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Law Students

Who says you can't have it all? 

Let's start with exceptional training for our Summer Associates and Attorneys. But it's not just our training programs that set us apart. We take a sincere personal interest in each of our new attorneys and we do our best to ensure they not only succeed as lawyers, but also enjoy what they do -- and the people with whom they practice law.

We hope you will picture yourself at Sheppard Mullin -- a firm that will take the time to invest in you and your future.

Click here for just some of our many benefits for associates.

Summer Associate Program

Sheppard Mullin places a major emphasis on its Summer Associate Program as the primary vehicle to attract high-achieving law students from diverse backgrounds to the firm. The program is designed to acquaint students with the firm's practices (through hands-on work experience) and lawyers (through a variety of fun social activities). By the end of their summer, summer associates gain a full and realistic exposure to the range and quality of the firm’s work, the structure of the firm and the personality of the office.

Sheppard Mullin's Summer Associate Program has consistently secured high rankings in national surveys, including Vault, Chambers Associate, Law 360 Pulse, and The American Lawyer.

What To Expect

We structure our Summer Associate Program to give law students a realistic view of the way we practice throughout the year. Our summer associates do meaningful work for clients of the firm and work closely with partners and associates in practice fields that they select. In the past, our summer associates have drafted briefs and other pleadings, credit agreements, acquisition agreements and other significant legal documents. Summer associates also attend depositions and court hearings, and work on pro bono projects with supervising attorneys. Our attorneys are urged to provide feedback to summer associates when a project has been completed, and each student receives a mid-summer and end-of-summer review.

The pay range is now $225,000 to $225,000, or $4,327 per week for our summer associates in 2025. Please note that the foregoing compensation information is a good-faith assessment associated with this position only and is provided pursuant to the New York City Salary Transparency Law. 

Social Events

The purpose of our Summer Associate Program is to recruit students who will return to Sheppard Mullin as associates and form a lasting relationship with the firm. To that end, we provide our summer associates with opportunities to become well-acquainted with the partners and associates in the office, and with the cultural resources of the region in which the office is located. Events in our various offices during past summers include beach days, white-water rafting, sailing, scavenger hunts, art tours, and cooking classes. Summer associates also attend cultural and sporting events, including music and theater productions and major league baseball games.

Sheppard Mullin provides an extensive hands-on training program to summer associates in all of our U.S. offices. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the summer program run?

Our Summer Associate Program typically runs for 10 weeks starting in mid-May and concluding in late July. Adjustments can be made for students attending schools that are on the quarter system. We do not allow students to split their summer with another employer.

What do I wear to the office?

All of our offices are "Dress for your Day" but summer associates should keep a suit easily accessible for important meetings.

What kind of mentoring will I have?

Summer associates have at least one associate mentor and, in some offices, two.

New York City Local Law No. 144 Notice

Pursuant to New York City Local Law No. 144, Sheppard Mullin provides the following disclosures:

Sheppard Mullin uses the automated employment decision tool Suited to assess candidates who seek employment with the firm as attorneys, including candidates who reside in New York City. Suited exclusively collects and analyzes psychometric data provided by individual candidates during each candidate’s assessment. Pursuant to its data retention policy, Sheppard Mullin retains candidate scores generated by Suited for three (3) years. For more information regarding Sheppard Mullin’s use of Suited, please contact Caroline Menes at (310) 228-6163 or cmenes@sheppardmullin.com.

To access Sheppard Mullin’s most recent bias audit of Suited, please click the following link: Audit Results (notion.site)

Recruiting Contacts

Century City

Chicago

Dallas

Del Mar

Houston

Los Angeles

New York

Orange County

San Diego

San Francisco

Silicon Valley

Washington, D.C.

Sheppard Mullin is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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