What is a Summer Associate?
In the legal profession, summer associate positions provide law students with hands-on experience working for a law firm in the summer after their first or second year of law school. These positions are opportunities to experience life as an attorney firsthand, allowing students to embed themselves in a firm to do much of the same work they will likely do as a full-time associate post-graduation.
Like an apprenticeship, the summer associates work side-by-side with our attorneys and develop an appreciation for the unique aspects of practicing law at WilliamsMcCarthy. Experiencing the culture and clients of Wilmac is not only valuable for the summer associates, but the firm also can assess the abilities of summer associates to be successful once they graduate, pass the bar, and are ready for the practice of law.
Meet Morgan Knight
Morgan Knight is one of two summer associates at Wilmac this year. She attends the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Law School in Champaign. Morgan knew she wanted to pursue law when one of her undergraduate professors shared his career path as a lawyer with interested students. Learning more about the legal profession and his personal journey led Morgan to want to become an attorney. She sees her law degree as a way to assist people through difficult times in their lives.
WilliamsMcCarthy was at the top of Morgan’s list for a summer associate position. Familiar with the firm’s stellar reputation and interested in returning to her hometown of Rochelle, Morgan reached out to the firm to make connections before applying. After interviewing, she earned one of the two open positions.
“Wilmac has a great reputation and being a summer associate has allowed me to apply the knowledge that I gained in my first year of law school,” said Morgan. “I’m learning more about my skills and interests and using that to build my schedule for the next two years of law school.”
This summer, Morgan has enjoyed experiencing the day-to-day work of an attorney in a firm and gaining firsthand experience in her practice areas of interest: family law, employment law, and estate planning. She plans to apply those practical skills to deepen her knowledge in those areas.
Outside the office, Morgan enjoys discovering parts of Rockford she didn’t experience growing up in the region. She enjoys attending City Market on Friday evenings and learning more about all the events and activities the Rockford region has to offer.
Welcome, Morgan!
