Large Law Firms
What constitutes a large law firm may vary somewhat geographically - but if a firm has more than one office location, or over 100 attorneys, it is a fair assumption they could be considered a large law firm no matter where they are located. Large law firms tend to serve corporations, as opposed to individuals, and have a range of associated practice areas - such as mergers and acquisitions, transactional, patent, securities regulation, and of course corporate law. Large law firms tend to pay more than small or medium firms, but also require longer hours.
Most medium and large law firms have "summer associate" programs. These programs are designed to give students legal experience while providing firms an opportunity to evaluate students' work before offering permanent employment following law school graduation. Large firms generally hire their entry-level associates from their summer associate pool. Therefore, it is important to think carefully about your position after your 2L or 3E summer. Some firms will recruit students in the fall of their final year, but these opportunities are scarce.
Georgetown-sponsored Recruiting Programs
Web Resources
- NALP Directory of Legal Employer
- Vault.com
- Chambers Associate
- Chambers and Partners
- Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- New York Law Journal
- Georgetown Law Firm Pronunciation Guide
- How to Succeed as a Summer Associate - Georgetown Law Spring 2013 webcast
Print Resources (available in OCS Library)
- Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms (and other various Vault guides)
- Chambers Associate: The Student’s Guide to Law Firms
- U.S. Firms with Foreign Offices and Foreign Firms with U.S. Offices
- NALP Directory of Legal Employers
- Building a Better Legal Profession’s Guide to Law Firms
- The Insider’s Guide to Getting a Big Firm Job
