US law recruiting, summer 2028
The BigLaw summer associate guide for the 2028 cycle
If you started law school in fall 2026, your 2L summer is summer 2028, and the big firms are hiring for it now, in your first year. This guide covers when they open, what they ask for, how screeners and callbacks work, and what the summer pays.
Overview
What this path is, and why it matters
A summer associate spends the summer after 2L year working at a law firm, usually for ten weeks at the large firms. For students who started law school in fall 2026 (the Class of 2029), that is summer 2028. The summer works as a long interview for a full-time job: for 2L programs in summer 2025, 97% of summer associates got an offer to come back as an associate.
Hiring for that summer now happens in the 1L year. In the cycle for summer 2026, 80% of 2L summer offers came from recruiting the employer ran itself, such as direct applications, and only 20% from law school programs such as on-campus interviewing (OCI). Offers came early too: 85% went out before July, and May 2025 was the busiest month. For summer 2028, Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins opened their applications on Nov 1, 2026.
Most firms take your application in the fall and decide once your first-semester grades arrive. Skadden, Davis Polk and Simpson Thacher say offer decisions wait for the first-semester transcript, and Wachtell may hold its final review until that transcript is in.
The pay is set as an annual rate of $225,000 and prorated for the weeks you work at Paul, Weiss, Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher and Skadden. Students who accept a summer offer at Kirkland, Latham or Skadden can also get a $50,000 bonus, each on its own terms.
The cycle
The full recruiting timeline
Most firms assess on a rolling basis and fill places before the stated deadline. Apply early. Verify exact dates on each firm's site.
- 01
Applications open
Nov to Dec 2026 (summer 2028)Kirkland and Latham opened on Nov 1, 2026, Cleary takes applications from Nov 12, 2026 and Wachtell's portal opens on Dec 1, 2026. Skadden, Paul, Weiss, Davis Polk and Simpson Thacher also take 2028 applications in the fall of 1L year. Apply in November: most firms review on a rolling basis.
- 02
Fall grades go in
Dec 2026 to Jan 2027 (summer 2028)Most firms will interview you before grades are out but decide offers only once your first-semester transcript is in. Upload it the day it arrives. Berkeley's career office tells its students to add fall grades in January and a writing sample once their legal writing professor has given feedback.
- 03
Screeners and callbacks
Nov 2026 to Feb 2027 (summer 2028)Davis Polk holds its main interviews in November and January, and Simpson Thacher expects to interview from November through February. Harvard's virtual Early Interview Program, for the Class of 2029's 2L summer jobs, runs from Jan 8 to 13, 2027.
- 04
Application deadlines
Jan to Feb 2027 (summer 2028)Latham closes at 5:00 p.m. ET on Jan 29, 2027 and Wachtell on Feb 6, 2027. Other firms review on a rolling basis, so a later deadline does not mean later is safe.
- 05
Offers
Spring 2027 (summer 2028)Expect most offers by late spring. In the cycle for summer 2026, 85% of offers went out before July, and 65% of offers from employer-run recruiting came in May 2025 or earlier. Sullivan & Cromwell generally gives 14 days to answer and does not make exploding offers.
- 06
The summer
Summer 2028Kirkland and Latham run ten-week 2L programs. At Kirkland, 2L summer associates join a practice area such as corporate or litigation. At Cleary you can ask for work from any group, and Wachtell rotates its summer associates through several practice areas.
The process
The selection stages, explained
Direct application
You apply through the firm's own portal, often on Flo Recruit. Latham says direct application is its only route. What you send varies: Latham wants a cover letter, resume and law school transcript; Paul, Weiss wants a resume, a cover letter that names your department interests, and both transcripts; Wachtell asks for a resume and law school transcript only.
Online assessment
Some firms add a short online test. Skadden asks applicants to its US offices for a brief assessment from Suited, and Simpson Thacher asks for a Suited cognitive skills assessment.
Screening interview
A first conversation with the firm's lawyers, run by the firm itself or through a law school program. Harvard's Early Interview Program is virtual, and Berkeley ran its January program for summer 2027 jobs as virtual interviews on Flo Recruit.
Callback
A round of interviews with more of the firm's lawyers, often in the office. Sullivan & Cromwell holds callbacks in person with a virtual option, asks you to book a slot in its online appointment book, and emails the list of lawyers you will meet the evening before. Across firms, 47% of callback interviews led to an offer in the cycle for summer 2026.
Offer and decision
Firms set a response window. Sullivan & Cromwell generally gives 14 days and will discuss more time. In the cycle for summer 2026, 52% of offers were accepted, a record.
The bar
What this path demands
Strong fall grades
The first-semester transcript is the document most firms wait for before they decide. Skadden, Davis Polk and Simpson Thacher all say so.
A reason for this firm and office
Latham weighs academic and leadership achievements, life experience, relevant work and a wish to practice long term in the office you pick. Cleary looks at interest in its practice areas, academic and leadership achievements and the application itself.
A view on practice areas
Paul, Weiss asks for a cover letter that names your department interests, and Kirkland places 2L summer associates in a practice area. Know which areas you want to try and why.
Time for an online test
Skadden and Simpson Thacher add a Suited assessment to the application. Do it when you apply, not on the deadline.
The money
What this path pays
Firms set summer pay as an annual rate and prorate it for the weeks you work.
| Level | Pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Summer associate (2L) | $225,000 a year, prorated | The rate Paul, Weiss, Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher and Skadden quote. It works out to about $4,327 a week. |
| Bonus for accepting an offer | $50,000 | Kirkland (on accepting a 2L 2028 offer), Latham (a signing bonus) and Skadden, each with its own terms. |
| 1L summer, where offered | Varies | Simpson Thacher's 2027 1L program in Dallas and Houston runs six weeks with a stipend. Kirkland's 1L Summer Experience runs four weeks, six in Texas. |
Indicative ranges for orientation, not an offer. Pay varies by firm, group, location and year.
Convert the offer
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The reality
Hours, culture and the honest experience
Summer classes at the biggest firms are large. Chambers Associate lists 948 summer places at Kirkland and 265 at Simpson Thacher. Across all firms the picture is smaller: in summer 2025 the average 2L class was eight per office nationally and 29 per office in New York City.
The work is real but bounded: research tasks, discrete assignments, shadowing associates and sitting in on meetings. Kirkland's 2L summer associates join a practice area, Simpson Thacher's take work from a range of groups, and Wachtell says its summer is built to mirror the life of a new associate.
The summer rarely ends in a no. For 2L programs in summer 2025, 97% of summer associates got a full-time offer, and 89.4% of those offers were accepted.
Where it leads
Exit options
A full-time associate offer
The usual result: 97% of 2L summer associates got an offer in summer 2025. At Wachtell, most current associates were once summer associates there.
A clerkship first, then the firm
Firms hire former clerks as well. Wachtell says it considers applications from judicial law clerks alongside its own former summer associates.
How to get in
The moves that win offers
Practical steps for this path, built from the firms' own pages and law school career offices.
Apply in November of 1L year
For summer 2028, Kirkland and Latham opened on Nov 1, 2026, Cleary on Nov 12 and Wachtell on Dec 1. With 85% of offers out before July in the last cycle, a spring application is late.
Treat school programs as a supplement
Berkeley tells its students that direct applications are the main route and that school programs add to them. Use your school's early interview program, such as Harvard's on Jan 8 to 13, 2027, for firms you have not heard from.
Upload grades the day they post
Offers wait on your first-semester transcript at Skadden, Davis Polk and Simpson Thacher. A late upload is a late offer.
Book callbacks fast
Sullivan & Cromwell has a limited number of callback slots each day and asks you to book promptly once invited.
Write the cover letter for the department
Paul, Weiss asks you to name your department interests, and Latham asks why you want that office for the long term. One generic letter will not answer either.
What costs candidates offers
Common mistakes to avoid
- 1
Waiting for OCI
Only 20% of 2L summer offers in the last cycle came from law school programs. Latham takes direct applications only.
- 2
Applying twice to the same firm
Cleary runs a 1L plus 2L Dual Summer Experience and a 2L program, and asks you to apply to one only. If you miss the dual program, it considers you for the 2L program on its own.
- 3
Skipping the test step
At Skadden and Simpson Thacher the Suited assessment is part of the application. A file without it is not complete.
- 4
Letting an offer deadline run out
If you need more time, ask. Sullivan & Cromwell says it will work out a timeline with you.
The firms
Firms hiring on this path
Each links to a dedicated firm guide: the application process, the interview stages, salary and what they look for.
Firms marked Pack ready have afull Intervyo prep Pack: firm-specific online test practice, live AI mock interviews, resume review and process intelligence.
Summer associate applications, firm by firm
Dates, documents and a resume check for each firm's 2028 summer program.
Screeners and callbacks, firm by firm
Prep for it
The Intervyo tools that matter most here
The prep features most relevant to this path. Each is free to try.
FAQ
Law Summer Associate questions, answered
When do 2028 summer associate applications open?
In the fall of 1L year. Kirkland and Latham opened on Nov 1, 2026, Cleary from Nov 12, 2026 and Wachtell on Dec 1, 2026. Most firms then wait for fall grades before making offers.
Do I still need OCI to get a BigLaw summer job?
No. In the cycle for summer 2026, 80% of 2L summer offers came from recruiting the firms ran themselves and 20% from law school programs. Latham hires through direct application only. School programs, such as Harvard's Early Interview Program on Jan 8 to 13, 2027, are still worth using.
How much do BigLaw summer associates earn?
Paul, Weiss, Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher and Skadden pay an annual rate of $225,000, prorated for the weeks worked. That is about $4,327 a week.
What is the $50,000 summer associate bonus?
Kirkland pays $50,000 to students who accept a 2L 2028 offer, Latham pays a $50,000 signing bonus to students who accept an offer through its programs, and students who accept a Skadden summer offer are eligible for a $50,000 bonus. Each has its own terms.
Can I work at a big firm in my 1L summer?
At some offices. Skadden hires 1Ls for summer 2027 in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Palo Alto and Toronto, with combined offers for 2027 and 2028. Latham's Texas offices run a 1L and 2L program, Simpson Thacher runs a six-week 1L program in Dallas and Houston, and Cleary has a 1L plus 2L Dual Summer Experience. Kirkland offers a 1L Summer Experience to students who accept its 2L 2028 offer.
What happens at a callback?
A round of interviews with more of the firm's lawyers. At Sullivan & Cromwell callbacks are in person with a virtual option, you book your slot online, and you get the list of lawyers the evening before. Across firms, 47% of callbacks led to offers in the last cycle.
Is there an online test for summer associate jobs?
At some firms. Skadden asks US applicants for a brief Suited assessment, and Simpson Thacher asks for a Suited cognitive skills assessment.
Keep exploring
Related guides and sectors
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Sources
Firm pages first, then dated reports. Last checked Nov 5, 2026.
- 1Kirkland & Ellis: Your Kirkland Experience
- 2Latham & Watkins: United States: Summer Associates
- 3Skadden: Summer Associate Application Information
- 4Skadden: United States: Law Students and Graduates
- 5Davis Polk: U.S. Summer Program
- 6Paul, Weiss: 2L Summer Program
- 7Simpson Thacher: How to Apply (summer program)
- 8Cleary Gottlieb: Cleary Interview Program (CIP): 2028 Summer Program
- 9Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz: 2L Summer Associate Program
- 10Sullivan & Cromwell: The S&C Recruitment Process
- 11NALP: Law Student Recruiting Moves Earlier as Employer-Sponsored Hiring Expands, New Report Finds (Jan 2026) · press
- 12Harvard Law School Office of Career Services: Recruiting Programs for Employers · prep site
- 13Berkeley Law Career Development Office: Class of 2028 2L BigLaw Recruiting · prep site
- 14Chambers Associate: Kirkland & Ellis firm profile · prep site
- 15Chambers Associate: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett firm profile · prep site
- 16Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz: Associates