Archer is pleased to welcome seven law students as summer associates in the firm’s Voorhees and Hackensack offices. The eight-week program runs from June 6 – July 29. This year’s exceptionally diverse class of summer associates showcases incredible talent and drive. With students from a variety of backgrounds from four area law schools, over half of those participating in the summer program identify as a racial or ethnic minority. Shelley Smith, Archer’s Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, said of the program, “We are proud that our summer associate program draws the highest caliber students from law schools across the region. We are especially proud that our summer associates, who represent the rich diversity of our regional community, will contribute to the increasing diversity of the legal community.”
The goal of Archer’s program is to provide summer associates with an opportunity to gain real-world experience working with the firm’s attorneys, staff and clients, and to get a feel for what it is like as a first-year associate at Archer. Summer associates will work on various matters throughout all of Archer’s Practice Groups. The program focuses on exposing summer associates to meaningful work assignments, which allow for collaboration with attorneys at different experience levels. Class members will attend client conferences, court hearings, depositions and more. The program includes a “Speaker Series” in which firm attorneys and clients host discussions of hot topics, recent cases and important developments in the profession. Summer associates will also have the opportunity to participate in the firm’s Associate and DEI-focused training programs.
This year, the program features a hybrid format, with Archer offering both in-person and remote working opportunities. Sarah Gribbin, Chair of the firm’s Hiring Committee, said, “We are excited to welcome the summer associates into our offices and to be able to see them on a semi-regular basis. We think this will help foster connections with the attorneys and allow them to experience the collegiality of Archer’s culture.”
The program likewise will offer both in-person and remote training, mentoring and social events. There will be a “team mentoring” approach, with each summer associate assigned to a team of at least one other summer associate and four attorney mentors. Program Coordinator, Patrick Doran, explained, “The last two years have made it clear that personal connections are an invaluable aspect of this program. Although prompted by the restrictions of the pandemic, our mentoring program has evolved in a way that provides additional opportunities for bonding and collaboration with even more in-person opportunities.”
We welcome our 2022 summer associates:
- Simone Adkins-Temple University Beasley School of Law
- Alec Fante-Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
- Juliana LoPiccolo- Seton Hall University School of Law
- Crystal Paulino- Seton Hall University School of Law
- William Puleo-Monzón- Temple University Beasley School of Law
- Gladys Rosario- Rutgers Law School-Camden
- Austin Taylor- Rutgers Law School-Newark
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