Your Education
The strength of our summer program is rooted both in the commitment of our lawyers to the students and in the variety and breadth of training the firm offers. Our goal is to have the summer associate experience mirror the life of a first year associate.
Training and education occur throughout the summer through our specially designed Summer Associate Education Forum and through the mentoring and supervision by the lawyers with whom the summer associates work.
Comprehensive Orientation
Miles & Stockbridge welcomes our summer associates with an orientation program that includes training in client service, in the firm's structure and administrative practices, and on our computer systems, including Lexis and Westlaw. Training on how to succeed as a summer associate provides tangible tips on how to approach assignments, how to communicate with the assigning lawyers, how to manage time, and other important firm navigational advice.
Research and Writing
We design our research and writing offerings with the recognition that law students desire to improve those skills. Legal research and writing programs, therefore, are conducted in the beginning of the summer program, and are designed to assist summer associates in the transition from academic writing to law firm writing. In addition, we assign each summer associate an experienced lawyer to serve as a Writing Advisor. Each Writing Advisor reviews drafts of written projects and provides practical writing tips to enhance the summer associate’s writing skills. Our summer associates have found this one-on-one feedback invaluable to their professional development.
Substantive Workshops
Throughout the summer, summer associates attend workshops on substantive areas of the law. These workshops are tailor-made for the summer associates to provide them with an introduction to various aspects of legal practice. Past programs have included ethics and client confidentiality issues, workplace and business etiquette, oral advocacy workshops, deposition techniques, a business acquisition workshop, and forums with judges, clients, and pro bono advocates.
