General Overview of Pullman & Comley's Summer Associate Program

Our Summer Associate Program is designed to provide law students with a true picture of what it is like to practice law as a full-time associate at Pullman & Comley. As part of the Summer Program, law school students work closely with attorneys, participate in day-to-day activities and make important contributions to projects involving a variety of practice areas. The work performed by Pullman & Comley's summer associates has a direct impact on the firm's clients, and our summer associates have frequent exposure to our clients.

In addition to working closely with attorneys in day-to-day office activities, summer associates assist in assignments outside the office, including trials, hearings, depositions and real estate and corporate closings. Summer associates also participate in the same training programs and department meetings as full-time attorneys. Every effort is made to give summer associates an authentic law firm practice experience.

It is the goal of Pullman & Comley's Summer Program to hire all eligible summer associates for full employment upon successful completion of their Summer Program and law school careers. By the conclusion of the Summer Program, summer associates have an in-depth view of what it means to practice law at Pullman & Comley, and should be able to tell whether this is the right environment for them.

Distribution of Assignments and Formal Review

The Director of the Summer Associate Program oversees all projects and events, regularly monitors progress and meets with each summer associate on a weekly basis. This allows the Director and the summer associates to gauge work flow and ensure that a summer associate is exposed to all of the firm's major practice areas. In addition, if the summer associate has an interest in a specific area of practice, the Director will make accommodations to allow for a concentration in that practice area where possible. Work assignments are carefully supervised and the importance of the assignment is fully explained by the assigning attorneys.

We recognize that a summer associate experience will necessarily involve questions and concerns that may not rise to the level of the Summer Program's Director. To deal with such issues, as well as to have a sounding board to address concerns or to just have a conversation, each summer associate is assigned a mentor who is available for guidance as desired. Our mentors are junior to mid-level associates who are also members of the firm's Recruiting Committee. During the first week of the Summer Program, and throughout the summer, the firm's Orientation Committee also helps to acclimate summer associates to the firm and the practice of law. We pride ourselves on our friendly atmosphere, and our attorneys are happy to speak to summer associates about their assignments or any concerns they may have.

Pullman & Comley recognizes the importance of regular, clear feedback for summer associates. To that end, the firm provides weekly informal feedback sessions through meetings with the Summer Program Director. In addition, the leadership of the firm's Recruiting Committee meets with each summer associate at the mid-point of the Summer Program to provide a more formal review. Exit interview and assessments are conducted at the end of the Summer Program, and by the conclusion of the summer, each summer associate will have a clear understanding as to how his or her work was evaluated.

Program Details and Office Assignments

As a regional law firm, Pullman & Comley draws attorneys from a broad area. Whether summer associates are from the New England area or beyond, the firm assists in the settling-in process. Summer associates will find that the firm's offices are situated in dynamic settings, from the state's capital to urban and small town locations on Long Island Sound just a few minutes from beaches and a train ride from New York City. The attorneys go out of their way to expose our summer associates to the amenities and surroundings that each of our offices and communities has to offer.

Our Summer Program is centered in the Bridgeport office; however, summer associates have exposure to all of Pullman & Comley's offices. Our Summer Program runs for ten weeks, of which seven or eight weeks are generally spent in our Bridgeport Office, and two or three are spent in our Hartford office. Summer Associates also make regular trips to our Stamford and Westport offices, and may spend additional time in a particular office on an as-needed basis. While the Summer Program is ten weeks in length, summer associates are welcome to extend their stay beyond ten weeks.

Social Activities

It is one of the goals of Pullman & Comley's Summer Program to expose our summer associates to every office and practice area in the firm. Most importantly, we want our summer associates to meet as many of the firm's attorneys as possible over the course of the summer. Obviously, this cannot be done through work assignments alone, which is why our summer program also offers diverse social activities for the summer associates. These social activities allow summer associates to interact and to meet informally with attorneys, and learn about Pullman & Comley and our various offices.

Our goal is to get to know our summer associates and allow them to feel comfortable and welcome within the Pullman & Comley community. Prior summer social activities have included:

• Trips to the General Assembly to meet with key legislators;
• Mohegan Sun Casino dinner and excursion;
• Minor league baseball games;
• Beach parties/clam bakes;
• Music concerts;
• Annual firm picnic;
• Trips to the Connecticut Supreme Court to meet with select Justices;
• Various firm receptions;
• Boat trips on Candlewood Lake and the Connecticut River; and
• Annual "Partners Serve Associates" dinner.

These events allow us to get to know our summer associates better, and allow them to get to know us. In addition to being a great deal of fun, these events are critical to the success of our Summer Program.

Diversity Policy

Pullman & Comley believes diversity is a strength, one that enables us to understand different viewpoints and allows us to offer that insight to our clients. We therefore actively promote diversity within our firm, and our goal is to achieve a diverse work force.

It has always been the policy, and will continue to be the strong commitment, of Pullman & Comley to provide equal opportunities in employment to all qualified persons on the basis of job-related skills, ability and merit. The firm ensures that applicants are considered, and that employees are treated during employment, without unlawful regard to their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical disability or marital status. The firm also maintains and is committed to a strong anti-harassment policy. We comply with all applicable federal and state laws and policies concerning equal employment opportunity.

To move toward our goal of a diverse work force, we have expanded the scope of our recruiting program to include a greater number of law schools. There is great competition for lawyers in general in Connecticut, and specifically for minority applicants, and we believe that expanding our recruiting beyond the tri-state area helps us to recruit the most diverse group of summer associates possible. This is extremely important since we hire associates only from our summer program and laterally.

Pullman & Comley is also an active participant in The Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity, Inc., an association of law firms and corporate members that is committed to increasing minority hiring and diversity initiatives in Connecticut. Additionally, the firm contributes to and actively participates in organizations that promote diversity and advocate for the protection of diversity in the workplace, such as the Anti-Defamation League, the Connecticut Minority Supplier Development Council, the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition, Lambda Legal, Operation Respect and the Urban League. The firm is also a proud sponsor of the Connecticut Bar Association's YLS Diversity Award Dinner.

For More Information

Please contact one of the Chairmen of our Recruiting Committee to submit a résumé or to receive additional information: