Whether you choose to work in Corporate, Litigation, Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefitsor Trusts and Estates you will experience the day-to-day working life of a Cravath lawyer.

Preparations for your summer experience at Cravath begin well in advance. Prior to the summer, we collect Department preferences, assignment preferences (type of matter or practice area, specific teams or partners) and assist with summer housing for those coming from out of town. Upon arrival, you will be assigned to a partner from your selected Department. This partner will be responsible for assigning work, providing feedback, introducing the other team members and ensuring that your experience resembles that of a first-year associate.

Our summer associates gain valuable hands-on experience working directly for, and with, our clients.

CORPORATE DEPARTMENT

Our corporate lawyers handle a wide range of matters from our New York and London offices. The Corporate Department is divided into 12 practice groups, most of which consist of three to six partners. Summer associates are assigned to a partner in a particular practice group in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, commercial banking, restructuring or real estate. Summer associates have the opportunity to work on a variety of sophisticated and complex deals in a dynamic team setting.

“As one of my first assignments, I worked as part of a team representing lenders providing financing for the leveraged buyout of CKx, Inc., a public company that owns rights to ‘American Idol’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ The transaction was quite complex, involving three credit facilities and guarantee and collateral arrangements in multiple U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. During the course of the deal, I drafted various transaction documents and worked directly with partners, associates and opposing counsel.

“During the second half of the summer, I was the lead associate on a deal alongside a partner. I was responsible for taking the first cut at drafting agreements and working directly with the client and opposing counsel on a daily basis. Often, this involved independently negotiating with associates at other firms. Learning to manage and understand each stage of a deal from its inception was enormously valuable.

“I was given substantial responsibility, and the learning curve was steep, but when I needed guidance, the partners and associates devoted the energy necessary to provide it.”

LITIGATION DEPARTMENT

Our Litigation Department is made up of 31 partners who handle complex corporate litigation across a wide array of disciplines and industries. The department is divided into teams of partners and associates. Although summer associates are assigned to one partner, there are opportunities to work with other partners and associates on different teams because multiple partners often work together on particular cases. Summer associates can expect to have direct client contact and be relied on as essential members of their teams.

“In my first week I was assigned to a litigation team that was working to avoid a preliminary injunction that, had it been granted, would have blocked a multi-billion dollar merger. In my initial assignments I faced a steep learning curve, but I was welcomed by helpful, friendly people who made sure that I fully understood the context and scope of the case. Throughout the summer, partners and associates alike took the time to explain the intricacies of extremely complex, headline-making litigation. Because the cases involved the most cutting-edge legal matters, issues I worked on over the summer often come up now in class.

“The summer was not just an incredible learning opportunity, but also a chance to gain serious legal experience. The first time a partner referenced my research on a client call and the first time my recommendation was included in a brief, I was thrilled; by the end of the summer I was communicating directly with clients and was responsible for drafting substantial portions of our team’s work product. Along the way, I traveled to court in New York, Delaware and West Virginia to attend depositions for a pro bono case involving improper police practices, a judicial conference on a massive securities litigation and, even though the fall semester had already begun, an oral argument that I had prepared my partner for in my last weeks at the Firm. I couldn’t have asked for a more exciting summer, or to have spent it learning from and working with a more dynamic group of people.”

TAX DEPARTMENT

Our Tax Department is made up of four partners and approximately 25 associates who devise efficient tax structures for complex domestic and international transactions including structuring and negotiating mergers, spin-offs, joint ventures, securities offerings and intricate private equity transactions and financings. Summer associates are assigned to one Tax partner and will have the opportunity to work closely with other lawyers in the Firm. Due to the size of the department and other summer associates’ interest, summer associates who spend time in the Tax Department must split their summer with either the Corporate or the Litigation Department.

“Some of the matters I worked on included a REIT stock offering by Sabra Health Care and a convertible stock offering by ATP Oil & Gas Corp. I researched the consequences of innovative tax structures. I worked closely with associates and partners to draft and tailor the tax language of various corporate documents. Following my first day of researching the inner workings of the IRC’s ‘PFIC’ rules, I continued to be assigned research projects where I was able to meet one-on-one with partners to discuss my findings. The small size of the department, along with biweekly ‘Tax Lunches,’ helped me quickly adapt to and get the most out of the summer experience.”

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS DEPARTMENT

Executive compensation matters pose issues that are central to our corporate practice. Our lawyers are experienced at analyzing the corporate governance implications and legal and financial risks associated with compensation and benefit arrangements, as well as navigating the interrelated tax, ERISA, securities law, disclosure and accounting issues that often arise. Our Executive Compensation and Benefits Department consists of two partners and approximately 10 associates. Summer associates who are interested in spending time in this Department must split their summer with either the Corporate or the Litigation Department.

“In my ECB rotation, I got to work on a wide variety of projects, which allowed me to experience almost everything the Firm does. For example, one assignment was to provide ECB guidance to the Corporate Department in connection with a banking deal. In connection with that matter, I worked with a junior associate to edit and negotiate provisions of the credit agreement. I also got to work on projects for M&A deals, including one where I was the point person for the ECB Department, providing ECB advice to the Corporate Department for a proposed acquisition. The largest deal I worked on involved an IPO, for which I helped to draft the S-1, negotiate provisions with underwriter’s counsel and attend and participate in meetings and calls with the clients and other counsel.

“Additionally, I worked on matters that were run strictly by the ECB Department, including helping to write two memos that were presented to the boards of directors of two major corporations. In both instances, I worked one-on-one with a partner, each of us taking turns to rewrite and edit the work product. Both final versions presented to the boards included portions I had written on my own initiative.”

TRUSTS AND ESTATES DEPARTMENT

Our Trusts and Estates lawyers work closely with the Firm’s other departments representing domestic and international private clients, including successful entrepreneurs, senior executives and families by advising them in the creation and administration of trusts, estates and charitable foundations. The Department is made up of two partners and approximately 10 associates. Summer associates who are interested in spending time in the Trusts and Estates Department must split their summer with either the Corporate or the Litigation Department.

“My experience as a summer associate, drafting wills and various types of trusts, allowed me to learn a range of techniques lawyers use to translate their clients’ unique and complex wishes into legal vocabulary and a legally effective form. I also explored fascinating research questions which, unlike many of those I had encountered in law school, required me to formulate answers that could have real and immediate effects for individual clients and their families. In many cases, such as when I was asked to analyze the effects of recent international tax law reforms on a client’s estate plan, the knowledge that I was among the first to research these issues added an element of excitement to each day of work.

“I especially loved being part of a small department at Cravath, which seemed to function like an autonomous unit while enjoying access to all the outstanding resources of the larger Firm. The members of the department included me in everything they did, such as practice area lunches, professional education programs and fun summer outings. One of the best aspects of my summer was how much meaningful interaction I had with partners. From sitting down to explain a client’s background and goals at the outset of an assignment to walking me through each comment on the documents I drafted, a partner was supervising my work and answering my questions at each step. At the same time, it was immediately evident that associates were trusted to work directly with clients from the start, developing the types of relationships that attract me to the practice area.”

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR LONDON OFFICE

Summer associates who choose to spend their entire summer in the Corporate Department may have the opportunity to split their time between the London and New York offices. Our London office is staffed with approximately 25 lawyers, including four partners. Summer associates are principally assigned to one partner, however, due to the nature of the deals and size of the office, summer associates in London routinely work with other partners and associates. London is fully supported by the New York office via the Firm’s integrated systems which allows summer associates to participate in training classes presented in our New York office. There are a variety of events that go on throughout the summer that allow summer associates to socialize with the attorneys in the London office and to experience the culture and excitement of London.

“Though I was assigned to a specific partner, the smaller setting of the London office offered me the chance to work with and get to know almost all of the attorneys in the office. Despite working overseas, I still felt the full support of New York-based resources, and was able to take advantage of Cravath’s various summer training course offerings.

“My primary assignment involved a leading German telecommunications provider seeking to raise capital in order to refinance existing debt and better compete in the market for new subscribers. The transaction allowed me to gain exposure to high-level international business leaders, and required a cooperative effort among legal teams specializing in U.S. and German law. The rapid pace of the transaction was such that I was able to participate in all phases—launch through closing—during my rotation.”