Summer Associate Experience 

Haskel Black knew he wanted to be an attorney, but didn’t always know when it would be the right time to shift careers from teaching to law. But after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, the Minneapolis resident knew the moment was right to put his passion for social justice to work. First came law school. Next up: Ballard Spahr, where Haskel was one of 25 2024 summer associates who spent 10 weeks with the firm, honing their skills as lawyers, discovering their strengths and preferences, and building relationships that will help them develop successful careers in law.

Haskel said he chose to be a summer associate at Ballard Spahr, where he had worked previously under the 1L Diversity Fellowship program, because “there was a personal touch to it,” adding that lawyers and business professionals throughout the Minneapolis office made it a point to welcome him and add value and meaning to his experience.

“Partners and associates alike were really good at stopping by, even just to ask whether we wanted to have coffee or lunch,” he said. “And we had choice in our assignments. As a summer associate, you have freedom to explore what interests you, and the work given to us is tailored to our interests.”

Wilson Smerconish—a summer associate in the firm’s Philadelphia office—shared a similar experience.

“I looked for a firm that had a nationally ranked summer program, and I wanted the resources of a big firm with the culture of a small firm. At Ballard, I got the best of both worlds,” he said. “Summer associates got an authentic glimpse into the world of practicing law, and it was designed not just to challenge us, but to show us what a collegial and close-knit sense of community was like.”

In his assignments, Wilson said he was given the opportunity to do meaningful work and materially participate in proceedings.

“There was diversity,” he said. “I did a lot of research and writing, but I got to sit in on pre-trial meetings. I got to attend a settlement conference. I went to a mediation session with a trademark client. I got to both observe and participate in the actual practice of law.”

Shanae Jones first came to Ballard Spahr in 2023 through its 1L Diversity Fellowship program. She wanted to spend a second summer with Ballard Spahr because the firm’s values reflected her own.

“One of my favorite things about Ballard is that the commitment to pro bono is practiced, not just said,” she said. “There is a vested interest in helping people who can’t afford representation that is not typical of similarly situated firms. Ballard also prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion in a way that I find impressive.”

Like Haskel and Wilson, Shanae found her time as a summer associate to be a hands-on, participatory experience that helped her grow as a professional.

“I liked that the structure of the program allowed me to learn about several different areas of law,” she said. “As a 1L, I thought I wanted to be a litigator, but I didn’t know what being a transactional lawyer looked like. The attorneys I met over the course of the summer were very open to providing me with new experiences and shaping my understanding of the firm’s practice groups. When I returned as a 2L, I could say with certainty that I wanted to litigate, and my mentors saw to it that I got the kind of work that interested me. I found myself making meaningful contributions to the litigation process, which was invaluable to me as an aspiring litigator.”

For Firmwide Hiring Partners Laura C. Giles and William B. Igoe, hearing that the Summer Associate Program provided budding lawyers with genuine opportunities and valuable work is a critical measure of success.

“Our Summer Associate Program is one of the ways we work as a firm to develop our own talent,” Will said. “We always look forward to working with these law students, and it’s a point of pride to know we’ve helped them get closer to their ultimate goal of practicing law and building their careers.”