Summer Program

Summer associates work in as many practice areas, and directly with as many of our attorneys as possible. Each summer associate spends approximately half of the summer working in the litigation area and half working in other areas of our practice. Although a Goodsill summer associate's primary exposure to the practice of law will be research and writing assignments, we give summer associates the opportunity, when feasible, to attend legal proceedings, such as trials, hearings and depositions, and to attend negotiating and planning sessions and client meetings. Summer associates are encouraged to attend the firm’s regular in-house training and seminar programs for attorneys. Our program is structured to provide summer associates with feedback on their work from the attorneys who have given the assignments. There are also a variety of informal social activities to further acquaint summer associates with the attorneys of the firm.

When making hiring decisions, we give priority consideration to summer associates, and we attempt to correlate the number of summer associates hired with the anticipated number of first-year associate positions the firm will fill in the years the summer associates would graduate. Because our summer program is designed to acquaint a summer associate with the different areas of our practice and with our attorneys, the firm is generally not in favor of allowing summer associates to "split" their summers with other firms, but will consider requests to do so under special circumstances.

We encourage new associates to assume increasing responsibility early in their tenure, and it is not unusual for associates to have direct contact with our clients and courtroom experience almost immediately upon admission to the Hawaii bar. The firm also attempts to accommodate the preferences of new associates in determining the areas in which they will practice, subject to the needs of the firm.