Every summer Swift Currie hosts a new group of promising law students, handpicked from top law schools and brought here to work in our primary practice areas of liability defense litigation and workers’ compensation.
Designed to help determine whether the student would be a good fit at Swift Currie and whether the student is interested in the firm, the Summer Associate Program provides each participant with a Reader and a Mentor. The Reader assists in legal writing and offers feedback and assistance, while the Mentor offers guidance outside the scope of work assignments and projects.
As part of the program, Swift Currie hosts several social and recreational events to acquaint the summer associates with our attorneys and the Atlanta area. The intent of the program is to offer summer associates full-time positions.
Questions and Answers:
Q: How do I apply for a position in the Summer Associates program?
A: If you are a second-year student at Georgia State University, Mercer University or the University of Georgia, you can apply in person at an on-campus interview that can be scheduled by your Career Services Office. If you do not attend these schools but are interested in applying to work at Swift Currie, please forward your cover letter, resume and transcript to angela.mcdaniel@swiftcurrie.com in June before the start of your second year.
Q: What are the criteria for summer applicants?
A: We are interested in hiring summer associates who have an interest in permanent employment with our firm. We do not have fixed criteria for grades or law school activities, and we do not limit our pool of applicants to members of law journals or moot court societies. We believe these are just a few measures of aptitude and we are interested in the applicant as an individual and potential member of our team.
Q: I’ve been scheduled for an interview. How should I prepare?
A: Be prepared to tell us how you want to practice law — the type of work that interests you, what you want to accomplish during the summer and what you want from your first several years of practice after law school.
Also consider browsing through our professional and practice area profiles to see which may best fit your interests and to learn about our partners. Be prepared to ask questions.
Q: What is the philosophy of the summer program?
A: We want our summer associates to finish the season with an accurate understanding of what it’s like to be a first-year associate at Swift Currie. We expose our summer associates to meaningful, real assignments. There is no “busy” or “made up” work.
Q: How will I be evaluated?
A: You will receive direct and honest feedback on your performance from every attorney who reviews your work. Supervising attorneys will provide real-time feedback and each summer associate will receive a formal evaluation at mid-term. At the close of the summer program, each associate will complete a formal exit evaluation.