Spend the Summer With Barclay Damon

Participating in Barclay Damon’s Summer Associate Program is an excellent opportunity for law school 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 with a demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities or within the legal profession. 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. Our 1L summer associates have opportunities to work in-house with firm clients and accompany attorneys to client meetings, court appearances, hearings, and depositions, among other activities. They 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 at Barclay Damon.

“I chose to apply to Barclay Damon because of their demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through internal affinity groups such as BEAN and the Women’s Forum.” 
—Amie Mbye, Former 1L and 2L Summer Associate, Syracuse

2L Summer Associates

Barclay Damon 2L summer associates have a unique opportunity to focus on what interests them and get a taste of what life is really like as a practicing attorney in their field of interest. Our 2L summer associates join specific practice areas, allowing them to develop experience and deep knowledge in a particular area of the law. Like their 1L summer associate colleagues, 2L summer associates also accompany attorneys to meetings 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 future career. Mentors not only give summer associates constructive feedback on their work assignments but also are understanding and empathetic confidants summer associates reach out to for advice. 

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 recruitment liaison oversees the Summer Associate Program and is another person summer associates can contact for mentorship. It’s 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:

• Legal and brief writing workshops
• Tax 101
• Practice area presentations
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion seminars
• 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, attending firm-sponsored happy hours, traveling to Cooperstown, New York, for the firm’s summer attorney retreat, and playing on the firm’s Buffalo softball team, among other 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 diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. 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 Diversity 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, 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 and Sanjeev Devabhakthuni 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. 

Click here for information about 2024 1L summer associate hiring. We have completed our hiring for 2024 2L summer associates.