A Day in the Life of a Goodwin Summer Associate

Goodwin is among the world’s largest law firms, boasting more than 1,800 lawyers in offices across the United States, Europe, and Asia. We serve clients in the life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology, and financial services industries.

In 2024, our U.S. summer program was held in all eight domestic offices, including Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC. Throughout the 10-week program, nearly 100 summer associates engaged in a wide range of opportunities, including hands-on learning, training, and building connections with attorneys firmwide.

In this article, we’ll take you behind the scenes of a typical day  for our 2024 summer associates. They’ll share their experiences, from crafting  a successful morning routine to offering their best advice for incoming summer associates.

What did your typical morning routine look like this summer?

BOSTON: I’m an early bird, so on a good day, I would wake up around 6:15 AM, go for a run around Castle Island in South Boston, and then go home, shower, and walk to the office in Seaport. It took me about 30 minutes to get there, and I would usually grab coffee from Tatte on my way and arrive around 8:45 AM. I always checked my email first thing when I got to the office to see if there was anything pressing. When there wasn’t, I would spend the first few minutes chatting with other summer associates.

SANTA MONICA: I wanted to start my day off strong, so I would usually try to go to a yoga or Pilates class and leave time for getting ready without feeling rushed. My commute was only 20 minutes, so I would drive over and grab coffee at the office. Once I got to work, I already had one thing off my plate and was able to be present. Most of the summer associates in my office came in every day – we agreed it was a great opportunity to meet people and make the most of the summer.

What type of work did you focus on this summer?

BOSTON: I came into the summer really ready to explore just about anything in the business law department. I did projects in private equity, technology, real estate, and life sciences. Within those business units, I also did work in different practice areas, like debt finance and joint ventures. The Legal Recruiting team sent a really good variety of projects, and even if I wasn’t very interested in a particular business unit, I took whatever work came to me, because I really enjoyed the people.

SANTA MONICA: Although I was focused on transactional work, I also did one or two litigation assignments for the exposure. I mainly rotated through the business law departments, and there was really great communication with lawyers on those matters – even if my part of the project was over, they’d give me really good feedback and keep me posted on how it was going. I did a little bit of everything, including shadowing calls and making checklists for purchase & sale agreements.

Besides assignments, what types of meetings and trainings did you participate in during the workday?

BOSTON: I went to everything that was available, because I thought that was a good way to spend my time, and they were all really interesting. In addition to the mandatory litigation & transactional simulation trainings, I did the real estate purchase & sale agreement training, which was really great. The tech boot camps were extremely beneficial. There was a three-part pro forma training that I loved. I also went to every real estate roundtable, because I found those really interesting and they were a good way of getting to know people’s personalities.

SANTA MONICA: I hopped on as many shadowing calls as I could – attorneys would send messages inviting summer associates to observe meetings, and that was always really interesting and a great experience. We also did business unit previews, where attorneys talked to us about the different practice areas.

How did you usually spend lunchtime?

BOSTON: I probably ate in the office café twice. I used Goodwin’s summer associate lunch program to go out to lunch often, which was a blast. I sampled every restaurant in Boston. I got to meet a ton of people that I probably never would’ve worked with – I went to some litigation lunches and loved the litigation attorneys, and I went to a private equity lunch, which was how I got on my private equity project. I also went out to lunch with my advisor group a handful of times. I always looked forward to lunch.

SANTA MONICA: We ate lunch with the attorneys every day, which was really great. We made a little Microsoft Teams chat with all of the summers and all of the attorneys in our office who wanted to be in the lunch rotation, so if someone was in the office and didn’t have lunch plans yet, it was an easy way of making plans. Attorneys also directly reached out to us a lot. It was a really great way of getting to know the attorneys on a more personal level, and it was my first way of finding Goodwin mentors and building organic relationships.

What did you enjoy most about Goodwin’s social events? On the days you didn’t have a firm event after work, what did your evenings typically look like?

BOSTON: My favorite summer social event was pickleball, which I was looking forward to from day one. I also thought the darts & build-your-own-Converse nights were really fun. Being able to socialize outside of the office and get to know people on a more personal level is really important, and the after-work activities gave us a space to really bond and made the summer fun. When we didn’t have an event, I would walk home every single day because the weather was so good all summer. I live with my best friends, and we would usually play games, go out to dinner or trivia, or watch The Bachelor.

SANTA MONICA: The welcome happy hour during our first week all in the office was one of my favorites – it was a great way to meander around and meet people, and everyone was so excited. I had a lot of fun at the cooking class as well, because we had a lot of people there and we got to learn a new recipe and everyone was laughing because nobody had done it before. Sometimes when we didn’t have an event, some of the summers would do an informal get-together after the workday, and sometimes I would go right home. I live with my family right now because I’m in school and they’re local, so I would catch up with my parents and brothers, and try to get some work done for the journal I’m on at school.

How did Goodwin’s DEI initiatives impact your summer program experience?

BOSTON: Goodwin did an incredible job in offering a wide range of DEI support and opportunities. With regular affinity group and general CRED coffee hours, smaller group dinners, fun social events celebrating diverse backgrounds and cultures, and regular check ins from firmwide DEI leadership, there was never any doubt that Goodwin prioritized creating a diverse and welcoming space in words and action. Importantly, the DEI outreach was twofold in supporting summer associates with diverse backgrounds, but also inclusive in a meaningful way by encouraging all members of the community to participate and help foster the awesome culture at Goodwin!

SANTA MONICA: I was aware of several initiatives and events over the summer, from our in-office CRED event, to CRED bowling night, to the PRIDE group's events in and out of the office, and the Women@Goodwin movie night that was set to take place in August – not to mention the SoCal inclusion event where we went to see a musical.  I was able to attend many of the events, and each of them was incredible.  I also thought Goodwin's participation in the SEO program was great, and felt like the office was generally very inclusive of everyone.  

How did Goodwin’s well-being initiatives impact your summer program experience?

BOSTON: Goodwin proactively encouraged summer associates to establish healthy habits through a variety of opportunities such as the summer's step challenge, access to the in-building gym, and monthly wellness stipends that could go toward anything from a workout class to a massage. I particularly enjoyed the step challenge as it was both a ton of fun and also encouraged all of us to be more intentional about staying active through busy days. Starting these habits at this point in our careers is incredibly important, and I was really grateful to Goodwin for how it prioritized physical and mental health in what can be a fast paced and busy environment.

SANTA MONICA: I appreciated the monthly stipend we got towards wellness, as well as the discounts we had at certain gyms and fitness studios.  I was able to use the stipend towards a nearby yoga studio and would go in the mornings before work.  Additionally, Goodwin hosted a number of trainings and meetings regarding stress, preventing burnout, etc.  I thought the firm generally did a great job making sure we all felt like our well-being was a priority.  

What is your best piece of advice for future Goodwin summer associates?

BOSTON: Go to every training! It’s a great way to meet new people and get good facetime with busy attorneys. One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me at the beginning of the summer was to remember that at this stage, the purpose of networking is for you to understand who you mesh with and which practice groups you like most, so try not to feel too stressed about impressing people. You should also focus on investing in your relationships with other summer associates. My other piece of advice is to enjoy it and relax! You’re here for a reason, you’re smart, and you’re never going to have a summer like this again. I thought it was a fabulous summer.

SANTA MONICA: I think everyone was really nice. And I knew that when I joined as a summer – one of the things that really drew me to Goodwin was the people. People took the time to teach me and let me shadow right off the bat, which made it a lot easier for me to ask questions. I would say to jump in – if you’re curious about something, people love talking about it and love having you there.