The Honest Guide to Summer Associate Social Events

Summer associate programs can contain an absurd number of events: dinners, receptions, games, concerts, practice lunches, community service, retreats, and activities someone in recruiting bravely volunteered to organize.

The events have two purposes. The firm wants you to enjoy the program, and everyone wants enough informal time to decide whether working together feels natural.

You should participate. You do not need to treat every invitation as mandatory or every event as an audition.

How many events should you attend?

Attend major office events, practice events connected to your interests, and a reasonable mix of smaller activities. If you have an assignment deadline, health need, religious commitment, family responsibility, or simple exhaustion, communicate and skip where appropriate.

The exact expectation varies by office. Ask a trusted junior associate or recruiting professional which events matter most.

Going to nothing can signal disengagement. Going to everything while your work slips is worse.

Alcohol is optional

You never need to drink to fit in. Order water, soda, or a nonalcoholic drink without a long explanation.

If you choose to drink, remember that the event is still professional. Eat, pace yourself, know your limits, and stop before judgment changes. Free alcohol is not compensation for risk.

Do not pressure another summer or lawyer to drink. Do not ask why someone is not drinking.

Meals

Follow the host's lead on price and courses. Choose food you can eat while talking. Be polite to restaurant staff. Keep your phone away unless needed.

You do not need to prove sophistication through wine knowledge or menu choices. The point is the conversation.

Ask people about work, career paths, cities, hobbies, and the summer experience. Avoid gossip about other summers, confidential matters, politics designed to provoke, and invasive personal questions.

Large events

At a reception, do not spend the entire time with the same two summers. Introduce yourself to a few lawyers, have a real conversation, then move naturally.

A simple opening works:

Hi, I am Tulio. I am a summer working mostly with the corporate group so far. What practice are you in?

You do not need a networking technique with a trademarked name.

Trips and retreats

Travel can blur professional boundaries because the schedule is longer and the environment is casual. The same basic rules apply:

• arrive on time;
• follow safety and expense instructions;
• respect roommates and shared transportation;
• avoid posting people without permission;
• keep confidential conversations private; and
• do not become the story everyone tells afterward.

If an activity creates an accessibility, health, religious, or personal issue, contact recruiting early. You can ask for an alternative without disclosing unnecessary detail.

What to wear

Follow the stated dress code and ask if it is unclear. "Business casual" varies by office and event.

For office events, a safe baseline is polished clothing appropriate for a client-facing workplace. For athletic or outdoor events, wear clothing suited to the activity while remembering coworkers will be present.

Bring a layer. Firm event venues are apparently required to be either freezing or outdoors in humidity.

Dating and relationships

Summer classes are social, and adults form relationships. The workplace also contains power differences, professional consequences, and policies.

Use judgment. Avoid creating pressure for another summer or employee. Respect clear boundaries. Do not make other people's relationships a group discussion.

If a lawyer or anyone with authority behaves inappropriately, you can contact recruiting, human resources, a trusted mentor, or another reporting channel. The summer-associate title does not require tolerating harassment.

Social media

Do not post confidential office information, client locations, internal materials, or photos of people who did not consent. A beautiful conference room view can still reveal a matter name on a screen.

Follow firm policy. When uncertain, keep the experience offline.

Common mistakes

• Missing events without responding.
• Becoming visibly intoxicated.
• Treating staff poorly.
• Complaining about assignments or other firms.
• Sharing confidential information.
• Posting coworkers without permission.
• Dominating a conversation.
• Staying only with other summers.
• Letting events interfere with work.

The right goal

Use events to learn how people interact when they are not discussing a specific assignment. Meet lawyers in practices you might not otherwise encounter. Let people know you as a normal person.

You do not need to be the funniest, most outgoing, or most visible summer. Be present, curious, and kind. Then go home before the night becomes more memorable than it needs to be.

For the work side of the program, read how to be a good summer associate.