Careers

Our summer associate program is the cornerstone of our talent pipeline, reflecting our investment in the next generation of exceptional lawyers. We attract the most talented law school students by providing them with professional opportunities not available elsewhere, including hands-on experience in some of the most high-profile cases in the country. Our summer associate program is designed to provide realistic exposure to the firm’s lawyers and clients, while the small class size in each office allows for close mentoring and training in an informal and collegial environment.

Our minimum 10-week program typically begins in May, but start dates are flexible to accommodate school calendars. Summer associates are assigned a mentor and our structure provides both Summer Associate Coordinators and Hiring Partners. Upon arrival, summer associates immediately get to work, drafting briefs and preparing for and attending oral arguments, hearings, and depositions. Assignments also include the opportunity to get involved in our pro bono cases.

In addition to client work, summer associates have the chance to meet with all our lawyers in a more casual atmosphere at a series of weekly events throughout the summer. Past activities have included wine tastings, baseball games, and cooking classes.

“Associates here are given high-level work right out of the gate, on all sorts of complex litigation. It’s exactly the right mix of awesome and terrifying – it’s everything I wanted coming out of law school.” – Andrew Steinmetz, quoted in Lawdragon
 
Associates make a positive contribution from the day they arrive. Junior associates work closely with seasoned lawyers, assisting them in preparing and making presentations to our clients, taking depositions, drafting critical legal briefs, and presenting arguments in court, often against senior partners at renowned firms.
 
Associates develop broad experience, in part because we do not have rigidly defined practice areas. Our partners handle cases in a wide variety of areas, and we want our associates to have the same exposure to as many different areas of practice as possible. We believe that makes for a firm of more creative and effective lawyers when compared to a traditional system of practice rotations and assignments.
 
Many of our cases are staffed by attorneys throughout the firm, and associates are encouraged to collaborate with attorneys from different offices. We want our associates to personally know the people whose extraordinary talents distinguish our firm.
 
Our formula compensation model ensures that associates share in the firm’s success, creating opportunities for them to earn well beyond the market rate for year-end bonuses while giving flexibility to those who choose to work at a different pace. The majority of our associates earn bonuses that are at least as high as, and in many cases higher than, what they would earn in a lockstep market system.
 
In addition to direct experience, associates further develop their skills via structured, formal training programs. Each month, we offer firmwide sessions, led by our senior attorneys. These programs address specific areas of the litigation process (such as taking or defending a deposition), advocacy in different forums (such as international arbitration) as well as substantive legal specialties (such as antitrust).
 
Associates also have access to programming through the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), enabling them to sharpen their capabilities with motions, opening statements, depositions, and other trial skills. Junior associates can register for one in-person NITA deposition skills training and midlevel to senior associates can register for one NITA online intensive course.

At BSF, we value the exceptional skill and depth of knowledge that attorneys bring to the table after completing federal district and appellate clerkships – in fact, over 40% of our lawyers have completed clerkships in their careers. We know clerkships offer attorneys the opportunity to sharpen their legal reasoning, strengthen their writing, and gain a unique understanding of judicial decision-making, all of which make them a vital asset to our team.

BSF is committed to being the destination of choice for attorneys seeking to leverage their clerkship experience to thrive at an elite litigation firm. For that reason, we offer above-market signing bonuses to all federal district and appellate court clerks – $150,000 for one qualifying clerkship or $175,000 for two.

• Financial Wellness: 401(k) plan, pre-tax commuter savings, flexible spending accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Health and Support: Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families (including domestic partners), firm-paid fertility plan (up to $40,000), paid parental leave, life insurance, long-term care, elder care, short- and long-term disability
• Work-Life Balance: Generous vacation policy, travel assistance, back-up childcare, employee discount program