Summer Program
Summer Hiring
Time and Money
Work and Play
Getting the Job
How many summer associates do you anticipate for the 2008 Summer Program?
We hire based on anticipated need. In 2006 we hired 34 summer associates and in 2007 we hired 45 summer associates, including first-year and second-year law students.
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At what schools do you conduct on-campus interviews? Do you take candidates from other schools?
We conduct on-campus interviews at the following schools: Cornell, Duke, George Washington, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana-Bloomington, Indiana-Indianapolis, John Marshall, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Southern Methodist University, Texas, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt, University of Virginia, Washington-St. Louis, William & Mary and Wisconsin. We also participate in the following job fairs: CCBA (Cook County Bar Association) Minority Law Student Job Fair, CLEO (ABA Council on Legal Education Opportunity) Career Fair, Loyola Patent Law Interview Program and Midwest Regional Black Law Students Association Recruitment Conference. We gladly accept resumes from all law schools. Please click here for our On Campus Interview Schedule
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Which offices have summer associates?
We have summer associates at our downtown Indianapolis office as well as in South Bend and Fort Wayne.
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What is the minimum amount of time I must commit to the summer program?
We would like summer associates to spend a minimum of 10 weeks with us at the beginning of the summer. The 2008 Summer Program officially begins on Monday, May 12, and concludes on Friday, August 15. Summer associates may work a maximum of 12 consecutive weeks during that period. For second-year summer associates returning after spending their first summer at Baker & Daniels, we generally request a 4-week commitment at the end of the summer.
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What is the compensation for summer associates?
For the summer of 2007 we paid summer associates $1,825 per week, plus a $2000 start-up payment (to defer relocation expenses) payable on or about April 1. (Summer associates in the D.C. office are paid $2,200 per week plus a $2,400 start-up payment.) First-year summer associates are paid the same as second-year summer associates.
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What is the compensation for first-year associates?
The salary for entry-level associates is $100,000. Associates also are eligible for a standard bonus for meeting certain goals. In addition, certain associates may receive a special bonus for outstanding performance. The firm pays for the cost of the review courses and application fees for the MPRE, the Indiana Bar Exam, and the Patent Bar Exam, as well as a signing bonus of $5,000.
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What type of assignments will I receive?
Baker & Daniels' philosophy is to provide summer associates with an experience that closely resembles that of a first-year associate. Summer associates receive the same type of assignments that entry-level associates receive. There are no made-up assignments. Our goal is to provide challenging assignments that create an opportunity for both evaluation and feedback. The best assignments also include a related out-of-office experience.
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How are assignments distributed to summer associates?
Each summer associate's supervisor is responsible for monitoring the summer associate's work assignments. To the extent possible, supervisors attempt to provide assignments that match the interests of the summer associate. In addition, a list of available assignments is distributed regularly to supervisors.
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How do I determine what practice area I want to work in?
We generally assume that law school students don't have a very good idea about the various practice areas. We do not slot summer associates into particular practice areas. We try to provide a broad range of assignments (with significant input from the summer associate) so that each summer associate has the chance to see many different areas and get a better feel for what he or she would like to do long-term.
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What kind of feedback will I receive on my assignments?
Summer associates should expect detailed feedback, including constructive criticism, for each assignment. The supervisor is responsible for making sure that timely feedback is communicated for each assignment. Additionally, summer associates receive 4- week interim evaluations that are intended to identify strengths and weaknesses and set goals for the remainder of the summer, as well as review progress demonstrated since the previous interim evaluation.
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What kind of training will I receive?
Our goal is for every summer associate to be better prepared for the practice of law at the end of the summer. In addition to library and computer research training summer associates participate in formal educational programs - seminars on the topics of legal ethics, negotiation skills, oral advocacy and firm economics. Summer associates have the opportunity to attend a number of lunches and other sessions on various practice teams and the operation of the law firm. In the end, the best training is one-on-one with the various lawyers with whom summer associates work. We ask each lawyer assigning work to a summer associate to make a commitment to training.
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What kinds of summer social events does the firm offer?
The activities for the Summer Program are designed to assure that summer associates (and their spouses or significant others) have the opportunity to participate in the social life of the firm in ways that make the greatest positive contribution to the summer experience. Activities range from events that introduce summer associates to the spectrum of cultural and recreational opportunities in the community to informal dinners hosted at attorneys' homes.
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Is casual Friday part of the firm culture?
Yes. In fact, many lawyers routinely dress casual (on days other than Friday) depending on the lawyer's schedule. Although we have an informal "no jeans" policy, we generally leave decisions regarding dress to each individual attorney.
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How will I get to know members of the firm?
We can't promise that you'll get to know everyone in one summer, but through the planned social events, varied work experiences with different lawyers and informal lunches, you can get to know quite a few. In addition, summer associates rotate offices to have a chance to meet more people.
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What are my chances of receiving a full-time offer?
Each summer associate who performs well can receive an offer. We don't hire more summer associates than we need with the expectation of picking only a few to become full-time associates.
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How will you decide whether to make me an offer at the end of the summer?
Our standard for an offer for employment is the completion of a substantial body of "above average" or "outstanding" work, including on difficult assignments. The Recruiting & Retention Committee makes hiring decisions at the end of the summer and communicates those decisions in late August.
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After the summer with Baker & Daniels, will I get an offer from a particular team?
At the end of the summer program, summer associates receive a general offer to join Baker & Daniels. Summer associates are not assigned to specific practice teams during the course of the summer so that the summer associates and the firm both have the flexibility to evaluate a variety of practice area options.
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How are associates assigned to practice teams?
Before we begin the matching process, we solicit new associates' practice area preferences and, equally important, those areas in which they are definitely not interested. Then, we work very hard to match new associates with areas in which they have an interest. We recognize that not all assignments work out perfectly, and associates who are interested in another practice area are encouraged to request a team assignment change. How quickly the firm can accommodate the request depends on the needs of the team(s) in which the associate has expressed an interest, but the firm puts a priority on matching associates with teams that are likely to maximize an associate's potential for success.
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