We have hired one or more summer associates for the past several years. Each works closely with all the various attorneys who may, at that time, have projects suited for a summer associate. Typical assignments include researching legal issues, preparing research memoranda, drafting discovery requests, and preparing pleadings and documents to be filed with various courts, including complaints and appellate briefs. Summer associates frequently attend client conferences, court hearings, trials, depositions, and mediations. Although the assignments from each attorney available for a summer associate will vary, our summer associates generally collaborate with every shareholder on at least one project and typically with each attorney at least once. The firm strives to give summer associates a true taste of who we are, how we practice, and what being an attorney in our firm actually entails. We carefully evaluate all our summer associates with an eye to hiring them full time upon their graduation. The firm's hiring decisions are predicated more on the abilities and aptitude of our summer associates and less on the particular needs of our firm at the time. Every summer associate who demonstrates a high level of intellectual ability and curiosity, energy and industry, thorough legal reasoning, excellence in writing, and dedication to our firm and our clients, receives an offer of full-time employment. Decisions are normally communicated no later than a few weeks after the end of the summer program.

Unlike many summer programs, social life is not a significant focus for us. Some social activities, however, are planned during the summer. These range from pool parties and Friday afternoon wine and cheese receptions, to minor-league baseball games and bar association sponsored clerking receptions. We encourage every summer associate to explore the Central Florida area, on their own time, and to take full advantage of all the area has to offer, including golf, tennis, theme parks, nearby beaches, and the area nightlife.