2028 2L Summer Associate: Chicago at Baker McKenzie

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The role

This is a 10-week summer program for 2L students at Baker McKenzie's Chicago office. The Emerging Lawyers Academy is designed for aspiring global lawyers to gain experience across various practice groups, develop legal skills, and explore long-term career opportunities within the firm.

What you'll do

Contribute to real client matters
Participate in collaborative projects
Engage in world-class pro bono initiatives
Participate in foundational training designed to build practical legal skills, client-service excellence, professional judgment and AI fluency through workshops and simulations
Explore assignments across Commercial, Employment & Compensation, Disputes, Tax and Transactional practice groups

What we're looking for

Strong academic foundation and intellectual curiosity

Demonstrated academic achievement, sound judgment, and discipline

Growth mindset and openness to exploration

Strong analytical ability

Practical problem-solving ability

Interest in developing AI fluency and innovation-minded client service

Global mindset

Curiosity about cross-border work

Comfortable building relationships across offices and diverse cultures

Interest in serving clients in a global firm environment

Interest in long-term development at Baker McKenzie

Benefits

10-week summer program

Weekly compensation equivalent to the first-year associate market rate

$10,000 Academy stipend upon arrival

Additional $10,000 upon associate start date for those who receive and accept an offer to return as first-year associates

Tailored coaching and mentoring

Opportunities to build relationships across offices, practices and borders

Client Summer Scholars Program

Visiting Office Experiences

In-person Emerging Lawyers Academy Training focused on skills-based and practice-based training

Hiring contacts

recruitmentservices@bakermckenzie.com

View all hiring contacts at Baker McKenzie

2028 2L Summer Associate: Chicago