Recruiting Co-Chair Q&A
Derick is a co-chair and longtime member of the Firm's Recruiting Committee.
What makes a successful summer associate?
"What makes a successful summer associate" is a common and important question I often hear from law students, and I am always thrilled to hear it because it demonstrates awareness that there is much more to achieve over and above performing at a high level in an academic setting. While there is no set formula for success, the following are common traits shared by those who started as summer associates and developed into successful lawyers at Lewis Rice:
- A practical approach. We strive to develop lawyers who present thought out solutions to clients who function in the real world.
- Curiosity and creativity. We want summer associates who are eager to learn and grow and who push us as much as we push them.
- A drive to succeed. We need individuals who are hungry to achieve and are eager to work hard to continue the Lewis Rice tradition of providing superior client service.
Why do summer associates rotate through each department during the 10-week program?
Our summer associates rotate because we want each of them to interact with all of the Lewis Rice attorneys. Lewis Rice is a full service law firm, and regardless of your area of interest, your long term success is rooted in developing relationships with Lewis Rice lawyers across all practice areas. In addition, we want you to experience and discover the work that best suits you, and the rotation format provides the opportunity for you to work on assignments in each of our four departments: Litigation, Corporate, Tax, and Estate Planning.
What part of the Summer Associate Program are you most proud of?
The Summer Associate Program is real. At the end of the program, you will have a full understanding of what it means to be a member of the Lewis Rice team and whether this is a place where you want to spend your career. The Summer Associate Program is the primary hiring avenue for Lewis Rice and we extend offers to only those law students whom we believe have a long-term future at the Firm. Our summer associates are not competing for offers; when you perform, you can expect an offer to continue to develop with Lewis Rice.
What do you like most about being the Co-chair of the Recruiting Committee?
Serving as Co-chair of the Recruiting Committee along with my friend and fellow member Jill McFarland is both an honor and tremendous responsibility. The Firm entrusts us with leading the recruitment and development of the future Lewis Rice attorneys. Both Jill and I started our journey in the Summer Associate Program, which served as the foundation of our careers. The relationships I built at the firm are rooted in my first two summers; I look forward to guiding our future attorneys down the same path.
