Summer Associate 2026

Description

Williams Parker, the region's largest and oldest law firm founded in 1925, is seeking second year law students for its 2026 Summer Associate Program. Our Summer Associate Program offers 2L students an opportunity to engage in intellectually stimulating work that is indicative of real associate life. It is designed to meet two goals: (i) to introduce you to life in Sarasota, Florida as a Williams Parker attorney immersing you in our firm's culture, and (ii) to provide you with the experience and tools to ensure your long-term success at our firm or another law firm.

Commencing June 1, 2026 – and continuing for an 8, 9, or 10-week duration of your choice – we will provide work assignments, client experiences, mentoring, and training that approximate those provided to younger associates. In addition, we provide many opportunities for you to get to know and be known by firm attorneys in social and professional settings. We believe it is important to know the people with whom you will spend your career and to be comfortable with the decision to practice law with them. We have designed our Summer Associate Program to be an enjoyable, challenging experience which will allow both you and us to determine if you are the right fit for our firm. When we mutually come to that determination, then it is likely that we will have a long and successful working relationship.

As a summer associate at Williams Parker, you will join a team of experienced lawyers who care about your growth as a successful attorney. We strive to ensure your experience is rich with substantive work that both interests and challenges you and to provide you with invaluable guidance, feedback, and opportunities for networking and development.

Our program attracts qualified candidates from a range of law schools, such as American University Washington College of Law, Boston, Cornell, Emory, Florida State, Georgetown, John Marshall, Stetson University, Texas A&M, University of Alabama, University of California—Berkeley, University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of Texas, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Washington and Lee.

The “Big Project”

At the cornerstone of our summer program is the “Big Project”—an opportunity for our summer associates to gain a realistic sense of law firm life and work. The firm’s practice areas prepare in-depth research assignments, from which students select to focus three weeks of their clerkship. Each summer associate will work closely with a designated attorney to develop their project, conducting significant research and writing, and receiving valuable feedback and guidance throughout the process. At the culmination of the project, students will make oral presentations of their projects to attorneys from across the firm.

In addition to the “Big Project,” summer associates will have opportunities to handle a number of smaller assignments from attorneys throughout the firm. Our goal is to help you develop and succeed as attorneys. In addition to serving as mentors, our attorneys provide comprehensive feedback regarding each assignment with which students are tasked.

For more FAQ’s visit our website: https://www.williamsparker.com/careers/summer-associates/

Requirements

Candidates should possess outstanding undergraduate academic records, have excelled in law school, and exhibit strong leadership abilities. Additionally, a strong connection to the Sarasota area is highly desirable.

Benefits

The firm offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, and summer associates are paid biweekly.