Summer season affiliate applications are nonetheless underway at Biglaw corporations throughout the nation, however quickly, for many who haven’t already been precruited, early recruitment interviews will start for subsequent 12 months’s keen crop of would-be summer time associates. With present summers itching to obtain their presents, what higher time to launch Vault’s carefully watched rankings for the perfect summer time affiliate applications?
Sizzling on the heels of Vault’s rankings of the most prestigious regulation corporations and the regulation corporations with the best quality of life comes the profession web site’s rating of the perfect summer time affiliate applications in Biglaw. Junior associates (first- by means of third-year attorneys) who summered at their present corporations had been requested to rank their experiences on how a lot enjoyable this system was and the way properly it ready them for all times on the agency by means of six completely different classes (legal professional interactions, substantive assignments, coaching and mentoring, preparation for affiliate life, high quality of occasions, and satisfaction with firm-sponsored social alternatives and social interactions). From these scores, Vault ranked the perfect summer time affiliate applications in three classes: Lawyer Interactions, Profession Growth, and Social Experiences. It shouldn’t come as a shock that most of the corporations that made the Prime 10 record for having the very best quality of life made the Prime 10 for having the perfect summer time affiliate program.
There was as soon as once more an enormous quantity of motion within the Prime 10 this 12 months. Which corporations made the reduce? With none additional ado, listed below are the Top 10 Firms With the Best Summer Associate Programs primarily based on Vault’s Annual Affiliate Survey for 2026:
1. O’Melveny & Myers (no change)
2. Bracewell (no change)
3. Morgan Lewis & Bockius (no change)
4. Clifford Probability (up from #6)
5. Benesch (up from #10)
6. McDermott Will & Emery (up from #9)
7. Pillsbury (up from #23)
8. Eversheds Sutherland (up from #18)
9. Vedder Value (unranked)
10. Mayer Brown (up from #39)
O’Melveny, Bracewell, Morgan Lewis, Clifford Probability US, McDermott, Eversheds, and Mayer Brown every made appearances within the Prime 10 for corporations with the very best quality of life. Let’s give these corporations a spherical of applause for preserving their attorneys pleased from their days as summers by means of their days as junior associates.
Listed below are the Top 3 Best Summer Programs for Attorney Interactions:
- O’Melveny & Myers
- Bracewell
- Clifford Probability US
Listed below are the Top 3 Best Summer Programs for Career Development:
- O’Melveny & Myers
- Morgan Lewis & Bockius
- Benesch
Listed below are the Top 3 Best Summer Programs for Social Experiences:
- Bracewell
- O’Melveny & Myers
- McDermott Will & Emery
Congratulations to all 50 of the Biglaw corporations that made the most recent version of the Vault Greatest Summer season Affiliate Program rankings — and a good greater congratulations to O’Melveny for popping out on prime in yet one more rating. How did your agency do? Email us, textual content us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog to tell us.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Legislation, the place she’s labored since 2011. She’d love to listen to from you, so please be happy to email her with any suggestions, questions, feedback, or critiques. You’ll be able to comply with her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or join together with her on LinkedIn.
