Crowe Dunlevy’s recruiting program traces its roots to 1960 when former American Bar Association President William G. Paul took the initiative to develop a comprehensive recruiting program that was ahead of its time. Paul firmly believed that the firm’s success and future would be best secured by actively recruiting and retaining law students with demonstrated ability and work ethic.
Today, more than 20 attorneys devoted to finding the next generation of great Crowe Dunlevy attorneys serve on the recruiting committee. Led by attorneys Andrew E. Henry, Deric McClellan, and Craig Regens, the goal of the committee is to ensure that students who are selected demonstrate the same core values and characteristics Paul was searching for when he started the program. For any questions regarding the firm’s Summer Associate program, contact Recruiting & Associate Development Coordinator, Kristen Nguyen.
Firm Culture
Although Crowe Dunlevy is one of the largest law firms in the state of Oklahoma, its culture is based on a friendly and collegial atmosphere. Associates are encouraged and mentored by directors and senior associates who have the experiences to help guide them through the early stages of a career. Along the way, lifelong friendships are formed.
During the summer recruiting season, the attorneys involved in guiding and mentoring summer associates want to do more than assign projects; they take an active interest in their professional and personal interests and pursuits.
Ideal Candidates
When interviewing potential associates, the firm is looking to hire law students with outstanding academic achievements, as well as candidates with prior work experience, superior interpersonal skills and candidates that have demonstrated leadership abilities. The recruiting committee is looking for students who can join our team with bright and eager minds, a strong work ethic, and a passion to practice the law.
The firm is also very focused on promoting diversity. The summer associate class should be a representative of our broad spectrum of clients. We want to show our clients that we are committed to having that same diversity in our workforce as within their own organizations.
First & Second Year Internships
First-Year (1L) summer associate assignments could include:
- Legal Research
- Memorandum Writing
- Attend Hearings and Trials
- Attend Depositions
- Assist/attend Transaction Closings
- Draft Agreements
Second-Year (2L) summer associate assignments could include:
- Brief Writing
- Draft Discovery Requests
- Assist with Legal Strategies
- Legal Research
- Memorandum Writing
- Attend Hearings and Trials
- Attend Depositions
- Assist/attend Transaction Closings
- Draft Agreements
Working with Attorneys
The recruiting committee individually pairs each summer associate with both a junior and a senior Crowe attorney. Pairings take into account practice area interests, breadth of experience, and individual personalities. These pairings ensure each summer associate has formal guidance and act as a sounding board throughout the summer and beyond.
The firm recognizes that many summer associates may not be certain as to what direction they want to move in their legal career, and we encourage them to accept projects from several different attorneys and practice areas. By the end of the summer, we hope that our summer associate class has worked with as many of our attorneys as possible and can narrow down, or has a better sense of, their desired career path.
Lunch & Learn
Our Lunch & Learn Series is an opportunity for the summer associates to learn about certain areas of our practice, and to introduce them to our senior shareholders and/or other members of the business community.
Experiences vary each summer, but the common theme includes professionals from inside and outside the firm who share life and legal experiences, enriching the summer associate experience.
What to Expect
Our summer program gives participants a real sense of what it means to practice at Crowe Dunlevy. A summer associate will experience what a day is like as a new associate. Our summer associates will typically have multiple assignments from multiple practice groups, offering them the opportunity to showcase their writing, research and analytical skills. Work product produced by summer associates is used in part, and in full, by our attorneys.
Evaluating our summer associates’ work is a critical component to our program. Projects are evaluated by supervising attorneys. During the course of the program, summer associates meet with their paired attorneys and Recruiting Chair to discuss feedback on their legal projects. In addition, summer associates are encouraged to separately meet with the respective attorneys who provide them projects to work on for one-on-one feedback throughout the summer.
A key part to the summer program is getting to know each other on a personal basis through social events. Our summer program is designed so that you can meet as many of us as possible and get to know us on an informal basis. In addition to informal lunches and dinners with lawyers, we host a wide variety of fun and interesting events.
How to Apply
Many of our new lawyers come to the firm through our summer associate program. Candidates should submit their resume, transcripts, writing sample, and cover letter through their career services office for on-campus interviews or to the legal recruiting contact for the Crowe Dunlevy office in which they are interested if they attend an out-of-state institution. We currently participate in on-campus interviews at Oklahoma City University School of Law, The University of Oklahoma College of Law, and University of Tulsa College of Law. Resume drops are collected from schools in the region. Interviews for out-of-state students are conducted through a variety of electronic platforms or in-house if the student is home during a scholastic break.
Contact
We invite you to consider joining our Summer Associate Program.
Kristen Nguyen – Recruiting & Associate Development Coordinator
Andrew E. Henry – Oklahoma City, Co-Chair
Craig Regens – Oklahoma City, Co-Chair
Deric McClellan – Tulsa