SUMMER LAW CLERK PROGRAM

PURPOSE
KDG hires summer law clerks as part of its overall recruitment effort.  Working in the firm exposes the clerks to our practice areas, our attorneys, and staff.  It allows us to evaluate the clerks for potential employment.  It allows the clerks to evaluate working in a firm, generally, and working for KDG, specifically.  Generally, new hires come from our summer clerk program. 

FORMAT
The law clerks arrive in late May.  Each clerk rotates through various practice areas, including litigation, estate planning and probate, bankruptcy, and business transactions as the firm’s needs may dictate.     

Attorneys in each practice area will assign projects to clerks and evaluate the projects when they are completed.

MENTORS
We assign each summer law clerk two mentors – a Partner Mentor and an Associate Mentor.  The mentors are a guide through the firm maze, a sounding board, and a friend. Partner mentors assure that the clerks receive a broad base of experiences during their rotations, and that assignments are within the clerks’ skill levels. 

TRAINING
We offer five training programs over the summer: Doing Research in the “Real World;” Writing in the “Real World;” Understanding Communication Styles; Working in Teams; and Unraveling What it Means to be a Lawyer. 

We concentrate heavily on clerk writing skills.  Our training partner is available to review clerk assignments before they are turned in to the assigning attorney.  We recommend that clerks take their first project to the training partner at least a day before the due date.  In addition, the training partner is available throughout  the summer to review projects and assist clerks to improve their work product and writing style. 

We also encourage lawyers to take clerks to court for hearings on motions and to observe trials, and to observe depositions, mediations, and client conferences. This is particularly beneficial when the clerk participated in writing the motion or preparing for the deposition, for example.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
We offer a variety of social activities throughout the summer. The activities chosen depend on the clerks’ interests. Traditional activities we schedule every year are a welcome barbeque, and the Lawyer- Law Clerk Party, both usually hosted at a partner’s home.  Other activities we have offered are white-water rafting on the Kern River, a Texas Hold’em poker tournament, box seats at a Bakersfield Blaze (AAA League) baseball game, golf, Central Coast wine tasting, Disneyland, and of course plenty of lunches with colleagues.

CONTACT
If you are interested in our Summer Law Clerk Program, please submit your resume, transcripts and a writing sample to Shannon McNeill at:

smcneill@kleinlaw.com