These law firms are preferred destinations for summer associates, new survey says
Surveyed law students at 149 different schools most often chose Kirkland & Ellis as a top place to work in a summer associate position, according to a new survey by Law360 Pulse. (Image from Shutterstock)
Surveyed law students at 149 different schools most often chose Kirkland & Ellis as a top place to work in a summer associate position, according to a new survey by Law360 Pulse.
The 2024 Summer Associates Survey, which had 587 responses, asked the students to identify the top three law firms where they would work if they had a choice. Second on the list was Latham & Watkins, followed by Jones Day, Sidley Austin and Holland & Knight.
Kirkland was No. 1 and Latham was No. 2 for the third year in a row.
Students applied to an average of 14 firms. Asked to name the most important criteria in choosing a firm, 50% of respondents said geography was most important, followed by practice areas available (48%) and reputation (40%).
Asked to rate the importance of remote work, 46% of respondents said it was unimportant, 14% said it was slightly important and 15% said it was moderately important. Only 24% rated it very important or important.
Asked about their top concern going into a summer associate position, 37% of respondents said it was not getting hired at the end of the internship, while 25% of respondents said it was not being up to the task of the workload.
For those who secured summer associate positions, pay was “highly variable,” according to the survey. The average for the summer was a little more than $28,000, while the median was around $32,000.
Thirty-five percent of respondents earned between $40,000 and $50,000 for the summer. But 36% of respondents said they earned less than $20,000.
Law360 lists its articles on the survey here, while Above the Law has coverage here.
