Law Students
If you want to work with world-class attorneys on sophisticated matters and deals for prestigious clients, all while creating meaningful relationships in a welcoming and supportive culture, this is where you want to be.
Victor Barnett, Director of Attorney Recruiting & Development
Law Students
If you want to work with world-class attorneys on sophisticated matters and deals for prestigious clients, all while creating meaningful relationships in a welcoming and supportive culture, this is where you want to be.
Victor Barnett, Director of Attorney Recruiting & Development
- Available Positions
- Summer Associate Program
- Why Choose Winston?
- Benefits
- FAQs
- Recruiting Contacts
- Free Law School Prep Course
Available Positions
We are currently accepting 2L applications for our 2026 Summer Associate Program.
To apply for a 2L position, you can submit your application materials here. Please submit only one application to your preferred office. Duplicate applications for multiple offices will not be accepted.
If you would like to be considered for a Winston & Strawn Pathways Scholarship, you must also submit a separate scholarship application here.
Optimizing Your Health & Performance When Interviewing
Diane Costigan, Winston’s Director of Coaching and Well-Being offers law students five stress reduction and self-care tips for putting your best foot forward and thriving during the hectic interview season. Learn more here.
North America Summer Associate Program
Winston’s Summer Associate Program seeks well-rounded, motivated, imaginative law students who are team players and will work hard for our clients. Our 10-week program, which runs from mid-May to late July, provides real work experience, mentoring relationships, pro bono opportunities, and life-long social connections.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Law students who join Winston’s summer program work on a wide variety of corporate and litigation projects with outstanding attorneys who are welcoming, kind, and genuinely invested in your professional growth and happiness. You will also participate in a best-in-class series of legal and professional skills-training programs delivered through Winston University and work on meaningful and challenging assignments that allow you to explore your interests.
MENTORING
Each Winston summer associate has an associate mentor and a partner mentor. Associate mentors serve as your first point of contact and guide throughout the program. Associate mentors assist with obtaining work assignments, hosting lunches, reviewing written work product, and are available to answer questions. Partner mentors provide shadowing opportunities as well as assist with obtaining work assignments and making introductions to other attorneys across the firm.
PRO BONO OPPORTUNITIES
Community service is ingrained in our culture, and we encourage summer associates to participate in Winston’s substantial Pro Bono matters. This work serves a critical need in the community while providing valuable legal experience. Many of our incoming associates also participate in Winston’s Pro Bono Fellowship program the summer after their law school graduation. This program provides a $10,000 stipend for incoming associates performing 300 hours of pro bono legal services at local public interest law organizations of their choice.
OPPORTUNITY & INCLUSION
At Winston, we’re committed to expanding access to opportunity through early, meaningful engagement with law students. Our recruiting initiatives are designed to identify promising law students, support their development, and create pathways for long-term success. In addition to our Winston Pathways Scholarship, we partner with student organizations at law schools across the country—building relationships through resume reviews, mock interviews, writing skills workshops, panel presentations, and campus programs. We aim to meet students where they are and foster connections that reflect the breadth of experiences and perspectives within the next generation of legal professionals.
How to Succeed as a Summer Associate
Winston’s former Hiring Committee Chair Bill O’Neil provides advice to help aspiring lawyers stand out from the crowd during OCI and make the most of their summer associate experience. Learn more here.
LOCAL OFFICE ACTIVITIES
If you summer with Winston, you’ll attend a variety of professional development opportunities, as well as networking and social events to help you get to know Winston’s attorneys and learn more about the city where you’re spending your summer. Learn more about each office below.
Charlotte | Chicago | Dallas | Houston | Los Angeles | Miami | New York | San Francisco | Silicon Valley | Washington, D.C.
I was initially attracted to Winston because I was impressed with the partners and associates who I interviewed with in the Dallas office. I continually find that the quality of the people, both personally and professionally, and the quality of work has surpassed my expectations. I feel lucky to have started my career being trained by the partner and associates at Winston.
Winston partners’ commitment to mentorship and learning through quality work assignments has been invaluable to my professional development.
The partners I work with invest time in me to not only make sure I understand the substance of why we do things a certain way but also go out of their way to know me as a person. That goes a long way in terms of both finding value in the work I do and building professional relationships.
The culture of collaboration, education, and mentorship was apparent when I first walked through Winston’s doors. The great friends I gained through my summer associate class and across the firm are now my talented colleagues. Learning from others is the key to being successful at the firm, and this is much easier when you work with people who are your friends.
Winston will give you everything the other large firms will—high-stakes work for large clients—but it is the people that set Winston apart. From the staff to the attorneys, there is no one at Winston who is not committed to associates’ development and success.
The attorneys at Winston dedicate themselves to providing exceptional legal services and are also exceptional human beings. I couldn’t imagine starting my career at any other firm.
Being a summer associate at Winston was a fantastic experience. The support and mentoring I received during the summer and continue to receive as an associate has been extremely beneficial, especially since I am a first-generation lawyer.
Why Choose Winston?
At Winston & Strawn, you will be a trusted colleague, encouraged to innovate and collaborate. This is a chance to join world-class attorneys, doing complex work for sophisticated clients and developing life-long relationships.
THE WORK
You will gain exposure to a wide range of services and sectors groups through hands-on training and real work assignments. Summer associates benefit from shadowing opportunities such as attending depositions, hearings, and trials as well as sitting in on contract negotiations, deal closings, and client meetings.
Our Assignments Committee maintains a database of available projects and works to ensure that each summer associate has equal opportunities and access to quality work.
OUR PEOPLE
The diverse personalities and strengths of our people are the foundation of Winston & Strawn. If you decide to spend your summer with our firm, you’ll join a team of attorneys and business professionals who bring a variety of interests and approaches to creating our collegial and collaborative culture and delivering world-class service to our clients.
The experiences of our people go well beyond their professional endeavors, whether it's piloting planes, climbing Everest, and trekking to Machu Picchu, or playing in rock bands, owning a wine company, and authoring books.
OUR REPUTATION
- The 2022 Vault Rankings named Winston a Top 50 Law Firm to Work For and a Top 50 Best Summer Associate Program.
- In the Chambers’ 2022 Associate Satisfaction Survey, Winston ranked in the top 25 of all law firms for career development and diversity, equity, and inclusion and ranked in the top 50 for associate satisfaction, associate retention, quality of life, and pro bono.
I put our people up against any other firm, and I think we have the best from our attorneys to our professional staff...
Victor Barnett, Director of Attorney Recruiting & Development
A Week in the Life of a Winston Associate
Wondering what it’s like to be a full-time associate at Winston & Strawn? We asked a litigation and transactional associate to share a few highlights from a typical week.
John Secaras, M&A and Private Equity Associate
John was a 5th year associate at the time.
Neha Vyas, Sports Litigation Associate
Neha was a 2ndyear associate at the time.
U.S. Benefits
If you continue your legal career with Winston following your Summer Program, you’ll receive a compensation package that is competitive with those of other law firms of comparable size and stature as well as comprehensive benefits.
Our generous benefits and perks, which are subject to eligibility and may change from time to time, include:
Health & Well-Being
- Medical, dental, and vision plans - coverage begins on the first day of employment
- Life & disability insurance
- Pre-tax commuter benefit
- Employee assistance program
- Mental health first aid responders
Family-Friendly Support
- 20 weeks of paid parental leave for both moms and dads of newborns and newly adopted children, regardless of caregiver status
- Parental leave liaison and working parents career strategist
- Reduced hours targets during ramp-down and ramp-up
- Flexible hours schedules
- Back-up child and elder care through Bright Horizons
- Free overnight shipment of breast milk for nursing moms when they travel for work
- On-site nursing rooms
Retirement
- 401(k) retirement plan
Time Off
- 10 paid holidays
- Flexible vacation time
Compensation – View our associate salary disclosures
- Discretionary performance bonus based on experience level, firm profitability, and billing 2,000 hours
- 100 hours of billable hours credit for approved non-billable work including pro bono, DEI, firm investment, and firm citizenship hours
Reimbursement & Perks
- $10,000 summer living stipend paid after graduation
- Reimbursement for bar review classes, exam fee, and annual registration
- Up to $2,500 relocation reimbursement if moving more than 75 miles
Clerkship Benefits
- Bonus for Judicial clerks joining Winston directly from an eligible clerkship
- Credit for time spent clerking for both compensation and seniority purposes determined on a case-by-case basis
Frequently Asked Questions for Law Students
We begin accepting resumes from 2L students in the spring. First-year law students are encouraged to check our website to determine which of our offices are accepting applications from 1Ls.
You may submit your resume via our online application system if we do not interview on your campus or if you are unable to secure an on-campus interview.
We typically contact callback candidates shortly after their screening interview. Callback interviews generally take two to three hours, during which candidates meet with several of our attorneys from the department they are interviewing for. Some of our offices also offer Callback Interview Program that may take place in the evening, which is communicated through the callback invitation.
Summer Associates must spend a minimum of 8 weeks with us starting at the beginning of our program.
Winston recruits summer associates into our litigation or transactions departments. You will be asked to select your department preference (litigation or transactions) during the application process.
As a summer associate, you will work on a variety of projects within your assigned department. Our assignment attorneys maintain a database of available projects and work to ensure that each summer associate has equal opportunities and access to quality work. Projects are submitted by partners and associates and range from simple and straightforward to more substantive and time-consuming. Summer associates are assigned real client work as well as pro bono work.
Summer associates participate in our Winston University Development System during their time at the firm. Winston University includes summer associate training programs in professional skills, writing skills, negotiating deals, and arguing a motion. Summer associates receive invaluable professional development opportunities through networking and collaborating with our attorneys. Our dynamic talent development team ensures summer associates have the resources they need for peak performance. Please visit the Professional Development page for more details about Winston University.
Each Winston summer associate has an associate mentor and a partner mentor. Your associate mentor serves as your first point of contact and guide throughout the program. Associate mentors assist with obtaining work assignments, hosting lunches, reviewing written work product, and are available to answer any questions. Partner mentors provide shadowing opportunities as well as assist with obtaining work assignments in addition to making introductions to other attorneys across the firm.
Summer associates receive feedback throughout the summer from the partners and associates with whom they work in addition to receiving a formal mid-summer review.
Our London office invests significant time and effort in our trainees and sees them as critical to the promotion and success of the office. We offer a two-week vacation scheme for students who wish to apply for a training contract in London. For more information on our application process please visit the London Students page on our website. In Paris, we accept applications year-round from ‘stagiaires-avocats’ interested in our internship program for law students.
Summer associates are encouraged to participate in Winston’s substantial pro bono activities, which allow you to serve critical needs in the community while gaining valuable legal experience. Our Pro Bono Fellowship provides a $10,000 stipend for incoming associates who perform 300 hours of pro bono legal services during the summer between graduating law school and joining the firm.
Our Corporate Social Responsibility program—Winston for Good—is built on the firm’s values and heritage and makes an intentional impact in our communities. Local office Winston for Good teams identify, coordinate, and mobilize multiple volunteer opportunities each year, including a volunteer event for summer associates.
Law Student Recruiting Contacts
North America
Emily Wiegand
Senior Manager, Law Student Recruiting
Email
CHARLOTTE
Alison Haley
Attorney Recruiting & Development Specialist
Email
Charlotte NALP Form
CHICAGO
Val Fegan
Attorney Recruiting & Development Manager
Email
Chicago NALP Form
DALLAS
Mary Ranna
Attorney Recruiting & Development Specialist
Email
Dallas NALP Form
HOUSTON
Mary Ranna
Attorney Recruiting & Development Specialist
Email
Houston NALP Form
LOS ANGELES
Katherine Murray
Attorney Recruiting & Development Manager
Email
Los Angeles NALP Form
MIAMI
Madison Botello
Administrative Services Coordinator
Email
Miami NALP Form
NEW YORK
Lauren Luke
Attorney Recruiting & Development Specialist
Email
New York NALP Form
SAN FRANCISCO
Katherine Murray
Attorney Recruiting & Development Manager
Email
San Francisco NALP Form
SILICON VALLEY
Katherine Murray
Attorney Recruiting & Development Manager
Email
Silicon Valley NALP Form
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Alison Haley
Attorney Recruiting & Development Specialist
Email
Washington, D.C. NALP Form
Europe
LONDON
Ellen Scott
Human Resources Generalist
Email
PARIS
Alexandra Boudon
Office Manager
Email
Free Law School Prep Course
Cracking the code for law school success can be especially difficult for first-generation students and those who cannot afford pricey prep courses.
To help address this inherent inequity and give everyone a fair and fighting chance to succeed, Winston created a free law school prep course—The Law School Experience.
This free, online prep course will teach you how to:
- Succeed on law school exams
- Read and analyze case law
- Write a useful, thorough law school course outline
- Make an effective constitutional argument
The course is self-paced, so you can learn on your own time. Upon completion of the six- to seven-hour course, you will earn a certificate, which you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.
I am heading into my first year of law school, so I was looking for a class to take over the summer to help prepare me for the demands of my 1L classes. As a first-generation college and law student, I found Winston & Strawn’s law school prep course extremely helpful. I learned how to read cases, write briefs, and even got to practice with an exam question. I now feel much more confident going into my first week of classes!
Incoming Law Student at Northwestern University
Winston & Strawn does a tremendous job at walking you through case briefing and outlining—key skills for doing well in your 1L year—culminating with a simulated law exam, where you will learn to apply the IRAC method. Learning these skills at no cost, from a top law firm, is invaluable.
1L at University of Houston Law Center
Law schools are fantastic at teaching students about the law; in contrast, the Law School Experience teaches students how to succeed in law school. The program is designed to provide practical skills that we believe will boost students’ grades and, ultimately, their employment prospects, which will, in turn, diversify and strengthen the legal profession.
Bill O’Neil, Chicago Managing Partner