Overview
At Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, you’ll be given the opportunity to make a difference from day one. We believe that talented people learn best by doing. But we understand that you will need the right blend of support and structured learning to thrive. Your growth will define our success as a firm. That’s why we’ve kept it front of mind when designing our summer associate program. We invest heavily in your training and professional development, right from the beginning, in the hope that you will choose — as most of our summer associates do — to make a career with us.
Your development
As future leaders and legal experts, your growth is our growth. Every summer associate here enjoys the vital combination of on-the-job training, learning from colleagues, regular feedback and structured growth experiences. Feedback is an essential component of a summer associate’s development and career satisfaction. Accordingly, we provide formal, constructive evaluations twice during the summer in addition to continual feedback throughout the summer. Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is invested in your professional development and fosters your growth through formal training programs and via pro bono work. Everything you do will help you become a better lawyer.
The Summer Program always includes a wide range of seminars, panels, breakfasts and lunches, all designed to widen your horizons and hone your skills. Of particular value are the department overview breakfasts, in which people in each of our firm’s practice areas introduce themselves, showing what they do, how they work and, most importantly, whether they anticipate future openings in their department. Other training sessions include a Negotiation skills workshop, Bankruptcy and Corporate simulation projects, and a presentation on how to prepare for the Bar exam prep with Barbri.
Our learning framework is guided by the principle that we learn primarily through experience, supported by lessons from others and time spent on structured development. Seeking new experiences in your work is the best way to expand your knowledge and skills. You’ll also learn from your peers, mentors, colleagues and clients. Finally, you’ll be encouraged to undergo structured training and courses tailored to your goals and ambitions.
Support is in abundance when you start here, with a dedicated partner and associate mentor. Our mentorship program offers guidance and support in all aspects of the firm’s culture and practices, which serves a meaningful purpose in developing professional growth. Mentoring can be an ongoing process that will help you learn how colleagues successfully navigated their careers and help you build relationships. Your Partner mentors will also deliver evaluations and regularly check in with you to support you during the program.
As future leaders and legal experts, your growth is our growth. You’ll undergo extensive formal training both before and after specialising, as well as professional skills training via our online learning hub. That being said, at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, we believe that the best way to learn is through experience. Early in your career, you’ll represent some of our biggest clients on high-profile cases and deals, learning as you put your knowledge into action.
Alongside an expansive range of content, you’ll have access to a wealth of online resources including our learning hub, where you can organize, schedule and manage all aspects of your learning and development. We also provide extensive formal learning to keep you on top of regulatory environments and focus on inclusive behaviours to foster a culture of respect, inclusions and high performance.
You will be offered the opportunity to do front-line pro bono work, supervised by a lawyer. You might conduct an administrative hearing related to a family law matter, help litigate an asylum claim, or take the lead on other matters for low-income clients or nonprofit organizations. You might participate in a limited-scope pro bono clinic through our Racial Justice Initiative, assisting entrepreneurs from Harlem and Morningside Heights. You might be involved in community service activities, such as the high school internship program we host for Legal Outreach. You will also receive regular assignments on our other pro bono matters in a variety of practice areas, based on your interests.