The Summer Experience at Weil’s New York Office

NEW YORK – Weil’s Summer Program is a truly exceptional experience. Summers spend 10 weeks working directly with partners, counsel and associates at one of the world’s top law firms. Over the course of the program, New York participants rotate through two or three of the Firm’s four departments (Corporate, Litigation, Restructuring and Tax) at Weil’s global headquarters in the General Motors Building above Central Park, centrally located to everything the City offers. 

How the application process works:

Applications for Weil’s summer program open on March 1. Students are invited to interview – through direct application or following “OCI” – and typically speak with four Weil attorneys, either in-person or via Zoom. Our Hiring Committee makes offer decisions as efficiently and thoughtfully as possible and applicants typically hear back promptly.

Your first week at Weil: 

On the first day of the program, you and your fellow New York summers gather in a 25th floor conference room in the Firm’s headquarters on Fifth Avenue to learn about Weil.

Partners, counsel, associates and staff explain what to expect over the next 10 weeks. You will also receive training on computer skills, library access, and research tools like Lexis and Westlaw, ensuring you have the support you need to succeed here at Weil.

You will be assigned an office and meet your officemates and “summer siblings,” junior associates who serve as mentors during the program. You will also be introduced to your Summer Program Committee groups: teams comprised of several summer associates and two or three partners that you will frequently meet with for social outings with other Weil attorneys and regular check-ins. By forming a network of people to support you, Weil ensures that all summers have the best possible experience and quickly become part of the Weil Family.  

“Quite honestly, [my officemates] have made my summer… They have given me a taste of the collaborative and welcoming environment at Weil that sets this firm apart.” – A former Weil summer associate

Your assignment coordinator – an associate in the department through which you are rotating – will reach out to discuss goals for the summer and begin organizing your first projects and observational opportunities. They will invite you to calls, staff you on deals, take you to court and/or loop you in on exciting pro bono matters, ensuring you gain substantive experience and learn what it means to be a Weil lawyer who is partnering with top clients on cutting-edge matters. 

New York program trajectory:

Most summers are still determining their interests at the program’s outset. The Firm understands that, and ensures you are exposed to practice areas throughout the program across our departments. Weil has no shortage of exceptional matters for you to work on, and operates at the top of the market regardless of practice.

New York summers rotate through a minimum of two, maximum of three of the Firm’s four departments: Corporate, Litigation, Restructuring and Tax. You may be staffed on multiple transactional deals and listening to client calls in your first rotation, in court for a class action litigation matter, and/or attending negotiations for a high-profile out-of-court restructuring by the end of the summer. Each summer’s experience is different and as customized as possible to their individual areas of interest while giving them a glimpse into life at Weil and the tremendous collaboration across specialties.

After ten weeks, summers have a strong sense of what each Weil practice entails and what interests them most.   

A typical day in the life: 

After settling into the program, you will hit the cadence of what it means to be a Weil summer associate.

Your morning may start with an email from your assignment coordinator alerting you that a partner has an assignment for you.  

You stop by their office to meet them, hear about the assignment, and ask some questions. While working on the project, you reach out to an associate on the matter for clarification and further background documents or precedent. At Weil, our team members understand the learning curve of the summer program and are always willing to help. In fact, our attorneys love the chance to teach and get to know the summer associate class every year.

After finishing the project, you head out to lunch with Weil partners and associates at one of the many chic new restaurants nearby. On your return, you run into a third-year associate, with whom you previously worked. They suggest grabbing coffee to hear about your summer and talk about their own experience at Weil, a great informal mentoring opportunity.

“I appreciate how generous Weil associates are with their offers to meet up… I don’t like buzzwords, but warm and collegial are two words that really do describe the relationships people have with one another here, and it instantly rubs off on you.” – A former Weil summer associate

Once the work day concludes, you gear up for an event that evening: a team dinner, department activity or concert with other summers; hallmarks of the summer experience and a great way to bond with your class and Weil attorneys alike!

“The events, both substantive and social, have exceeded the expectations set forth by my legal network.” – A former Weil summer associate

Why Weil:

Weil’s summer program strikes a unique balance of substantive work experience and exciting social networking opportunities. Our summers have an excellent time, but they also work hard and are treated like full members of the team. With this approach, summers get a clear picture of what it means to be a Weil lawyer.

If you want to be challenged with market-leading work, make meaningful individual contributions and launch your career, Weil’s summer program is the place for you.

We’re eager to connect with you:

For more information, please visit Weil’s careers page or the Firm’s Vault profile.

Contact recruiting representatives from each of our offices, and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up-to-date on all things Weil.