ABOUT OUR SUMMER PROGRAM

About Curtis

Founded in 1830, Curtis is recognized as one of the first firms to develop a truly international practice, a tradition we continue to build upon today. Curtis offices are located in strategic business capitals around the world and are staffed by multilingual professionals providing highly sophisticated legal services.

Our lawyers bring a global perspective, incorporating a deep understanding of political and cultural sensitivities in addressing our clients legal needs, and exemplifying what it means to be international business lawyers.

The firm has experienced growth on a global scale, adding offices in Rome and Geneva and increasing its attorney head count. With 17 offices in locations strategic to our clients interests in the United States, Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, the firm provides clients with a consistently high level of service and the full benefit of our resources.

Curtis clients include leading investment management advisers and financial institutions as well as individuals, entrepreneurs, governments and government agencies and private and public companies.

Curtis is comprised of lawyers who choose to practice in an environment in which they are able to enjoy close contact with clients who are involved with some of the most interesting and important transactions in the world. Our size and culture enable us to ensure an appropriate level of involvement of our most junior lawyers in every aspect of our clients work.

Summer Program

The Curtis Summer Program is small and highly selective. Curtis chooses approximately 10 to 15 second-year law students and 2 to 3 first-year law students to participate in our highly rated program. The summer program, which lasts ten weeks, starts in late May and ends in late July. Grades and scores are not the only criteria for selection. Curtis looks for students who are confident, independent thinkers as well as multilingual. We immerse our summer associates in law firm life through client projects, training seminars and social events. The summer program is designed to give students a realistic view of the practice of law while at the same time teaching them real-world lawyering skills in a hands-on environment. Our summer associates quickly become assimilated through close contact with partners and mentors and involvement in important client work. The starting salary for first-year attorneys is $180,000. Summer Associates are paid as if they were first-year associates, $3,462.00 per week.

Assignments

Summer associates receive assignments which are carefully selected to correspond with their interests and goals. Throughout the summer, summer associates join lawyers in meetings, closings, depositions and court proceedings. Formal training includes lectures, workshops, panel discussions and lunchtime programs on topics such as legal writing, corporate negotiation, depositions, trial practice and current issues in various areas of the law. Summer associates are reviewed at the mid-point and at the conclusion of the Summer Associate Program.

Summer Events

Curtis summer associates have numerous opportunities to become acquainted with Curtis lawyers and New York City outside of the office. Each summer associate is matched to a partner mentor and an associate adviser, who serve as primary resources on a variety of topics, including the firm culture, clients, work assignments and work/life balance. The calendar of events includes dinners and informal gatherings at partners homes as well as other outings, such as Broadway shows and baseball games. The firms weekly breakfast meetings allow summer associates to discuss with one another and with members of the Summer Associate Committee the assignments they have worked on during the week.

Training and Development

Curtis is committed to the professional development of its attorneys. Curtis provides an array of Continuing Legal Education programs, designed by our lawyers to provide associates with broad, basic knowledge of different practice and substantive areas. For our experienced lawyers, Curtis provides in-house educational seminars and collaborates with outside vendors for additional training. Ongoing professional training is also available for Curtis attorneys through periodic departmental meetings held to discuss current issues, provide updates in the law, and train new associates.