Closing Date: 26th January, 2026

Description:

Benesch's exploratory Summer Associate Program is designed to provide a realistic view of a career in private practice including client interaction, courtroom activities and teamwork with Benesch attorneys. The ten-week experience provides our summer associates with the opportunity to take on work projects and build relationships with attorneys across our ten core practice areas to help increase your understanding of those practices and start to define your career interests.

Our comprehensive professional development sessions and training programs, such as our mock negotiation and mock deposition simulations, go hand-in-hand with your direct work experience and are designed to build a foundation for success in our firm. Some of the training programs offered are part of the firm's ongoing operations, such as practice group meetings and specially planned events. Other programs, such as our Summer Associate Retreat, Summer Foundations Training Series, and practice group overviews are exclusively created for you. The summer will include a variety of planned social events designed for you to meet and build relationships with our attorneys and become better acclimated to the city and the culture of our firm.

Our summer associates have opportunities for client contact and may be involved in strategy, negotiating and drafting sessions, court proceedings and depositions, as well as business development meetings. You can expect to receive a variety of work, both in terms of substantive areas of law and in the types of projects assigned. We review each summer associate's work on an individual basis and attempt to include assignments which go beyond standard research projects, although such projects are important in developing your skills and enabling us to learn more about your strengths and weaknesses. Prompt and constructive feedback will be provided, and you will participate in a formal midsummer and end-of-summer work performance evaluation. Each summer associate will have a dedicated partner mentor to provide career advice, make internal connections and help you navigate the firm as you learn more about what a career in private practice entails.

Criteria
Candidates must be full-time first year law students or part time law students enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, with an expected graduation date of December 2027 or May 2028. Our recruiting committee will evaluate all applicants and consider the following factors:

Exceptional law school and undergraduate academic performance
Outstanding leadership abilities and on campus involvement
Strong writing and analytical skills
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
A commitment to client service
A commitment to community service
A desire for a long-term career in Chicago, IL
Permanent authorization to work in the United States
Completion of the Suited candidate assessment within three days of your direct application submission

How to Apply:
Candidates may apply to and be considered for only one Benesch office. Note that if you already applied to the Benesch 1L+2L Fellowship Program, you do not need to apply for this program, as those not selected will automatically have their application transferred for consideration for the 2027 Summer Associate Program. Please submit your resume, first semester law school transcripts, undergraduate transcripts, and a cover letter. If your ties to Chicago, IL are not evident from your resume, please describe your interest in working long term in Chicago, and any connections to the city which might be helpful for our evaluation. Candidates must also complete the Suited assessment within three days of application submission. If any of these five required components are missing, the application will be considered incomplete.

Suited Assessment
Benesch has partnered with the predictive candidate screening platform Suited to help us better understand our applicants and what makes each one unique. Our goal is to make the recruiting process as fair and seamless as possible, so that we can matriculate candidates who will be fulfilled in their roles and complementary to our culture. In addition to your academic background and experience, the traits and competencies captured by these assessments have been proven to be both highly relevant and predictive of on-the-job success as a law associate, while reducing bias in the process.

Completion of the Suited assessment is a required part of our application process. Please complete the Suited candidate assessment within three days of submitting your direct application using this link. To request an accommodation for the Suited assessment, click here. (https://lawsupport.wellsuited.com/Reasonable-accommodations-4b0ca358d14f430c89bcc4aaad6903db)

Note that if you have already completed the Suited assessment for another firm, you will not need to do so again. Rather, you may share your assessment results with Benesch by using the same above link.

For more information about Suited, click here. (https://lawsupport.wellsuited.com/)

Timeline:
Benesch will accept applications beginning on Monday, December 1, 2025. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Applying early may be advantageous, and students are strongly encouraged to begin the application process in December and return to submit law school transcripts immediately upon receipt.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact the law school recruiting team via email at lawschoolrecruiting@beneschlaw.com