Spotlight on Kramer Levin’s Summer Associate Bankruptcy Training

Kramer Levin’s summer program is designed to provide summer associates a strong start to a successful legal career. Summer associates learn by participating in active matters, learning substantive skills, and working side by side with Kramer Levin lawyers. Our goal for the program is to ensure that summer associates understand what it is like to be a lawyer and what they will be doing as a first-year associate. 

Some of the most valuable aspects of the summer experience have been the training and mentorship summer associates receive from fellow associates, counsel, and partners. The firm’s culture creates a collaborative environment where lawyers work together to help one another succeed with the client’s goals in mind. The firm is committed to professional development, offering guidance and advice on how to succeed both at the firm and in the broader legal environment. One of the firm’s signature programs to capture this learning experience is a bankruptcy simulation for all summer associates. This simulation allows the group to practice client interaction and negotiation skills. Summer associates are paired together and provided a fact pattern, and they role-play as either counsel to a debtor or counsel to a committee of unsecured creditors. In this simulation, associates serve as coaches, and partners role-play as clients. Through this mock negotiation process, summer associates meet with their “clients” and discuss a bankruptcy-related document while honing their legal skills. Whether or not a summer associate is interested in bankruptcy, it is a great (and fun!) way to practice key skills in a dynamic environment.   

Here is what prior summer associates have said about the simulation:

“I loved participating in the simulation as a summer associate. It was an engaging opportunity to practice my negotiation skills and learn about bankruptcy in a hands-on way. It was also a great introduction to the practice group—one that I ended up joining when I returned to the firm.”

Ben—Kramer Levin Associate (Summer Associate, 2018), Duke University School of Law

“The simulation was a great opportunity to learn more about bankruptcy generally and also helped build connections to other summers as well as associates and partners. Also, it was just fun to negotiate with and against other people in your summer class.”

Emma—Kramer Levin Associate (Summer Associate, 2019), Duke University School of Law

“I enjoyed having the opportunity to participate in the bankruptcy simulation. It was great to dive into a practice area I had never been exposed to before. Even though I ultimately did not join the bankruptcy group, the firsthand negotiation experience was very useful and applicable across any number of practices. Of course, the most fun part was having the chance to negotiate against my fellow summer associates!”

Borna—Kramer Levin Associate (Summer Associate, 2020), Columbia School of Law

“The bankruptcy simulation provided a great opportunity to work on negotiation, creative and interpersonal skills—all crucial to corporate practice. It was also a nice way to bond and collaborate with a fellow summer associate, and to meet others in the Bankruptcy group.”

Jen—Kramer Levin Associate (Summer Associate, 2021), University of Virginia School of Law