Summer Associate Positions for 1Ls and 2Ls
Develop Your Research & Writing Skills
We drill the essentials of good legal writing into you to make you the best legal writer that you can become.
Work on Challenging Cases
Summer Associates aren’t given busy work. We have challenging cases, and we need all hands on deck.
Explore Career Options & Network
We work to connect our summer associates with the legal community, both here in Ohio and around the country.
Summer Associate Positions
Hilton Parker LLC’s Summer Associate Program is designed for law students who want meaningful responsibility, close mentorship, and real exposure to how complex civil litigation is actually practiced.
Summer associates work directly with the firm’s partners on active cases. Assignments are substantive and demanding: drafting portions of briefs and complaints, assisting with discovery strategy, analyzing case law, and helping shape arguments that will be filed in court. There is no busy work. Every assignment is connected to a real case and a real client.
Writing is central to the program. Summer associates are challenged with difficult legal writing projects and receive close, line-by-line feedback from experienced litigators. The goal is not just to improve style, but to teach how to build legal theories, select and frame authority, and write with precision and purpose.
We also place heavy emphasis on civil procedure and substantive law. Summer associates are regularly drilled on procedural posture, jurisdiction, pleading standards, motion practice, and the strategic consequences of procedural choices. By the end of the summer, students return to law school with a far clearer understanding of how cases are structured, how legal arguments are developed, and how doctrine operates in practice rather than in the abstract.
Summer associates are treated as junior lawyers in training. They are expected to think critically, ask good questions, and take ownership of their work. In return, they receive close mentorship, real responsibility, and exposure that is difficult to replicate in more hierarchical or task-segmented environments.
This program is best suited for students who want to sharpen their legal reasoning, become stronger writers, and gain hands-on experience with serious litigation early in their careers.
How to Apply, Required Qualifications, & FAQs
Summer associates must be in the process of completing their 1L or 2L year of law school. We typically begin looking for summer associates in January and February, after grades for the previous semester are released.
To apply, send a resume, two writing samples (one law-related, the other not), and a short cover letter to jhilton@hiltonparker.com and smatsunaga@hiltonparker.com. Please include in your cover letter what your LSAT score was.
Summer associate positions are competitive, and candidates are judged on their writing abilities and their ability to quickly grasp legal concepts during an interview. Funding is available for exceptional students on a case-by-case basis. Contact us for more information.