Summer Associates

Balch & Bingham’s summer associate program provides an excellent opportunity for law students to experience our practice while becoming better acquainted with our attorneys. Effort is made to insure that each summer associate is exposed to a wide variety of practice areas and given projects that reflect a very realistic view of what it is like to work as an associate at the firm.

Summer associates are encouraged to attend trials, depositions, client conferences and transaction closings. Project Coordinators assist in assignment distribution to help monitor students work load and ensure no one is overburdened with too many projects. If a summer associate has identified a particular area of interest, the project coordinator will make sure that student receives projects from that area. While we encourage students to complete assignments from all areas of the firm, we do allow for second years in particular to single out an area or two they prefer to focus on.

Each summer associate is assigned two attorney mentors, typically one partner and one associate, who assist them in having a positive experience at the firm. Mentor responsibilities also include a mid-point and closing lunch or dinner to discuss feedback, work product and the students overall experience.

It is not unusual for the firm to employ 30-40 first and second year law students each summer. It is our practice to hire only those individuals who we believe will have a high rate of success. While a permanent offer is never a guarantee, we hire each summer associate with the hope that they will some day begin their career as a full time associate with Balch & Bingham.

We offer a challenging work environment with interesting assignments, good people, and great clients. Planned and spontaneous social events including golf outings, cooking classes, supper clubs and a beach trip provide ample opportunity to form lasting friendships with other summer associates and attorneys alike. Our summer program typically runs mid May through early August and we while we do allow split summers, a minimum of 6 weeks is required in most cases.

For further information, please contact




Ms. Barrie Wilson,
Director of Legal Recruiting
205-226-8709
bwilson@balch.com.