Summer Associates Rank Akin Gump Top 10 “Dream” Firm in Law360 Pulse Survey

(Washington, D.C.) – In a newly released Law360 Pulse survey, Akin Gump was ranked number eight among the Top 15 ‘Dream’ Firms, those law firms that “topped students’ lists of their most desirable places to spend a summer.” Additionally, the firm’s marketing and promotion of its summer programs was ranked number three.

In related interviews on how the firm has adapted its summer program in light of COVID-19, Akin Gump chief legal talent officer Beth Miller said that the firm had learned from 2020 to cap the number of participants in meetings and other gatherings in order to allow for more quality interactions: “Small groups really do give the summers and the lawyers opportunities to connect. So [we're] trying to keep some of the interactions in the four to six range, so they can really effectively get to know each other.”

The article notes that Akin Gump is moving from the truncated five-week program offered to summer associates in 2020 to a full 10-week program this summer. Ms. Miller said that this will help the firm maintain a lighter pace for each summer associate’s workday, allowing them to have interactions while getting assignments done or during sessions with different firm partners.

Akin Gump director of attorney recruiting Lauren Marsh is quoted as saying that, in order to help summer associates make connections before they potentially work at the firm, Akin Gump is making them aware of the existing firmwide resource groups for employees. This can allow summer associates to begin communicating with those with whom they share an affinity: “We're really focused on making sure that summer associates are able to build the networks that we know will help them be successful during the summer and when they come into the firm as an associate.”

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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