Let’s start something.
Founded in 1915, Bernstein Shur is a New England-based law firm that advises clients from across the U.S. and around the world. Our 100+ award-winning attorneys and professionals practice in more than 39 critical areas and a variety of industries.
While we’re proud of our roots, accolades, and wide-ranging expertise, it’s not just our substance that sets us apart—it’s also our approach. We relish simplifying the complex. We believe that sophisticated doesn’t have to mean stuffy, and we are both accessible and approachable. We fight hard for our clients, but calm persistence and collaboration are often our weapons of choice. Most importantly, we believe that being mindful of our clients’ bottom lines is ultimately better for our own. Over the past century, these values have become the essence of Bernstein Shur. And they produce better results—and better experiences—for our clients.
Summer Associate Program
As a firm, we share a commitment to finding and growing top legal talent. Our summer associate program—which includes a nine week in-firm rotation and three week pro bono fellowship—gives high-achieving law students an opportunity to work side-by-side with our attorneys, begin to develop their legal skills, and gain insight into what their post-graduation careers could look like.
Each summer associate gets the opportunity to work on substantive projects with our most experienced attorneys, rotating through several of the firm’s practice groups and becoming an integral member of our client service teams. Former summer associates have observed or participated in trials, mediations, arbitrations, hearings, depositions, real estate closings, negotiations, and client meetings. Each summer associate is assigned a mentor who provides consistent guidance as the student moves through our program.
When to apply
Thank you for your interest in Bernstein Shur’s 2025 Summer Associate Program for second year law students. For 2L students at law schools where we do not conduct on-campus interviews, we will be accepting applications for our 2025 Summer Associate Program from Monday, June 3, 2024 – Monday, July 8, 2024. To apply please send a cover letter, resume, transcript (including Spring 2024 grades) and writing sample to attorneyrecruiting@bernsteinshur.com. We look forward to receiving your materials.
D1L Maine Diversity Summer Associate Program
As a part of our organizations’ shared commitment to diversity and inclusion, Bernstein Shur, Pierce Atwood, Verrill, The Jackson Laboratory, Preti Flaherty, Brann & Isaacson, Unum, Drummond Woodsum, IDEXX, L.L. Bean, WEX and Martin’s Point Health Care are jointly seeking 1L students who have a demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion to apply as a ten-week Maine Diversity Summer Associate, assigned to one of our offices in Portland, Westbrook, Freeport, Lewiston or Bar Harbor, Maine. We see individual differences as critically important components to providing outstanding client service and a better work environment for our attorneys and staff. Dimensions of diversity include age, ability, culture, education, family educational history, ethnicity, gender, geography, language, military service, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
About the 10-week program
Our goal is to provide a meaningful private law firm work experience to students who have completed one year of law school and who will contribute to the diversity and inclusion efforts of our firms and the Maine legal community. Candidates must have an excellent academic record, exceptional writing ability, strong analytical and interpersonal skills, and demonstrated self-confidence. The program will run from May 27th – August 1st, 2025.
Applications will open on November 11, 2024 and will be accepted on a rolling basis until December 31, 2024.
WHY SUMMER WITH US?
One-on-one mentoring
Each summer associate is assigned a mentor who provides guidance to the summer associate as he or she moves through the program. Mentors answer questions, provide guidance, and support our summer associates’ integration within the firm.
Meaningful work experience
As a summer associate, you’ll rotate through the firm’s practice groups and become an integral part of real-life client matters. All summer associates do one rotation with our Business Law Practice Group and our Litigation Practice Group, but we allow summer associates to choose their remaining 2-week rotations based on their personal interests. You will do research and writing projects related to real issues that face our clients in real time. Each practice group you work with will have a workflow coordinator responsible for making sure that your assignments are engaging and designed to contribute to your professional development. You may observe or assist with:
- Real estate closings
- Trials
- Mediations and arbitrations
- Hearings
- Depositions
- Negotiations
- Client meetings
Constructive feedback
Thoughtful, constructive feedback is an integral part of career growth—so we provide a lot of it. As a summer associate, you’ll receive substantive one-on-one feedback from our summer program coordinator, who oversees the entire program. You’ll also receive direct feedback from the attorneys who generate assignments. Additionally, the chair of the program will provide a comprehensive mid- and end-of- summer formal evaluation.
A chance to enjoy the best of Northern New England
From sailing adventures, visits to Casco Bay’s islands, and attendance at Portland, Maine’s and Manchester, New Hampshire’s Triple-A baseball team games to museum visits and informal barbeques, summer associates have many opportunities to unwind, connect with colleagues, and get to know our communities in an informal setting.
Pro bono fellowship
We take pride in our community roots and seek out attorneys who are socially engaged and civic-minded. In addition to donating over 2,000 hours a year to pro bono causes, we’ve made a commitment to inspire up-and-coming attorneys to incorporate regular pro bono work into their practices. The Bernstein Shur Pro Bono Fellowship extends the standard 10-week summer associate program by two weeks to create a 12-week program, three weeks of which are spent working in-house with a legal-service provider of the student’s choice.
We can help place you with a non-profit organization at one of the providers we usually work with such as Pine Tree Legal Assistance Program, ILAP, ACLU of Maine or the Conservation Law Foundation.
While in your three-week pro bono rotation you will still participate in firm events and will continue to be paid by the firm during your rotation.
The program, which is the only of its kind in New England, was created to enhance our summer associate program and expand our pro bono work in the community. At Bernstein Shur, pro bono work is about more than civic responsibility or a sense of duty. It is a way of life and a fundamental part of the firm’s culture.
Join us this summer
CONTACT US
Don’t see the right opportunity yet? Email your resume to:
Joan Fortin, CEO
attorneyrecruiting@bernsteinshur.com 207-228-7310
All inquiries held in strictest confidence.
We conduct on campus interviews at the following schools:
- University of Maine School of Law
- University of New Hampshire School of Law
- Vermont Law School
- Northeastern University School of Law
- Boston College Law School
- Boston University School of Law
- American University Washington College of the Law
- The George Washington University Law School
There’s a lot of room to grow here.
Meet a few graduates of our summer program (there are many more):
Joan Fortin, Chief Executive Officer
Jim Keenan, Shareholder
Asha Echeverria, Shareholder
Eben Albert, Shareholder
Joel Moser, Shareholder
Beth Smith, Associate