Summer Program

Overview
At Perkins Coie, summer associates work closely with partners and associates on real legal work for our clients. In San Francisco, our summer associates participate in various aspects of Complex Commercial, Intellectual Property and Antitrust Litigation, Labor & Employment, Insurance Coverage, Product Liability and Class Action Litigation Defense, working directly with our attorneys and clients.

For more detailed information on our program, please see below and visit our FAQs.

Work Assignments
Assignments include (but are not limited to) writing research memoranda, drafting pleadings, motions and briefs, preparing discovery responses, assisting in depositions and trial preparation.

Attorney "trackers" coordinate work assignments and monitor the type, quality and amount each summer associate receives.  Summer associates are also encouraged to seek out assignments directly from senior associates and partners. 

Supervising attorneys provide informal feedback to summer associates after each assignment, and they submit written, formal evaluations to the office hiring committee.  The formal evaluations become part of each summer associate's mid-summer and final evaluations.

Professional Development
Summer associates have the opportunity for both informal and formal training.  Formal training includes programs on specific practice area topics (e.g., "The Ten Easiest Ways to Waive Attorney-Client Privilege" and "Litigation Claims under Section 17200") and programs on general professional topics (e.g., "How to Be a Successful Summer Associate" and "Legal Writing").  Summer associates can also accompany attorneys to networking events, court hearings and client meetings. Finally, summer associates are assigned mentors, who ensure their integration to the firm, answer their many questions and generally guide their progress and development throughout the summer.

Pro Bono Involvement
Summer associates can work on pro bono matters.  At the beginning of every summer, a local legal aid organization presents an in-office training program and then pairs interested summer associates with firm attorneys to work on available pro bono cases.

Diversity
Our San Francisco attorneys are over forty percent diverse and approximately thirty-five percent are women.  Summer associates are invited to attorney affinity group meetings, including our attorneys of color, women, GLBT and parents groups, as well as to diversity events and dinners sponsored by the firm.  For a list of past events sponsored by the firm, please visit our Diversity Sponsorship List.

Sustainability
Our local Green Committee collaborates with the firmwide committee to develop and implement sustainability practices for our offices and for individuals.  The San Francisco office is equipped with reusable plates, cups, bowls and silverware for waste reduction measures and, in addition to paper, plastic, metal and glass; we also recycle batteries, cell phones and used office supplies.

Accolades and Awards
The San Francisco office has recently been named a Best Place to Work in the San Francisco Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Journal and is recognized in Chambers USA as a leader in Antitrust practices in California.  For the past ten years, the firm has been named to FORTUNE magazine's list of "The 100 Best Companies to Work For." It was also listed as one of the "Best Law Firms for Women" in 2008, 2009 and 2011 by Working Mother magazine and national consulting firm Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, as well as one of the "2008 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms" by Yale Law Women.  The firm has also received a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index in 2009 - 2013.

For additional information, please review our NALP form or visit the NALP Directory of Legal Employers to view our online NALP form and Workplace Questionnaire.