Summer Associate Program

The Ungaretti & Harris summer program consists of a small group of well-qualified second-year law students. To maintain the firm’s collegial environment, we search for students who blend academic excellence with maturity and confidence. Our goal is to provide summer associates with an opportunity to participate in a practice area that interests them with an occasional assignment outside that scope.  We encourage participation in a range of professional and social activities that will provide a realistic experience of life as a first-year associate. We believe the small size of the summer program is an especially attractive feature in that it allows a degree of flexibility and personal attention not possible at many other firms.

Loyalty and Commitment. A hallmark of the Ungaretti & Harris culture is the firm’s commitment to its attorneys and staff. We invest a significant amount of time and energy to develop young associates and each attorney is considered a valuable member of the team. The summer associates are no exception.

It is the firm’s preference to hire permanent associates from the summer program and the size of the summer program is consistent with the firm’s conservative approach to growth.

Legal Activities. The primary focus of Ungaretti & Harris is providing clients with high-quality representation. On the transactional side, this typically involves gathering information, analyzing the legal aspects of various business options and preparing the appropriate documentation. In litigation, such work typically involves either representing the client in disputes or providing advice designed to help the client avoid, minimize or manage future liability. An understanding of relevant law is critical in both areas. Research and drafting of memoranda, motions and briefs will thus be a large part of a summer associate’s experience. Summer associates may also have the opportunity to participate in factual investigation on behalf of the client, including client/witness interviews and document review. Associates will also observe (and, to the extent possible, participate in) any depositions, negotiations, drafting sessions, closings, trials or hearings then in progress. Significantly, summer associates are initially placed in a particular practice area based on their original preferences and, as a result, a summer associate's work experience will consist mainly of projects from that particular practice area.

Professional Activities. Described by a local legal publication as “among the Chicago firms that have invested heavily in the training of their associates,” summer associates are warmly welcomed to our professional training programs. Other activities will also help introduce summer associates to the Chicago legal environment.

Social Activities. During the summer, the firm hosts a number of activities designed to strengthen and foster relationships among department members – or, more simply put, to have a good time. Such activities have included bowling outings, boat cruises, golf outings, cocktail parties, dinner parties, baseball games, wine-tasting events and periodic smaller-scale events.

All in all, every effort will be made to ensure that members of the program get to know the firm and have an enjoyable and professionally-enriching summer.