Holland & Knight seeks students of substance with superior academics, leadership skills, involvement in extracurricular activities and demonstrated commitment to their communities. We look for candidates who have the desire and ethical foundation to be significant lawyers in the firm, in the profession and in the community. We have been very successful in hiring students who meet these criteria, and as a result, our firm as a whole reflects these characteristics.
Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 2,200 lawyers in 35 offices throughout the world. This ranks us among the largest law firms in the U.S.
Holland & Knight is a global firm. No single office is considered the "headquarters." The firm's technology links practice groups and lawyers at the local, national and international levels, enabling us to serve clients regardless of location.
If you have an interest in learning about our litigation practice, you will be invited to observe depositions, court hearings and trials, and you might draft briefs, pleadings, motions and substantive research memorandums. If you have an interest in learning about our transactional practices, you might help the team by conducting due diligence, assisting with closings, sitting in on client negotiations and meetings, as well as preparing research memorandums.
Yes. Pro bono assignments can come from attorneys either in your local office or through the Community Services Team. Pro bono opportunities provide excellent training and experience.
Holland & Knight understands the importance of training in the development and advancement of your career. As a summer associate, you will receive formal and informal training. Our formal training programs will help you develop the skills needed to become a successful attorney. You also will have the opportunity throughout the summer to receive informal, on-the-job training working alongside our experienced lawyers.
We provide you with two mentors – usually one partner and one associate – who guide you through your summer program experience. Your mentors are available to answer your questions, from how the firm operates and the stylistic preferences of various partners to the best place to go for coffee near the office. Your mentors will help you to create and reach your career goals, connect you to colleagues, provide candid advice about work assignments, as well as teach you substantive and practical legal skills through direct experience and shadowing opportunities.
Summer associates receive two formal evaluations – one halfway through the program and the other at the end of the program. The Hiring Partner and Summer Assignment Coordinator in each office will sit down with each summer associate to go over their reviews and work performance. Feedback is important, and we encourage all of our summer associates to proactively solicit informal feedback from the attorneys with whom they regularly work. Receiving "real-time," constructive feedback will help you continuously improve your performance and hone your legal skills.
Holland & Knight's summer program is ten weeks. We believe that this period is sufficient to evaluate you as a future lawyer and for you to evaluate how you will fit in at Holland & Knight.
Holland & Knight intentionally keeps its summer program small relative to the size of the firm. This gives our summer associates the opportunity to experience a diverse range of assignments, to work with and meet as many lawyers as possible, as well as to become integrated into the firm. The size of the summer program varies by office.
The summer program is an integral part of Holland & Knight's hiring effort, and we hire the majority of our junior associates directly from our summer program. We strive to give our summer associates an accurate sense of what it is like to work as a first-year associate at the firm, and we hire each summer associate with the expectation that we will extend an offer for a full-time position at the end of the program.