwyer, Sanjeev Devabhakthuni, and Rachelle Nuhfer regularly attend career fairs and recruitment events at partner law schools throughout the country. There, they meet with and interview law students at every stage of their education for positions at Barclay Damon. Interested individuals should speak with their school’s career services office about open positions at Barclay Damon.
We have completed our hiring for 2025 summer associates.