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What is a summer law associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Andrea Schneider,
Jennifer Brobst
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a summer law associate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $60.46 an hour? That's $125,756 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 80,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a summer law associate?

Andrea SchneiderAndrea Schneider LinkedIn profile

Professor of Law, Marquette University

Take every opportunity to network and volunteer. Make connections with leaders in your local and state bar organizations and those who lead legal service organizations in your area. Think about how your skills can be used in a variety of ways, and make connections throughout the community.
ScoreSummer Law AssociateUS Average
Salary
8.3

Avg. Salary $125,756

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.40%

Black or African American 5.58%

Hispanic or Latino 7.80%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.53%

Gender

female 51.36%

male 48.64%

Age - 45
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Summer law associate career paths

Key steps to become a summer law associate

  1. Explore summer law associate education requirements

    Most common summer law associate degrees

    Bachelor's

    47.2 %

    Doctorate

    42.2 %

    Master's

    7.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific summer law associate skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Litigation18.22%
    Law Firm11.85%
    Employment Law7.33%
    Legal Research6.92%
    Settlement Agreements6.78%
  3. Complete relevant summer law associate training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New summer law associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a summer law associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real summer law associate resumes.
  4. Research summer law associate duties and responsibilities

    • Manage probate and estates administration.
    • Represent international and domestic corporations in commercial transactions, corporate governance and in arbitration and mediation disputes.
    • Research legal issues relate to ongoing litigation, present findings in office memorandum and verbally discuss in office meetings.
    • Prepare for and participate in collective bargaining negotiations, arbitration and mediation hearings, client meetings, and a CLE presentation.
  5. Prepare your summer law associate resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your summer law associate resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a summer law associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable summer law associate resume templates

    Build a professional summer law associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your summer law associate resume.
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
    Summer Law Associate Resume
  6. Apply for summer law associate jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a summer law associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first summer law associate job

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Average summer law associate salary

The average summer law associate salary in the United States is $125,756 per year or $60 per hour. Summer law associate salaries range between $72,000 and $216,000 per year.

Average summer law associate salary
$125,756 Yearly
$60.46 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do summer law associates rate their job?

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Summer law associate reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019
Pros

As a civil litigation defense attorney I love the fact that every day is different. I enjoy assisting clients who have a problem to solve that problem in the most cost effective way, and how to avoid such problems in the future. I like that I basically set my own work schedule (other than court dates).

Cons

Billing hours. Unscrupulous opposing counsel. Occasional biased judges who do not follow the law.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.