Careers
Summer Associate Program Coordinators
J. Scott Rhodes
Chair, Legal Ethics; General Counsel; Chair, Recruiting Committee
P 602.262.5862
F 602.495.2648
srhodes@jsslaw.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What benefits does Jennings Strouss offer Summer Associates?
Jennings Strouss offers Summer Associates a competitive salary structure and real-world work assignments.
How do Summer Associates receive their assignments?
Projects are submitted by the firm’s attorneys to the Summer Associate Program Coordinators, who then evaluate, assign, and monitor all work product.
What types of assignments are Summer Associates given?
We strive to give each Summer Associate a variety of assignments, including work for actual client matters.
Will Summer Associates have the opportunity to attend depositions, oral arguments, trials, and other similar events?
Yes, Summer Associates are encouraged to attend as many of these events as their time and workload permit.
How is the work of Summer Associates evaluated?
Each project completed by a Summer Associate is reviewed at least twice: (1) by the assigning attorney and (2) by a member of the firm’s Writing Committee. We also hold evaluations in the middle and at the end of the summer.
2019 Jennings Strouss Summer Associates Q&A
Dina Aouad
Law Student, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Describe your experience with being integrated into the firm and learning its culture.
The culture at the firm is very encouraging and inclusive. I never felt afraid asking anyone for help, even if I personally felt like it was a silly question. Everyone has been so open, honest, and real about their past experiences when they were a new lawyer, which has been very positive and reassuring for me to hear. No one ever spoke to me as if I should already know how to be doing something or acted as if they were better than me in any way. Furthermore, the camaraderie between all the employees at the firm is so refreshing and fun to witness/be around. Jennings Strouss truly feels like it has a uniquely friendly and supportive culture, which I have greatly enjoyed being a part of.
What is the best advice you received during your time at Jennings Strouss?
The best advice I received during my time at Jennings Strouss was: don’t panic about being expected to know how to do something already; you will learn how to do it with practice. Hearing this advice really put things into perspective for me and allowed me to find some comfort and be confident in the abilities that I have now and the abilities that I will gain in the future.
What was the most rewarding work assignment you received?
There were two work assignment for which I was told by the assigning attorneys that they were able to take my work product and easily incorporate it into their own work or present it directly to the client. It felt great being able to contribute to the firm and knowing the work I was doing was actually being utilized and helping someone out in the real world. Since I’m interested in labor and employment law, knowing that the work I did for an attorney in that department was useful for both him and the client was an incredibly rewarding experience.
Describe practical training opportunities you received during your summer program.
I really enjoyed the practical training opportunities we were able to attend this summer. It allowed me to get the feel of what it’s like being a practicing attorney in an everyday setting. One of the first practical training opportunities I had was attending a family law hearing in superior court. Witnessing the firm’s attorneys address the court, conduct direct and cross-examination, and deal with expert witnesses was very informative and exciting. Attending CLEs were also a fun experience because, although I didn’t always fully understand the subject matter, it was interesting to observe other attorneys in a CLE setting and see what I have to look forward to as a future attorney. The writing program was by far the program I took part in the most since all of our assignments were writing-based.
Describe how the “real-world” experience you received during the summer program has helped prepare you for entering private practice after graduation.
During this summer program, I was able to have the “real-world” experience of drafting writing assignments with short deadlines, experimenting with various research techniques, learning about varying legal practice areas, learning how to spot discrete issues and how to go about addressing and solving those issues, learning how to reach out to others for help when I needed it, observing how to be a great oral advocate, and more. This type of experience has been exponentially helpful in preparing me for entering private practice after graduation since this is the exact type of work I will continue to do, but on a much larger (and likely more difficult) scale. Additionally, this summer allowed me to experience what it’s like working in a firm setting in terms of learning how to keep time, how to interact with senior attorneys and staff members alike, and proper office decorum.
Overall, what did you enjoy most about your summer program at Jennings Strouss?
Overall, I would have to say the thing I enjoyed the most about the summer program was working with all of the people at Jennings Strouss. I thoroughly enjoyed the work I received during the summer program since it was equally challenging and interesting, but I believe a big part of the reason why I liked the work so much was because I enjoyed working with the assigning attorneys. All of the attorneys – as well as the legal assistants, paralegals, and staff at large – were so incredibly kind, helpful, friendly, and generally fun to be around. Working with all of them was truly such an enjoyable experience and it made my summer at Jennings Strouss a fabulous one.
Additional comments?
I cannot say enough good things about Jennings Strouss. The people are amazing, the work was stimulating, and it was overall a fantastic experience. The practice of law is arduous enough as is, but working at a firm like Jennings Strouss made it a truly enjoyable experience.
Lauren Smith
Law Student, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Describe your experience with being integrated into the firm and learning its culture.
I was really nervous to start on my first day at Jennings Strouss, but everyone’s friendly personalities quickly made my nerves dissipate. The firm has such a genuinely welcoming culture and attitude that I felt comfortable nearly immediately. From the beginning, it was clear that Jennings Strouss is invested in training and mentoring the summer associates. Everyone wants to help you succeed, regardless of your place in the firm.
What is the best advice you received during your time at Jennings Strouss?
One of the members in the litigation department gave me really good advice for working on assignments: don’t work on something for more than three hours at a time. After three hours, you’re likely burn out on whatever it is you’re doing and need a break. The project will still be there in your subconscious, however, so you could end up getting that “light bulb” when you aren’t even consciously thinking about the assignment. I followed this advice for most of my projects and found that this was true. Stepping away from a project allowed me to come back to it with a fresh mind and no frustration.
What was the most challenging work assignment you received?
The most challenging work assignment I received was to create a mergers and acquisitions due diligence checklist for seller representations. This was formidable because my base knowledge of these transactions was pretty close to none, so I constantly was worried that I wasn’t on the right track; however, as I read through the purchase agreements and disclosure schedules, I discovered that I enjoyed learning more about this practice area. I would be happy to continue to do this type of work.
What was the most rewarding work assignment you received?
One of the first assignments I received was to review all of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge’s decisions from 2018 to 2019, summarize the material facts of each decision, and find trends in the decisions. This turned out to be a very daunting task because there were over one hundred decisions within this time frame. I’m not sure how many hours I spent analyzing the decisions, but when I finally turned it in at the end of the summer, I received very positive feedback. Hearing that the end product was useful to the attorneys made me feel very proud of the hard effort I put into this project.
What did you learn about Jennings Strouss that you did not know before your summer program?
I didn’t know how great this firm was. All of my interactions with the people here this summer have shown me that this firm is so genuinely friendly and welcoming. This summer has been so fun, from impromptu talks with people to bonding at social events.
Describe how the “real-world” experience you received during the summer program has helped prepare you for entering private practice after graduation.
This summer, I feel as though I got the true experience of being a first year associate. Although my work assignments had to be approved by the Chair of the Summer Associate Program before getting to me, I was left to manage my assignments on my own. This experience has prepared me to enter private practice after graduation by treating me as a real first year associate and providing real opportunities to observe and learn.
What advice would you give to law students who are applying for summer associate programs?
Be yourself in interviews—don’t try to fit in with a firm just because you want to try to get a job offer. If you try to be someone you aren’t, you (1) probably won’t get the job, and (2) if you do get the job, you’ll have to keep up the pretense for the entire summer. Instead, be yourself and you will naturally find the firm that fits you the best.
Overall, what did you enjoy most about your summer program at Jennings Strouss?
I enjoyed the people and the variety of work assignments. I was truly excited to come to work each day to learn something new, pick someone else’s brain for advice, or just hear about someone’s weekend. The people at Jennings Strouss made the summer program so satisfying, while the variety of work assignments helped me discover which aspects of the law I am most drawn to.
2019 Summer Associate Events
Bowling | July 11, 2019 | Lucky Strike
Our summer Associates, Lauren Smith and Dina Aouad, enjoyed a night of bowling fun with Jennings Strouss colleagues.
Professional Women’s Networking Luncheon | July 25, 2019 | Jennings Strouss
The Honorable Patricia K. Norris spoke at the Professional Women’s Networking luncheon hosted by the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She provided valuable insight into her own experiences from law school up to serving on the bench. Judge Norris also shared several career tips, and stressed that we must all support each other’s success in order to continue to make strides as a whole. Our two summer associates, Lauren and Dina, attended the event and were able to spend some one-on-one time with Judge Norris. In addition, they attended the Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s monthly meetings, providing valuable insight from a law student perspective.
The Law Firm Alliance
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon is honored to be a member of The Law Firm Alliance (LFA), a strategic
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