Opportunities for law students in the USA

Joseph LaPerla - St. John's '08
Accepting my offer at Clifford Chance was a simple decision. During my summer at the Firm, I was exposed to high-calibre work. I worked on a number of interesting matters and had opportunities to make significant contributions. In addition, I worked with people who made the summer truly enjoyable. The attorneys provided meaningful guidance on assignments, and were a great group of people to socialize with. In addition, the members of my summer class were a fantastic group. Finally, Clifford Chance is a firm on the rise and I am certain that the Firm’s reputation will only improve in the coming years. For me, the decision came down to the quality of the work, the great people, and the Firm’s reputation. I am confident that Clifford Chance is the right place to start my legal career.

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Keridy Crook - Cornell ‘08
My experience as a summer associate at Clifford Chance was invaluable. I had the opportunity
to work on a broad range of assignments in different practice groups. The work that I did was not
only interesting and rewarding, but it also gave me a sense of what it would be like to be a lawyer
at Clifford Chance. The lawyers that I worked with were both excellent teachers and valuable
mentors. There is a very strong sense of collegiality at Clifford Chance. Office doors are always
open, associates as well as partners are approachable and willing to offer help and guidance,
and most importantly, the people are very friendly. The events that were planned for us throughout
the summer were amazing. These events provided us with the opportunity to meet lawyers in all the
different practice groups, and to get to know each other in a fun and informal setting. I made
wonderful friendships throughout the summer, and I am already looking forward to returning next fall.

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Matthew Gunn - Columbia ‘08
I was initially drawn to Clifford Chance by the international prestige and extensive cross border
work it has to offer. From my first interview onwards, Clifford Chance felt like a different place.  
The support that comes from being one of the largest and most respected firms in the world,
coupled with a smaller office size by New York standards, creates a truly unique working environment. The people are intelligent and motivated, yet they never failed to take every opportunity to make me feel like a welcome part of the Clifford Chance family.

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Kimberly Doley - NYU '08
My summer at Clifford Chance far exceeded my expectations. Having worked for four years
before law school, I was nervous about entering the workforce again. However, everyone with
whom I worked took time to make sure that I was completely comfortable with my assignments
allowing me to ask as many questions as I needed. I was able to work directly with partners
as well as with other associates on interesting and substantive assignments. The other summer
associates greatly enriched my experience at Clifford Chance. They were a diverse group
having traveled, studied and lived in many parts of the world. They came from many different
backgrounds, a wide selection of law schools and all had very different interests, but we all got
along and worked together very well. The summer proved to be a whirlwind of activities and hard
work which was tiring at times, but spending time getting to know my fellow summers, associates
and partners at our events made it very worthwhile. One of the highlights of my summer was spending 3 weeks working in the London office of Clifford Chance. Clifford Chance calls itself a global law firm and working in London was a perfect demonstration of this point for me. The day I began working in the London office I had an office, a computer with the same log in as my computer in the New York office, the same billing system and the associates gave me work as soon as I was at my desk. The greatest characteristic of Clifford Chance is the inclusive nature of all the people who work there. For all the above reasons, I was thrilled to accept the offer to return next fall.