Houston summer associates receive insight, guidance and feedback from some of the best lawyers in their respective fields, fostering the development of valuable lawyering skills. They also get a jump-start on their legal careers by receiving the necessary training and exposure into the practical and technical aspects of practicing law. In addition to the work experience, participants enjoy six to 10 weeks of fun, relaxed and unique social events with ample opportunities to sample some of Houston's finest restaurants along with some of its best kept secrets.
Office Culture
In addition to academic credentials, we also value excellent interpersonal skills. The Houston office of Akin Gump is consistently described as cohesive, relaxed and congenial. We agree, and believe this is conducive to an enjoyable and productive work environment. Therefore, during the interview process we look for candidates who are not only intelligent and well accomplished, but who are also outgoing, genuine and interesting individuals.
The firm supports this comfortable and congenial culture in a number of ways. The firm's policy allowing full-time business casual attire is additional testament to our relaxed but productive office demeanor. The firm also recognizes and appreciates the value in affording and encouraging our lawyers to allow for ample opportunity to enjoy and enrich their lives outside of the office. It is essential for us to continuously strive to exceed our clients' expectations, but to do so in a manner that affords our lawyers the ability to maintain an enjoyable quality of life is just as essential to our firm's continued success in today's competitive market.
Work Assignments
We afford our summer associates the unique opportunity of customizing their assignment portfolio based on their particular needs and interests and the availability of work in those areas. Unlike other large firms, we do not require our summer associates to select a practice area at the beginning of their clerkship, nor do we put them through a formal rotation process. In fact, we encourage that they try their hand at projects in a variety of practice areas regardless of whether they know what type of practice they want. We want our summer associates to get as much out of this experience as possible, and we believe that allowing them considerable discretion in choosing the type of work they receive helps to facilitate their individual and professional growth. Their development is furthered by regular meetings with their advisor several times during their clerkship for the sole purpose of receiving feedback on their work.
There are a wide variety of assignments available to summer associates. Some of the projects our summer associates worked on in the past included:
• drafting trademark applications
• traveling to Argentina to meet with clients to review, translate and summarize corporate documents
• preparing presentation slides for meeting with potential client researching privacy and property issues regarding voice mail polling fellow summer associates about preferred topics for litigation seminars
• attending negotiations of stock purchase agreement
• researching requirements to establish jurisdiction and venue over a foreigner doing business with the Republic of Kazakhstan
• preparing analysis of facts in a breach of fiduciary duty and noncompete case
• preparing motions for summary judgment
• preparing special exceptions regarding plaintiffs' fear-of-cancer claim in a toxic tort case conducting due diligence
• examining claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Events
The time spent with us as a summer associate facilitates relationships that will become important to them both professionally and personally. These relationships are certainly fostered by working on client-related projects together, but time spent with each other outside of the office furthers the development of more personal relationships.
One of the great things about a summer clerkship is the chance to enjoy a wide variety of social outings. When planning for the summer, we try to pay close attention to the variety of interests held by our summer associate class and strive to offer a wide assortment of activities to satisfy everyone. The lawyers at Akin Gump choose to be very involved in the planning of summer events and enjoy planning events each year that are fun, relaxed and creative. Some of the events held last summer include:
• Wine-tasting dinner
• Wine-making event
• Casino Party
• Golf outings, softball games and billiards
• Planned and impromptu happy hours in downtown Houston's thriving social district
• Clerk-only outings
• Section head lunches
• Small dinner parties hosted in the homes of various partners
• Concerts and theater productions in Houston's outstanding arts and theater district.
Our summer associates are also given the opportunity to meet lawyers and summer associates from our other Texas offices when they gather for an annual Texas summer associate lunch, which usually includes an informal talk by one of our more notable partners such as Bruce McLean.
Mentors and Advisors
Well before the summer associates arrive in our office to begin their summer clerkship, they have been assigned an advisor (partner or counsel) and a mentor (associate) who will contact them to welcome them to the firm, help educate them about the firm and offer any guidance or support they may need or request. They will also ensure that their summer associate gets a realistic picture of the diversity of work, resources and culture available to them at Akin Gump.
Once the summer associates arrive, the advisors are responsible for ensuring that they have quality work assignments in their preferred practice areas. The advisors often involve summer associates in their own day-to-day practice, whether it be in negotiating a transaction, taking a deposition or trying a case to a jury. The attorney pairings for such roles are based on the Summer Associate’s sections of interest. Summer Associates are also encouraged to meet additional attorneys and solicit assignments on their own.
The mentors' primary responsibility is to ensure that the summer associates become well-acquainted on a more social basis with the members of the firm and with our city. For example, mentors arrange informal lunches for summer associates with various partners and other associates and they also accompany them to a number of social events.
Diversity
Akin Gump is committed to a diverse workplace and seeks to hire lawyers from all backgrounds. We actively participate in several events and programs throughout the year to attract minority applicants.
Hiring Criteria
The Houston office seeks exceptional 2L students, as well as 3L students who have accepted judicial clerkships. We look for well-rounded individuals with excellent academic credentials, strong interpersonal and communication skills, law review or journal membership, moot court experience, previous work experience, demonstrated leadership abilities and a strong interest in practicing law in Houston. Our goal is to offer associate positions to all of our summer associates who have demonstrated an ability to practice at the level required by our clients and the firm.
Where to Apply
All interested applicants should send a resume and transcript to:
Attorney Recruiting & Development Department
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
1111 Louisiana Street, 44th Floor
Houston, TX 77002-5200
713.220.5800
713.236.0822 (fax)
HoustonRecruiting@akingump.com
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Houston Summer Program FAQs
Q: How many summer associates does the firm expect to have in 2008?
A: We are seeking approximately 12-14 2L’s and 3-4 1L’s for the 2008 summer program.
Q: How many offers do you make to your summer associate class?
A: Our goal is to make offers to each summer associate who demonstrates the ability to practice law at the level required by our practice. In 2008, we made 13 of 15 offers, in 2007 we made 13 of 14 offers, in 2006 we made 11 out of 11 offers, in 2005 we made 15 out of 19 offers, and in 2004 we made 19 out of 20 offers.
Q: What is your hiring criteria for summer associates?
A: We look for outstanding academic credentials, law review/journal experience, moot court experience, previous work history, excellent interpersonal skills and participation in extracurricular activities demonstrating leadership abilities and team players. We seek well-rounded, intelligent individuals.
Q: What is your salary for summer associates?
A: For 2008, the summer associate salary is $3,077 per week. In consideration of spending the first half of the summer with our firm, we will pay a first half bonus equaling one week’s salary.
Q: Do you allow split summers?
A: Yes, summer associates may split with another employer; however, we require that summer associates spend a minimum of the first six weeks with us during the summer program.
Q: Do I have to pick a particular practice area in the beginning of the summer?
A: No. Summer associates are encouraged to explore opportunities in a variety of practice areas throughout the summer, if they would like to do so.
Q: How do the summer associates get to know the attorneys?
A: We offer many opportunities for our summer associates to get to know our attorneys throughout the summer. This past summer we had a variety of events including an evening at the theater, a wine tasting, Astros games, bowling, a firmwide summer associate retreat in DC, and intimate dinner parties at various Partners’ homes. In addition, lunches are a great way to get to know the attorneys in the office.
Q: What can I expect as far as training in your summer program?
A: Our summer associates can expect to receive written feedback on most, if not all, of our written projects. They have the opportunity to observe and participate in real-life training scenarios by attending client meetings, depositions and hearings as well as to attend all attorney and CLE lunches. Our summer associates receive training throughout the summer, including a writing seminar during our firmwide DC trip.
Q: Do summer associates have mentors and advisors?
A:
An important part of our clerkship program is having Advisors and Mentors who assist the Summer Associates with their professional and social integration into the Firm, including, most importantly, the coordination of their work assignment opportunities during their clerkships. The attorney pairings for such roles are based on the Summer Associate’s sections of interest. Advisors and Mentors will have the primary responsibility of coordinating work assignments. They will interface with other lawyers to develop and distribute assignments. Mentors, in particular, are expected to have the lead role in this effort. Summer Associates are also encouraged to meet additional attorneys and solicit assignments on their own.
Q: What kind of evaluation procedures does the Houston office have to evaluate summer associate work?
A: Each project on which a summer associate works is evaluated by the attorney(s) who supervise the work. These evaluations are reviewed by the Assigning Partners and Hiring Partner so that they can monitor each summer associate's performance. In addition, there is a formal mid-summer review for each summer associate as well as an exit review.
Q: How are hiring decisions made for summer associate candidates?
A: Each interviewer completes an evaluation, which includes his/her assessment of the candidate's academic achievement, work experience, and other factors that indicate a successful match with our office. The Hiring Committee then weighs the criteria and makes a decision.
Q: What kind of offer can a 1L summer associate in the summer class receive?
A: 1L summer associates may receive offers to return and clerk with our office during the summer following their second year of law school. Permanent offers of employment are only extended to students completing such second year clerkships.
Q: How long after a candidate interviews in the Houston office should he/she expect a hiring decision?
A: During the Fall interviewing season our Hiring Committee meets on a weekly basis. Normally, a candidate can expect a decision within 7-10 days from the time he/she has had a callback interview. Candidates who receive an offer will be notified by phone and letter.
Q: What law schools does the Houston office visit for on-campus interviews?
A: During the 2008 Fall interviewing season, we will interview at the University of Texas, Georgetown, SMU, Texas Southern, the University of Houston, and the University of Virginia. We will also participate in the Loyola Patent Law Interview Program and the Sunbelt Minority Job Fair. Additionally, the Houston office is represented by interviewers from our other offices at various campuses during OCI. We also review the resumes of write-in applicants and consider students who do not attend schools at which we interview on-campus.
Q: Are associates hired for a specific practice area?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you give credit for judicial clerkships?
A: Yes. We provide a $30,000 bonus and one-year credit toward compensation and partnership for federal district and circuit courts, and state Supreme Court clerkships.
Houston Office First Year Associate Hiring
Q: What are the salary and benefits for first-year associates starting in the Fall of 2008?
A: Currently, the compensation for the class of 2008 is set at $160,000. Associates are also eligible for merit bonuses at conclusion of yearend. First year associate benefits also include an acceptance bonus of $6,000 and a graduation bonus of $5,000. The firm also provides health, dental, and life insurance, paid parking, a disability plan, a 401(k) plan, domestic partner benefits, maternity leave, bar and moving expenses, bar dues, license fees, and a federal judicial clerkship bonus
Q: Do you hire judicial clerks or 3Ls for associate positions?
A: Many of our entry-level associates are hired through our summer program. However, we will consider judicial clerks and 3Ls as needed.
Q: Are your associates assigned to one practice group or do they rotate?
A: Our associates are assigned to one practice group, based primarily on their interests. This assignment enables our associates to focus on a particular area of law and maintain consistency with clients and cases. However, there is often overlap with other sections, allowing broader exposure to many areas of the law.
Q: What kind of training do your associates get?
A: The firm offers a variety of training and continuing legal education classes, including many substantive in-house courses. Our extensive Professional Development Program includes seminars and workshops on litigation skills, transactions, ethics, legal writing, oral advocacy and pro bono matters. We have implemented a professional development program for our first years consisting of a series of classes focused on basic business and legal skills. In addition, several practice groups have implemented training programs designed to enhance knowledge of a specific area of the law. All courses are taught by a faculty of our own lawyers and nationally known outside consultants. Additionally, the firm offers several non-legal seminars on topics of interest to our associates, such as time management, financial management and interview skills.
Q: Do you offer associates the opportunity to do pro bono work?
A: All attorneys are encouraged to participate in our pro bono program, which is managed on a full-time basis by our twelve-member Pro Bono Committee. Pro bono hours are treated the same as billable hours for all matters.
Q: What is your partnership track?
A: Eight years. In 1998, the firm instituted a program to promote associates who are on partnership track to counsel in their 6th year of practice. This new position recognizes and rewards associates for their substantial contribution to the firm and its clients.
Q: Who should I contact with questions about the Houston summer program or to apply?
A: Applications for all associate positions should be addressed to:
Attorney Recruiting & Development Department
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
1111 Louisiana Street, 44th Floor
Houston, TX 77002-5200
713.220.5800
713.236.0822 (fax)
HoustonRecruiting@akingump.com
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