Schiff Hardin has developed formal programs in which experienced attorneys train our summer associates, give them hands-on litigation and corporate experiences, and provide substantive feedback intended to help them develop new skills. Summer at Schiff Hardin provides a transition between law school and law practice.
Litigation Training
Our litigation training program allows summer associates to:
- Learn from top trial lawyers about strategies for trial or depositions;
- Participate in a mock trial or a mock deposition in which firm attorneys act as witnesses and judges.
Corporate Training
Our corporate training program provides summer associates with the opportunity to:
- Learn from leading corporate attorneys about the nature of corporate practice, including topics like the steps in a corporate transaction, securities issues in corporate practice, and the key elements of a purchase agreement;
- Observe a typical negotiation of the terms of a mock purchase agreement;
- Participate in a mock negotiation involving select issues in a purchase agreement.
Legal Writing Instruction
Schiff Hardin's summer writing program has three parts.
- First, during the first week of the Summer Program, our in-house legal writing coach conducts a half-day writing workshop called "Introduction to Legal Writing at Law Firms."
- Second, we host weekly writing roundtables. At each of these sessions, several partners and the firm's legal writing coach meet with the summer associates in pairs to discuss the summer associates’ work and the legal writing process generally. Partners share their best writing practices in an open and informal conversational setting.
- Third, the firm's legal writing coach works one-on-one throughout the summer with individual summer associates.
Communication Skills Training
Schiff Hardin's summer associates participate with associates in public speaking training sessions. The trainings include videotaped practice and provide associates and summer associates with concrete suggestions for improving their speaking and presentation skills.