Hepler, Broom, MacDonald, Hebrank, True & Noce, LLC’s Summer Associate Program introduces select law students to our legal practice, business model and firm culture. Both our St. Louis and Edwardsville offices participate in the program. While the Summer Associates gain a working knowledge of our law firm, our clients and our expectations for new attorneys, we get to know the Summer Associates, taking the opportunity to consider each for a position with our firm after they finish law school.

We rotate our Summer Associates through several of our practice areas, encouraging them to work with a variety of attorneys and to fully explore the opportunities available at the firm. By the end of the summer, they have enjoyed a unique opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of our client base and the work environment they would experience as full-time Associates.

More than just a “working” experience, we offer our Program participants an intellectually stimulating and personally rewarding summer.

Program Coordinator, Mentors and Supervising Partners
The Summer Associate Program Coordinator manages the entire program – from the initial recruiting and selection of Program participants, through administering the twelve-week Program during the summer and, finally, to the employment decision-making process at the end of the summer. During the summer, the Coordinator makes sure that the Summer Associates receive diverse, interesting and challenging assignments while at the firm.

We also assign an Attorney Mentor to each Summer Associate, considering the skills, goals, experiences and interests of each. The Mentor provides the Summer Associate with information on all aspects of the firm – as well as advice on how to manage and complete work assignments – ensuring appropriate feedback, providing general guidance and support, and ultimately helping the Summer Associate transition into the firm.

As the Summer Associates rotate through several practice areas within our firm, the supervising Partners within the respective practice areas manage the work flow for each Program participant.

Together, the Coordinator, Mentors and Supervising Partners introduce the Summer Associates to the lawyers and staff within the firm and assign them substantive legal work

Feedback and Performance Reviews
Summer Associates receive both formal and informal feedback on their work performance. We provide two to three formal reviews during the summer, which are based on written evaluations by the attorneys for whom the Summer Associates work. We also encourage our attorneys to provide direct, ongoing feedback to the Summer Associates that rotate through their practice areas, as they work on current assignments.

Social Events
We maintain a calendar of social activities throughout the summer so that the Summer Associates can meet the firm’s attorneys outside of the working environment. In addition to activities to which all Hepler Broom attorneys are invited, arrangements are made for our Summer Associates to get together as a group for events on their own. These may include both social and community service events.

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