Law Students and Judicial Clerks
Overview
Summer Associate Candidates
The Summer Associate Program is our primary source for recruiting first-year associates at Ballard Spahr. The goal of our Summer Associate Program is to provide a strong foundation of key skills, valuable experience, and important relationships that will allow our summer associates to launch successful careers at the firm.
Summer associates at Ballard Spahr receive substantive, on-the-job training. They complete meaningful assignments, participate in pro bono projects, develop mentor relationships with associates and partners, and have at their disposal a range of innovative training programs and valuable networking opportunities. They work side-by-side with our attorneys and are invited to attend department and practice group meetings throughout the summer.
A highlight of our program is the annual firmwide Summer Associate Retreat, when summer associates from all offices travel to Philadelphia for training, networking, and social events. This experience promotes the development of relationships with colleagues across all practices and office locations.
You've worked hard—and you're almost there. We look forward to helping you discover your passion in the legal industry and to supporting you as you build a career.
Entry Level Associate Candidates
We review our hiring needs for entry level associate candidates on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in an entry level associate position after graduation from law school or upon completion of a judicial clerkship, we welcome you to submit an application through the links below and we will keep your materials on file to review if any positions become available.
2023 Entry Level Associate Candidates | Judicial Clerk*
2023 First Year Associate Candidates | 3L*
*We are not accepting submissions from outside agencies or search firms for these positions.
Summer Program
Summer Associate Training
Ballard Spahr is committed to developing attorneys at all levels of the firm, from summer associates to senior partners. In addition to extensive on-the-job training, our summer associates also participate in a series of speakers and workshops that cover a variety of topics such as legal writing, depositions, transactional drafting, pro bono work, and leadership development.
Exceptional service and remarkable alliances with clients are hallmarks of the firm. Investing in the personal and professional development of our summer associates is a part of that commitment.
Summer Associate Mentorship and Feedback
We believe in transparency, and our summer associates receive continual feedback directly from the lawyers with whom they work.
We have a formal evaluation process that includes a midsummer check-in and end-of-summer review that encompasses valuable feedback from our lawyers on the quality of the summer associate's research, analysis, communication, judgment, and overall work product.
In addition to receiving personalized feedback from senior attorneys, each summer associate is assigned an associate and partner mentor who will informally respond to any questions that may arise throughout the summer.
Summer Associate Social and Networking Events
The Ballard Spahr Summer Associate Program includes a variety of social and networking events to allow summer associates to get to know one another, our attorneys, and the communities in which they work.
Examples of past events in various offices include:
- Dinner at partners' homes
- Bowling night
- Baseball game
- Group workout class
- Scenic walk/run and BBQ
Diversity Fellowships
We are proud to partner with various organizations each year to host 1L Diversity Fellows in several office locations. Our Ballard Spahr 1L Diversity Fellows join our Summer Associate Program as summer associates, and they also have the unique opportunity to spend some time working as interns in the legal departments of our partner organizations.
Additionally, certain practice groups hire 2L Diversity Fellows to give students the opportunity to take a deep dive into a specific area of law during the Summer Associate Program. Availability of 2L Diversity Fellowships varies from year to year based on practice group hiring needs.
All Diversity Fellowship and Summer Program application links can be found here when they become available.
2023 1L Diversity Fellowships:
Baltimore – Ballard Spahr & McCormick 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
Denver – Ballard Spahr & Denver City Attorney’s Office 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
Minneapolis – Ballard Spahr & Wells Fargo 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
New York – Ballard Spahr & The New York Times 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
Philadelphia – Ballard Spahr & Corteva 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
Philadelphia – Ballard Spahr & GSK 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
Phoenix – Ballard Spahr & Republic Services 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
Salt Lake City – Ballard Spahr & Aptive Environmental 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
Washington DC – Ballard Spahr & PNC 1L Diversity Fellowship (more info)
2023 2L Diversity Fellowships:
Consumer Financial Services 2L Diversity Fellowship
Additional Programs:
Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG) – Fellows Program
The application process for this program is coordinated by PDLG. For more information, click here.
FAQs
Rising 2Ls (or equivalent) can apply directly through the applications posted on our website and/or through OCI or job fairs in which we participate. If you are applying to Ballard through OCI or a job fair and would like to be considered for an earlier screening interview, we encourage you to also submit a write-in application through our website.
We anticipate posting all 2L applications here in early May. An updated list of OCI and job fairs at which we plan to interview can be found here as the information becomes available.
After we conduct initial 15-20 minute screening interviews for select candidates, the top candidates will be invited for callback interviews. The format of our callback interviews can vary slightly depending on office location, but they typically include meeting with approximately four to six lawyers. Callback interviews may take place in person or virtually depending on the office location and the student’s availability.
Once the callback interview is complete, we will do our best to respond to all candidates as soon as possible. We encourage you to keep us updated if you have any deadlines of which we should be aware.
You can view our Step-by-Step Summer Program Application Guide here. If you have questions as you move through our interview process, please reach out to the designated recruiter on the “Contact Us” page.
We aim to expose summer associates to as many lawyers and practice areas as possible during the Summer Program so that they can make informed decisions about their legal careers.
Ballard Spahr’s assignment coordinators (mid-level and senior-level associates) solicit interesting assignments for summer associates to work on over the course of the program. In some cases, our assignment coordinators will assign work based on summer associates’ interests and the firm’s needs. We also have an “assignment pool” that allows summer associates to directly select assignments that interest them. Our assignment coordinators meet regularly with summer associates to help them navigate their work load, connect with new lawyers, and take advantage of all opportunities and resources that are available during the summer and beyond.
If a summer associate position in a particular office is expected to focus on certain practice areas in light of a specific business need, that information will be posted with our application and it will also be discussed with candidates during the hiring process.
Yes. Each summer associate is assigned an associate and partner mentor. These mentors make sure that the summer associate is integrated and fully immersed in the firm's culture and activities. Associate mentors are typically junior-level or mid-level associates whose experience is close to that of our summer associates.
Yes! Pro bono work is an integral part of the culture of Ballard Spahr and we ensure that all summer associates work on at least one pro bono assignment. Prior to the start of the Summer Program, we ask summer associates to provide their pro bono areas of interest so that we can do our best to match them with assignments in those areas.
Ballard Spahr consistently ranks in the top tier of the Am Law Pro Bono Survey. Please visit the Pro Bono section of our website to learn more about the firm's commitment to the communities in which we live and work.
Ballard Spahr's Summer Associate Program lasts for ten weeks.
Apply Now
Thank you for your interest in applying to a Summer Associate position at Ballard Spahr LLP!
2024 Summer Program
We are now accepting applications for our 2024 Summer Program from 2L students (Class of 2025).
All students are encouraged to submit an application through our early write-in process in order to be considered prior to the formal OCI process. Application links for our open 2L positions are posted below. With the exception of our 2L Diversity Fellowship position, we do not have a firm deadline for applications. However, we strongly encourage you to submit all application materials by Friday, June 23rd, as that is when we will begin to review all 2L applications. After that date, we will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis until all 2L positions are filled.
Additionally, we will conduct screening interviews through a limited number of OCI sessions and job fairs this year (view the full list here). We will continue to update this list as our recruiting plans develop. We encourage students to apply through the OCI or job fair process in addition to the early write-in process.
*All Summer Associates are encouraged to explore assignments in a variety of practice areas throughout the summer. However, Summer Associates in some office locations may focus more heavily on certain practice areas due to the specific hiring needs of that office. If applicable, these anticipated areas of focus are noted below the relevant Summer Associate application links. To learn more about our departments and practice areas, click here.
2024 Summer Program Applications:
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS | 2L Intellectual Property Summer Associate
*Open to Atlanta, Philadelphia, or Phoenix.
ATLANTA | 2L Summer Associate
*Please apply through the "Multiple Locations" 2L Intellectual Property Summer Associate application link above.
*Candidates should be interested in IP.
BALTIMORE | 2L Summer Associate
DENVER | 2L Summer Associate
MINNEAPOLIS | 2L Summer Associate
*Candidates should be interested in transactional work.
NEW JERSEY | 2L Summer Associate
*Candidates should be interested in litigation or real estate.
PHILADELPHIA | 2L Summer Associate
*Candidates who are interested in IP should apply through the "Multiple Locations" 2L Intellectual Property Summer Associate application link above. Candidates interested in all other practice areas should apply through the Philadelphia-specific application link.
PHOENIX | 2L Summer Associate
*Please apply through the "Multiple Locations" 2L Intellectual Property Summer Associate application link above.
*Candidates should be interested in IP.
SALT LAKE CITY | 2L Summer Associate
WASHINGTON DC | 2L Summer Associate
*Candidates should be interested in transactional work.
WASHINGTON DC | 2L Diversity Fellowship in Consumer Financial Services (CFS)
*Candidates should be interested in Consumer Financial Services.
*Applications are due by June 23, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST.
Need Assistance?
Summer Associate applicants with disabilities may contact Attorney Career Advancement of Ballard Spahr LLP via telephone (215-864-8339) or by email (fedenl@ballardspahr.com) to request and arrange for accommodations.
Contact US
For questions about summer associate or entry level associate opportunities, please reach out to the appropriate recruiting contact below:
Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.
Lisa Feden, Director of Entry Level Recruiting and Integration
fedenl@ballardspahr.com | 215.864.8339
Atlanta, Boulder, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City
Lori Miceli, Manager of Entry Level Recruiting and Development
micelil@ballardspahr.com | 215.861.7423
Baltimore, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, General Recruiting Inquiries
Hannah Eshleman, Recruiting Coordinator
eshlemanh@ballardspahr.com | 215.861.7308