Summer Associate Program

A Commitment to Our Summer Associate Program

Every summer for more than forty years, we have hired law school students from around the country to participate in our summer associate program. Our recruiting efforts are exhaustive and deliberative — and with good reason.  We hire our summer associates with the expectation that they will excel in the program and join us as first-year associates after they have completed law school, and we hire first-year associates with the expectation that they will thrive in the firm and become valuable members of one of our diverse practices. We’re not just hiring bodies to fill our summer program — we’re hiring colleagues.

The goal of our summer associate program is to provide our summer associates with a realistic sense of what it is like to work for Hodgson Russ. We provide our summer associates with opportunities to do meaningful work on actual client matters, to participate in training programs along with our associates, and to get to know our lawyers and one another through a variety of social events.

Click here to apply for our summer associate program

Join the Hodgson Russ Summer Associate Group on LinkedIn:

Mentors and Meaningful Work

Mentoring is the backbone of our summer program and is the foundation of every new attorney’s experience at Hodgson Russ. Our summer associates are assigned mentors who ensure that they receive the right balance of workload and work type based on their particular interests.

Our goal is for all summer associates to return to Hodgson Russ as full-time associates, and so the firm devotes substantial energy, time, and resources into making each student’s experience challenging and rewarding. Summer associates confront the legal issues that concern real Hodgson Russ clients, and they frequently have the opportunity to present their conclusions directly to our clients. By program's end, our summer associates will have worked closely with partners and associates on important and timely issues.

Learning by Example, Learning by Doing

At Hodgson Russ, we don't just encourage our summer associates to do meaningful work – we expect it. We supplement summer work assignments with numerous “lawyering” activities such as client conference calls, client meetings, trials, depositions, and court appearances. Summer associates are also given an opportunity to practice their public speaking skills by researching and presenting a continuing legal education seminar for our attorneys. Most recently, one of our Summer Associates, working with partner Sujata Yalamanchili and law clerk Chelsea Reinhardt, contributed to an article published in the October 10, 2022 issue of TaxNotes State.

Making Connections to your Colleagues and Communities

The summer is also busy with social activities. Summer associates meet with partners and associates outside the office to experience a bit of Buffalo’s and New York City’s wealth of social and cultural venues. These experiences have included an evening sailing trip on beautiful Lake Ontario; a visit to Niagara Falls and a ride on the Niagara Jet Boat; and an all-attorney bocce tournament. The New York City summer associates have also been to Yankees games, taken cooking classes, and gone on a tasting tour of famous Manhattan pizzerias. Spend a summer with us and you’re certain to discover what everyone here already knows — Hodgson Russ is a great place to work.

Contact

Patrick J. Hines, Hiring Partner	Amy Hayes Atkinson, Attorney Recruiting Manager
The Guaranty Building 140 Pearl Street, Suite 100	The Guaranty Building 140 Pearl Street, Suite 100
Buffalo, NY 14202-4040	Buffalo, NY 14202-4040
716.848.1679	716.848.1679
phines@hodgsonruss.com	aatkinson@hodgsonruss.com