Hiring for the Summer Associate Program
What are the dates of the 2025 summer associate program?
We offer a full summer, ten-week summer program, currently scheduled to run from May 19, 2025 through July 25, 2025.
Do all of your offices have a summer associate program?
In 2025, the Nashville, Memphis and Washington, DC offices will offer a summer program.
Are first-year law students eligible to participate?
First-year law students are eligible to participate in the Nashville, Memphis and Washington, DC summer associate programs.
How do I apply, and is there a deadline?
Our 1L program application for our Nashville, Memphis and Washington, DC offices opens on November 1, 2024.
Does Bass, Berry & Sims seek to hire diverse first-year law students?
Yes. We believe embracing diversity strengthens who we are as a firm and enhances the service we provide to our clients, the legal industry, and the communities where we live and work. As part of our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be a member of the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD) whose overall goal is to increase diversity in the legal profession. Through our partnership with the LCLD, we encourage and fund our diverse 1L summer associates to attend and participate in the LCLD 1L Scholars Program.
What criteria do you look for when hiring summer associates?
We hire summer associates who demonstrate the potential to be excellent attorneys. We seek well-rounded and highly motivated individuals with excellent interpersonal skills, strong academic achievement, strong work ethic and the desire to grow in a team environment.
Summer Associate Program at a Glance
What kind of training can I expect to receive from your Summer Associate Program?
Our summer program provides summer associates a realistic impression of what it would be like to practice law with Bass, Berry & Sims. As a result, summer associates have diverse opportunities to observe attorneys in a variety of settings for a wide range of matters. In addition, a summer associate receives valuable training and experience working in tandem with firm attorneys drafting documents, preparing motions and completing an array of legal projects. Summer associates are offered several training and development opportunities and workshops throughout the summer to assist with exploration of practice group areas and legal skill development. We emphasize constructive feedback as part of our summer program so that progress may be noted throughout the course of the program.
Will I have a mentor as a summer associate?
Yes. Each summer associate is assigned to a mentor team comprised of members, associates, and peer summer associates. The attorney mentors serve as expert resources regarding questions about the firm and provide counsel on each summer associate’s long-term goals. The associate mentor members of the team oversee the summer associate’s work assignments and serve an integral part of acclimating the summer associate into our firm.
How is work distributed and what types of assignments can I expect to receive as a summer associate?
The work assignment process is typically managed by associate mentors. Summer associates are asked to identify any practice preferences prior to the start of the summer and are given the opportunity to choose assignments that match his or her interests. Summer associates are given substantive assignments that are typical of assignments given to our entry-level associates. Mentor teams are trained in delegation and feedback to ensure that summer associates continually develop their skills throughout the summer.
What is the firm doing to address the well-being of its employees?
Bass, Berry & Sims is committed to the well-being of everyone who works at the firm. In demonstration of this commitment, we were one of the first law firms to sign on to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Well-Being Pledge. The Pledge aims to improve the mental health landscape and to prevent substance use within the legal profession. The Pledge calls upon legal employers to recognize that substance use and mental health issues represent a significant challenge for the legal profession and to acknowledge that more can and should be done to improve the health and well-being of those who work in the industry. More information about the Pledge and the ABA Working Group to Advance Well-Being in the Legal Profession can be found here.
Bass, Berry & Sims PLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.