Our Summer Associate Program
Our Summer Associate Program will show you what it’s like to practice intellectual property (IP) law in general, and the Wolf Greenfield way in particular. You’ll be involved in a mix of challenging client work (yes, real work) including direct client contact (such as in-person IP strategy meetings), and exposure to litigation proceedings of interest (watch a real IP case unfolding in court). Along the way, you will also receive in-depth training and join in many fun events.
At the end of the summer, you will have a realistic sense of what it’s like to work at the firm, the firm will have a realistic sense of your capabilities, and everyone will have a had a great time in the process.
Orientation
On your first day, various firm leaders will introduce you to the firm and our summer program. The remainder of your orientation will give you the preparation necessary to begin your assignments and will allow you to become more familiar with our systems, people, departments, processes and practices.
Our Managing Partner, Tim Oyer, will welcome you to the firm. John Strand, our Summer Program Coordinator will explain our summer program. You’ll learn about our expectations and our hiring approach from John Van Amsterdam, Chair of our Hiring Committee. Our Training Committee Chair will talk about our extensive training curriculum. Our Executive Director, Bob Edwards, will describe the firm’s resources.
Mentoring
You will have a mentor, either a shareholder or associate, who will serve as an advisor during the summer. These mentors are in place to provide guidance and answer questions you may have about the firm and your work assignments.
The Work
You’ll start by selecting a primary and secondary practice group to join for the summer. Your primary group will usually be the group which hired you, but your secondary practice group is another group you’d like to work with over the summer. Although your work will come mainly from your primary practice group, you’ll also get as much of a mix of work as time allows in the summer. You may wish, for example, to be affiliated with a both a technology based practice group and the Litigation Group to be exposed to both patent prosecution and IP litigation work.
The matters you work on will be real client work, not fabricated projects designed to create work for you. On each matter, you will work with a shareholder, associate, or senior technology specialist (tech spec) from whom you’ll receive ongoing direction and feedback.
The work you receive will also reflect the exciting diversity within IP. You may find yourself – as one recent summer associate did – working on issues as varied as cybersquatting, hair bleach, snowboard bindings, sneakers, and suppression of free speech by the government. All in the span of 10 weeks!
You will participate in meetings and conference calls with clients, you will “go to court” with our litigators, and you may even be involved in a pro bono project.
If you want to work on a certain kind of matter, just ask! Our firm has a friendly and open environment, so you will be able to help create your own, unique summer experience.
Training
Please see our Professional Development page.
Got Social Events?
You’ll discover our collegial atmosphere provides many opportunities for enjoying a variety of social events and developing personal relationships.
Not only will you enjoy firm-wide events – such as our firm summer outing and periodic “wine-downs” – but you’ll join associates, tech specs, and shareholders at a host of special events aimed at allowing you to get to know our people in a more casual atmosphere.
Typical events for summer associates have included:
- Red Sox game and pre-game drinks and snacks at a microbrewery in the Fenway
- A “Welcome to the Firm” dinner at a popular restaurant in Boston with a group of shareholders, associates, and new tech specs
- Lunches at various Boston restaurants with firm personnel throughout the summer
- Summer barbecue party
- Evening dinner cruise through the Harbor Islands hosted by the firm’s Associates Committee
- Attending concerts on the Esplanade
- Participating in firm sponsored sporting activities such as Lawyers Have Heart 5K road race and firm softball team
- Kayaking on the Charles River
If you can swing a bat, you should plan on being recruited for our co-ed intramural softball team. Weekly games are held in South Boston and are followed by a post-game social hour.
In Their Own Words
The following are comments taken from evaluation forms completed by past summer associates at the end of their summer experiences at Wolf Greenfield:
"Wolf Greenfield is a really laid back, friendly Boston firm that will let you learn about all aspects of IP law. They'll get you involved in all types of projects that you're interested in working on and they'll let you meet clients and inventors and really have a say and an impact on their final work product. Also, everyone who works at Wolf Greenfield is a genuine person who loves what they're doing and enjoys the people they work with. You'll be expected to perform on the level of an actual attorney, but you'll similarly get to really feel like part of the team."
"I can't think of a better place for someone with a very strong technical background, a reasonable perspective on work-life balance and a desire to live in Boston. This is the ideal law firm, in terms of people, work and location for me."
"The firm does high quality work while still having a good time."
"At law school there are so many nightmarish stories about "sweatshop" firms with partners who are "screamers" and associates who sleep under their desks. I was thrilled to come here and get to know people who are passionate and dedicated to their jobs, but treat everyone they work with respectfully and still remember how to have fun."
"I never felt like I was doing busywork. Last summer, especially, I felt that I had a great opportunity to interact with clients, attend court, etc."
"I really enjoyed the 'How to think like a lawyer' series. It was, in my opinion, probably the best event/class the entire summer. David [Wolf] did a great job covering the cases and stimulating discussion about what potential courses of actions we should take given a specific fact pattern. I have taken a lot away from this class as the topics covered in class can not be learned from reading a book, but rather come from experience."
"I actually liked that Wolf Greenfield interviews were more extensive than at other places. I don't think I'd want to work at a place that doesn't take the time to evaluate its hires - it says something about how long they expect those hires to be there. With Wolf Greenfield, I got the feeling that the firm cared a lot about the recruiting process."
