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Summer law associate skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Leslie Heaphy Ph.D.,

James Tomaszewski

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical summer law associate skills. We ranked the top skills for summer law associates based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 18.2% of summer law associate resumes contained litigation as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a summer law associate needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 summer law associate skills for your resume and career

1. Litigation

Here's how summer law associates use litigation:

Established procedures and implemented the use of agreements that successfully reduced and avoided employment related litigation and associated costs.
Provided guidance and successfully avoided litigation with respect to territory reduction and terminations of distributor relationships.

2. Law Firm

Here's how summer law associates use law firm:

Worked with the law firm's founding partners, handling family, criminal, and immigration law matters.
Headed up law firm s blog - created content informing clients about social security disability law.

3. Employment Law

Employment law іѕ the соllесtіоn of laws аnd rules that rеgulаtе thе rеlаtіоnѕhір bеtwееn employers and еmрlоуееѕ. It gоvеrnѕ whаt еmрlоуеrѕ саn еxресt from еmрlоуееѕ, whаt еmрlоуеrѕ саn ask of еmрlоуееѕ, and employees' rights аt wоrk. Employment law covers a wіdе range оf issues, frоm реnѕіоnѕ аnd retirement рlаnѕ to occupational safety аnd tо discrimination in thе workplace.

Here's how summer law associates use employment law:

Researched and created inter-office memos regarding current employment laws and defamation of character issues.
Served as defense counsel and 2nd Chair for employment law, real estate, commercial banking and general liability groups.

4. Legal Research

Here's how summer law associates use legal research:

Conducted legal research and drafted briefs on issues related to employment discrimination and unjust employment termination.
Conducted legal research on land use, federal discrimination statutes and local nuisance provisions.

5. Settlement Agreements

Here's how summer law associates use settlement agreements:

Negotiated settlement agreements and complex division of property.
Drafted and reviewed employment applications, employee handbooks, employment contracts and settlement agreements.

6. Employment Agreements

Here's how summer law associates use employment agreements:

Drafted and negotiated offer letters and employment agreements and separation agreements; reviewed benefit-related communications.
Drafted and reviewed operating, partnership and employment agreements.

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7. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how summer law associates use real estate:

Managed Connecticut office for Massachusetts firm specializing in residential real estate law.
Drafted and reviewed contracts, security agreements, petitions and corporate compliance memos for the corporate and real estate departments.

8. Labor Law

Here's how summer law associates use labor law:

Entered receipted Certified Payrolls and Daily Sign-Out Logs into Labor Law System and Labor Law Compliance Management System (LCMS).
Noted non-compliance with applicable labor law standards.

9. Discovery Motions

Here's how summer law associates use discovery motions:

Draft dispositive and discovery motions and argue motions in Court; prepare mediation statements and conduct mediations.
Authored 25+ summary judgment motions in complex personal injury matters; numerous discovery motions.

10. Trial Preparation

Trial preparation is the practice of gathering sufficient raw material for a court case. This preparation is done to make the bases of a case stronger by bringing the facts to light in a way that will give the concerned law bodies a better comprehension of the entire scenario. The method for preparing for a case may differ depending upon its nature.

Here's how summer law associates use trial preparation:

Assisted in trial preparation for corporate clients undergoing various disputes with employees and officers of the company.
Assist lead attorney Isaac Byrd, and other staff attorneys on various cases and trial preparations.

11. Separation Agreements

Here's how summer law associates use separation agreements:

Drafted and negotiated terms of separation agreements.
Negotiate settlement and separation agreements; draft waivers and releases; assume lead role in alternative dispute resolution.

12. Intellectual Property

Intellectual properties refer to individuals' intangible or non-physical wealth, which results from their imaginations and intellect.

Here's how summer law associates use intellectual property:

Specialized in M&A, corporate restructuring and intellectual property protection
Assisted in drafting contracts and memoranda for clients regarding intellectual property law.

13. Employment Discrimination

Here's how summer law associates use employment discrimination:

Represented employers in actions based on claims for wrongful termination, wage and hour, and employment discrimination.
Research and draft interrogatories, and identify potential witnesses for arbitral hearings on employment discrimination issues.

14. Federal Courts

Federal courts refer to designated law system units mandated to rule cases that involve the constitution, the federal laws, cases entailing bankruptcy, the general conduct of the ambassadors and public ministers in treaties, and crimes that involve different states.

Here's how summer law associates use federal courts:

Deposed witnesses, key parties, wrote and argued briefs before state and federal courts.
Researched and wrote motions and briefs for federal courts in Maryland.

15. Arbitration

Here's how summer law associates use arbitration:

Represented international and domestic corporations in commercial transactions, corporate governance and in arbitration and mediation disputes.
Prepared for and participated in collective bargaining negotiations, arbitration and mediation hearings, client meetings, and a CLE presentation.

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What skills help Summer Law Associates find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on summer law associate resumes?

Leslie Heaphy Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Kent State University

-Online teaching experience
-Flexibility in teaching modalities
-Research and critical thinking continue to be important
-Digital technology
-Ability to ask good questions
-Writing skills
-Understanding facts

What hard/technical skills are most important for summer law associates?

James Tomaszewski

Director of the Center for Professional Development, University of Cincinnati

Excellent writing skills.

What soft skills should all summer law associates possess?

James Tomaszewski

Director of the Center for Professional Development, University of Cincinnati

Engagement, Resilience, Responsiveness, Respectfulness, Integrity.

What summer law associate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Andrea Schneider

Professor of Law, Marquette University

Law school graduates should focus on developing client interaction skills and dispute resolution skills, including active listening, understanding emotional intelligence, and non-defensive communication. The need for low-cost legal assistance, particularly in large urban areas, in foreclosure, eviction, unemployment, and bankruptcy will be significant. Volunteers with legal training will be needed to address unprecedented impacts on individuals in many areas of the law. They could also work on the software or technological skills that law school may not have provided but which will make them even more attractive to employers after the pandemic.

What type of skills will young summer law associates need?

Richard Meltz

Senior Advisor and Internship Manager Staff, The Ohio State University

For global affairs careers, many skill sets are sought. Language skills are valuable. All job seekers need basic computer skills. Word processing, spreadsheet and data analysis, excellent writing and communication skills are sought. Aside from these basic skills, the range of skills employers seek becomes more specialized. Computer mapping skills and the ability to analyze political, economic, social, and environmental issues with depth are sought. By numbers of jobs, the private sector is larger than the government sector. The understanding of how business and international trade works is useful.

What technical skills for a summer law associate stand out to employers?

Paula Smith

Assistant Dean for Career & Professional Development, Texas Tech University

Legal employers are seeking young lawyers with a good academic grasp of the law, excellent legal research and writing skills, advocacy abilities including negotiation, trial, and appellate exposure, and personal attributes of integrity, teamwork, diligence, resilience, and an expectation of success.

Do you want to know more?

List of summer law associate skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a summer law associate resume and required skills for a summer law associate to have include:

Litigation
Law Firm
Employment Law
Legal Research
Settlement Agreements
Employment Agreements
Real Estate
Labor Law
Discovery Motions
Trial Preparation
Separation Agreements
Intellectual Property
Employment Discrimination
Federal Courts
Arbitration

Interrogatories
Legal Issues
Legal Memoranda
Court Appearances
Office Actions
Corporate Governance
Criminal Law
Summary Judgment
Civil Litigation
Estate Planning
Position Statements
Probate
Client Interviews
Child Support
Product Liability

Domestic Violence
Court Proceedings
Commercial Litigation
Employment Contracts
Criminal Defense
Subpoenas
State Courts
FLSA
Legal Advice
Oral Arguments
HIPAA
Patent Applications
Criminal Cases
Legal Services

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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