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Summer Associate Program
Based in our Milwaukee office, our Summer Associate Program serves as the cornerstone of our recruiting process and provides the Summer Associates with insights into practicing law at Reinhart. Through mentorships, social events and hands-on work experience, our program is designed to expose law students to our practice areas, attorneys, staff, culture and communities.
Interview Process
The interview process for 2L Summer Associate positions is conducted through on-campus and virtual interviews followed by callbacks during the recruiting season, which extends from the end of July through August. We typically recruit at the law schools and job fairs listed below, but we also welcome applications from law students whose law schools we do not visit during the on-campus interview period. We encourage you to submit your application for consideration.
Recruiting Schedule:
We typically recruit at the following school and job fairs:
Chicago | Chicago-Kent | DePaul | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Loyola-Chicago | Marquette | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota | Northwestern | Notre Dame | Ohio State | Washington University | Wisconsin | Loyola Patent Law Interview Program | Cook County Bar Association Minority Job Fair
We also welcome applications from law students whose law schools we do not visit during the on-campus interview period. We encourage you to submit your application for consideration.
First Year Law Students
Reinhart also offers a diversity fellowship for 1L students to join our Summer Program. Please contact Sarah J. Nord, Legal Recruiting Manager or visit our website after December 1 to learn more about the position and submit your application, including resume, cover letter and law school transcript.
All positions for our 2023 Program have been filled. If you are a current 1L student, please consider applying for a 2L position in our 2024 Program.
Reinhart selects students who have strong academic records, demonstrate a commitment to excellence, are personable and dedicated to providing truly excellent service to our clients.
Callback days are intended to be very informative, where students will have the opportunity to meet a variety of attorneys in a number of different practice groups. You will interview individually with four attorneys, and the day ends with a casual group dinner at a local downtown restaurant. The group includes attorneys along with all students interviewing that day. Attorneys’ and students’ significant others are invited to attend dinner as well.
Our Summer Associate Program is run exclusively out of our Milwaukee office.
We typically hire between 8-10 summer associates, with two being first-year law students.
In 2022 our Summer Associates were paid $3,365 per week. Salaries are reviewed on an annual basis.
Our Summer Associate Program is 9 weeks long and runs from mid-May to the end of July.
Yes, we are committed to making your move to Milwaukee as easy as possible. We provide housing options for you, including property/unit descriptions, costs and contact information.
In addition to administrative orientation, we conduct an ethics seminar, two writing seminars, a legal research training session and a DEI overview. In addition, each assignment is reviewed by the summer associate’s reader and the assigning attorney. The summer associate receives in-depth feedback on each assignment.
The Summer Program Chair will monitor your progress on an ongoing basis and conduct weekly assignment meetings. You will have an attorney “reader” to review all assignments and provide timely feedback. In addition, the assigning attorneys will review your work. We strive to provide “real-time” feedback on work so that you can take that feedback and incorporate it into future assignments. The summer provides significant opportunity for growth, and we are committed to helping you learn and grow as much as possible.
Each summer associate has a formal mid-summer review that discusses the summer associate’s progress and allows them to provide feedback on projects or opportunities they would like to have in the second half of the summer. The Hiring Partner, Program Chair and the summer associate’s reader all attend this meeting.
Yes. In addition to your reader, you are assigned a “buddy” who will function as an informal mentor. Your assigned buddy is typically a first- or second-year associate and has no input into hiring decisions.
Hiring decisions are communicated during your exit interview on the final day of the Summer Associate Program.
Work Experience
The summer program chair oversees the summer associates and distributes work assignments in a group setting. This collaborative atmosphere helps establish rapport and fosters an open, supportive environment. Summer associates receive a mix of work assignments from various departments, allowing them to explore multiple areas of interest and/or emphasize a particular practice area.
Mentorship Program
Shareholder “readers” are paired with summer associates to provide in-depth feedback and help refine their legal writing skills. In addition, junior associate “buddies” introduce summer associates to the firm and serve in an informal mentoring role. All summer associates receive midsummer reviews to gauge their progress and provide constructive feedback.
Summer Associate Social Activities
Reinhart balances the Summer Program’s hands-on work experience with many opportunities for social interaction and fun. We invite summer associates to participate in departmental outings and other activities to foster relationships and ensure a memorable summer. In the past, these have included an overnight retreat for summers and buddies, a tailgate and Brewers game, a Madison/Supreme Court visit, a Buddy Day and our Grand Finale Dinner.
Reinhart Bridges Program
We know that our clients benefit from solutions that reflect the integration of diverse experiences and perspectives, and we believe that our workplace is richer when it more closely reflects the makeup of our communities. Reinhart created the Bridges Program to promote equitable access to opportunities for growth and development among candidates from diverse backgrounds. This series of initiatives and outreach reflects our commitment to building and sustaining greater diversity within our profession. Our goal is to provide resources and opportunities for others while simultaneously expanding our talent pipeline.
At Reinhart, we see possibilities in people
We are one of the nation’s 200 largest law firms, with more than a century of experience in complex legal work and delivering positive results for our clients. And while our history is rich, we know that our future success lies in the talented professionals who have yet to join our ranks.
That is why we invest so heavily in the Summer Associate Program, which serves as the cornerstone of our recruiting process. We make it a priority to mentor summer associates, introduce them to real-world experiences and support their development as attorneys.
As associates progress, we provide resources and guidance for their professional journeys. We believe that the best thinking comes from diverse perspectives, orientations and backgrounds, and we fully embrace a philosophy of inclusion. All are welcome in our quest to provide clients with exceptional and innovative legal solutions to their business needs.