Law Students
Own your future
Milbank Recruiting
It’s time we met
At Milbank, we believe that our summer associates are the future of the firm, which is reflected in our robust recruiting practices. Every year we recruit for our 2L Summer Program and 1L Fellowship at over 30 schools and aim to meet 1L students through a variety of events on campus, in-office, and virtually.
For those interested in engaging with the firm early and applying for our 1L Fellowship, we will begin accepting direct applications on December 1, 2024. For more information click here.
Beginning spring 2025, we will begin accepting applications directly for our 2026 2L Summer Program in our New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and London offices. Application links for each of our offices will be posted here once they are available.
We also plan to participate in on campus interviews at certain schools in 2025.
SUMMER ASSOCIATE PROGRAM
Invaluable experience
More than just a summer program—at Milbank, you get a microcosm of life at our firm. Professional development is fundamental to our program, just like it is for our regular associates. Practice area rotations and partner and associate mentors ensure that you learn firsthand about our work and culture. Your calendar will be packed with events ranging from private museum tours, to cooking classes, to lunches with partners and prominent speakers.
Dive into Milbank
You’ve come to Milbank to learn, be challenged and work alongside incredible people. You won’t be disappointed.
For 10 weeks, summer associates are essential members of our litigation and transactional teams. As you rotate through three practice areas, you’ll complete work comparable to junior associates—taking detailed notes on client calls, drafting documents for key deals, or preparing for and observing depositions.
It’s work that matters, advancing our cases and your professional development.
And we know building a professional network is critical to growing your career. Social events throughout the summer are fun and engaging ways to get to know your peers while exploring the city. You’ll leave the program with new connections certain to be valuable throughout your career.
How much can you pack into 10 weeks?
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Welcome to Day One
Experiencing life as a Milbank associate
First things first: meet with your mentor. Set goals for the summer and discuss your career ambitions.
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Begin your first of three rotations
Only 10 weeks and so much to absorb! Corporate, litigation and transactional rotations will give you a robust taste of what life is like at Milbank.
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An invaluable network of peers
Events with small groups of partners and summer associates, like a private museum tour or a Jerry Seinfeld show, help you connect with those both inside and outside your practice group
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4th Windstar training
What it means to be a public company and corporate governance.
We’re going public! You’ve completed Windstar’s IPO, now you and the team will discover what it takes to balance the interests of your stakeholders.
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Mid-summer review
Dedicated to your success
Discuss your progress and areas for growth with a hiring partner at your mid-year review.
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Pro bono
“Milbank’s participation in the pro bono Courtroom Advocacy Project allowed me to help victims of domestic violence. In one day, I met the client, wrote a petition, appeared in Family Court, and obtained an order of protection that would help her and her young child remain safe from further abuse.”
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Lunch and learns
Studying for the bar
Learn how to conquer the biggest test of your career from the smartest lawyers in the field.
Training
You, amplified
We supplement real-world experience with thorough trainings, informative lunch-and-learns and meaningful mentor relationships. You’ll depart the program with new and sharpened skills that will position you for success.
In-depth trainings
Throughout the summer you’ll attend an intensive nine-session training that prepares you with a deeper understanding of our practice areas, client needs and how we serve them. The sessions examine a hypothetical company, Windstar. They include:
- An exploration of each key legal step from inception of Windstar to bankruptcy and then restructuring
- Both in-session activities and post-class assignments ranging from commitment letters to an IPO prospectus
- Acting as Board of Directors to provide counsel and vote on major decisions
Lunch-and-learns
Weekly lunch-and-learns provide additional information about Milbank and practicing the law from experts both within the firm and from external legal groups. Our topics in 2021 included a Milbank@Harvard session on resilience, a Q&A between former Southern District of New York prosecutors on the post-9/11 investigations, an in-depth look at the business of law firms, and a talk by the General Counsel of the National Security Agency (and Milbank alumnus).
Mentoring
With actionable and ongoing support from mentors across the firm, you’ll benefit from tailored guidance that will enhance your professional development. Each summer associate is assigned an associate mentor and a partner mentor to serve as resources and introductions to the practice and culture of the firm. Through your mentors and through our practice group partners and assignment coordinators, you’ll receive constructive feedback on assignments throughout the summer. You’ll also meet with a hiring partner during your mid- and end-of-summer reviews to discuss feedback and development for your future.
Life as an Associate
For those who live for the next challenge
Our culture is about team, collaboration and support. It’s also about tenacious drive and getting it done. And Milbank associates are in the thick of it right from the start, working side-by-side with partners on lean cross-practice teams. You’ll jump into complex cases—because we handle nothing else—and as your career progresses, you’ll experience a diverse range of high-caliber and substantive cases.
The world can always use more good, so at Milbank, we don’t cap pro bono hours. Associates can follow their passions and interests, helping those in need navigate the legal system.
Benefits at Milbank
Because it’s your life…
Sure, we work hard, and that’s why we prioritize an environment that encourages and supports balance. Lawyers have the flexibility to create work lives that work best with the rest of their lives.
Our policies and programs include:
- Full-time/flex-time and reduced hours
- Working parent career coaching
- Extended personal leave & re-entry
- Parental leave following birth or adoption
- Emergency backup child care
- Nursing rooms
A firm foundation for growth
To help you develop and mature as an attorney, you’ll receive a partner-mentor for your first four years as an associate. Complementing this mentorship are rich learning opportunities aimed to jumpstart your development.
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Explore our transactional practice
Associates interested in transactional work participate in a rotation program designed to expose them to a broad range of deals, partners and peers, helping them narrow in on the practice where they’d like to make their mark. Associates in this program cycle through three practices, each for a four-month rotation.
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Immerse yourself in advocacy
Associates interested in litigation participate in Advocacy@Milbank—a comprehensive, multi-level training program for litigators in their first through sixth years of practice.
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Expand your career
As you improve and grow, we’re always there to push you even further. Beginning in your third year, you’ll join colleagues from across the globe in an intensive week-long annual training: Milbank@Harvard. Designed for our mid-and-senior-level associates, this one-of-a kind program offers perspectives you can’t get from law school.
