Law students who spent the warm months working at firms with California roots said they had a happier summer than most of their peers.

Summer associates at California law firms reported an average satisfaction rate of 4.80, slightly above the national average of 4.76 on The American Lawyer's 2019 Summer Associates Survey.

More than 3,600 summer associates at 82 of the world's largest firms participated in the survey. Among this year's group, more than 1,600 associates chose to spend their summer at a California-born law firm.

Those eight firms were: Paul Hastings; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; O'Melveny & Myers; Cooley; Morrison & Foerster; Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton; Latham & Watkins; and Fenwick & West. (View the firms' rankings at the bottom of this page.)

The survey asked respondents to rate their firms based on the quality of work, partner and associate interaction and likelihood to accept an offer if extended. Overall, summer associates who interned at California firms scored higher ratings than the national average for their interactions between the partners and associates, scoring at 4.79 and 4.92, respectively.

But that does not mean they will be more likely to accept a full-time job offer with their summer firms. They gave an average score of 4.827 in this category, almost equal to the overall average of 4.829.

"At any level of seniority, each attorney was transparent, willing to teach, and give his or her time to ensure that the summer associates were happy and getting enough exposure to real work assignments," one summer associate at Paul Hastings said. "The firm seemed very invested in preparing summer associates for the long term, rather than just walking us through certain assignments."

While they cited a more relaxed work culture generally associated with California law firms, most associates said they felt they were given substantive assignments.

"I love that every day I come in, I have an amount of work that seems doable, and yet, I have the right amount of stress that I feel that I am growing as a future attorney," one Morrison & Foerster summer associate said.

Mental Health and Diversity

When asked whether they are concerned with their emotional well-being as attorneys, nearly 43% of associates who worked at these eight California firms said they are concerned about their mental health, slightly above the national average of 42%.

"Law can be a very stressful and demanding career," said one summer associate at Fenwick & West. "I know how important it is to maintain self-care and honor your well-being."

Some associates acknowledged the statistics that have shown lawyers are more likely to have mental health issues than individuals in other professions. They said they will be more aware of the risks involved in the legal profession.

"Knowing the statistics about the legal profession, I think it's responsible to go into my career with a healthy respect and concern for maintaining my mental health," one Orrick associate said.

The associate continued, "One of the big questions I had before beginning the summer was whether it would be possible to do this job and maintain a healthy life balance, and it seems that at this firm, people are able to do so."

California Offices Did Well Too

Among the total 3,627 respondents, more than half of them (1,968) worked at a California office this year. These summer associates gave their firms higher ratings compared to their peers in other offices.

Overall, the firms' California offices scored a rating of 4.791, just slightly above the national average of 4.786.

And in each of the survey categories—whether the work is "real" and "interesting," training and guidance offered, partner and associate interaction, communication of goals, the accuracy of firm self-portrayal, and inclination to accept a full-time associateship—summers associates who worked in California reported higher scores than peers elsewhere.

"While the atmosphere feels relaxed, the attorneys are driven people who care about their work," said a Goodwin Procter summer associate based in San Francisco. "It's a great combination that means you're pushed to succeed, without being unnecessarily stressed out."

A Crowell & Moring associate described the firm's Orange County office as "California casual." "But boy, do we also work hard," the associate added.

While most of the summer associates seem to enjoy their social activities, such as karaoke, river rafting or retreats by the beach, some actually asked their firms to focus less on the social events, and more on training and feedback from the firms' lawyers.

"I really appreciate all the social events of the firm but sometimes feel like it's a little overwhelming," a Silicon Valley associate said, noting that their firm hosted two or three a week. "I would prefer to have one organized event per week, or have the events evenly paced through the summer."

A San Francisco-based summer associate at a different firm echoed the same sentiment.

"It is difficult to say no to events, but effectively having, [at a] minimum, three evenings per week during which you're expected to socialize with classmates and attorneys until late in the evening is exhausting," the associate said.

Read More

The 2019 Summer Associates Survey: Wined, Dined and Worried