McCandlish & Lillard has provided legal services in Northern Virginia since 1908, but its history is an active and evolving one. Wherever possible, it has broadened its practice areas and welcomed outstanding lawyers through lateral hiring. It has also relied on its Summer Associates Program to identify and hire bright young legal minds from among the best law schools in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and beyond.
The firm’s principals take the Summer Associates Program seriously, for they know that the search for the firm’s future principals begins here. In August and September of each year, the firm works closely with law school career and placement offices to select rising second year law students for campus interviews. At the conclusion of all campus interviews, the firm will invite a select few candidates from each school to the firm’s Fairfax office for additional interviews. Ultimately, no more than two or three candidates are hired as Summer Associates.
The chief purpose of the Summer Associates Program is to present the Summer Associates with a true experience of firm life. Most importantly, this means that Summer Associates will go to Court with firm attorneys, attend depositions, sit in on complex business transactions, participate in “brainstorming” sessions, and receive real, billable research assignments. In addition, it includes frequent lunches with the firm’s lawyers and staff, to learn more about who we are and let us learn more about you – and to relax and enjoy a little!
The firm believes that its Summer Associates are not looking to be wooed, wined and dined, but are searching for an accurate picture of the law firm, its lawyers and its practice areas. Only in this fashion can a Summer Associate truly decide if McCandlish & Lillard is the right place to begin, and hopefully end, a legal career. And only in this fashion can McCandlish & Lillard properly assess whether a Summer Associate is a good fit for the firm.
To that end, Summer Associates are not pigeonholed as “transactional” or “litigation” clerks. Rather, they are given a wide breadth of assignments, and encouraged to work and otherwise interact with all of the firm’s attorneys. But the work load is strictly monitored and is not dispensed frivolously. Each Summer Associate will have a mentor – associates or principals with the firm -- who will take responsibility for monitoring and regulating the Summer Associate’s work, helping with billing, providing practical “how to” advice and “running interference” for the Summer Associate if and when needed, and simply being “on call” to answer whatever questions on firm life arise. Hopefully, by the end of the Summer, the Associates not only will be equipped to decide properly whether McCandlish & Lillard is right for them, but, regardless, will be on their way to deciding what type of law they prefer to practice.
McCandlish & Lillard believes that its Summer Associates program works. Seven of the last nine associates hired by McCandlish & Lillard were Summer Associates (the others were lateral hires and not first-year associates). If interested, please see your placement office about applying for an interview with the firm. We look forward to meeting with you, whether on campus or by direct interview at our offices — or both! Thanks for your interest in our firm!
The Lawyers and Staff Professionals of McCandlish & Lillard, P.C.
