Summer Associate Program
Structure
HRO's summer associate program is designed to introduce summer associates to the breadth of the firm's practice. Each summer associate is assigned a work coordinator who is responsible for gathering and assigning work projects to the summer associate. The work coordinator‘s primary responsibility is to ensure a variety of projects for each summer associate, preferably in areas where they have an interest. The work coordinator also acts as an intermediary between the summer associate and HRO attorneys.
During the summer, a summer associate can expect to experience numerous associate training programs including discussions on firm strategy, loss prevention, and lunches with clients to learn about client service expectations. Regular lunches with associates and partners provide a great opportunity to meet others in the firm.
Our summer associates are given the opportunity to see what the lifestyle and work is all about as an HRO attorney. Summer associates join in client meetings, attend hearings and complete substantial and relevant projects for our partners and associates. Our goal is to provide our summer associates with a complete picture of HRO including type of work and environment by the end of the summer.
“Thanks for putting together a challenging and fulfilling summer program. My work coordinator was never too busy to talk with me about my projects or help me find assignments in my areas of interest. I also appreciated that partners and associates took time to give me feedback on my work. One partner even took me out to lunch to discuss how my research informed his strategy for negotiating with opposing counsel (a meeting that I attended). I am impressed—but not surprised—by the caliber of professionals at HRO. It is clear to me that the people of HRO are invested in developing outstanding attorneys."
- Sarah Stoneking, 2005 Summer Associate
The size of our summer class varies from year to year. We offer a non-competitive summer program. This means we anticipate all of our summer associates will merit offers of employment based on exceptional performance over the summer. As a result, we match the number of summer associates to the number of new attorneys we anticipate needing the following year.
First- and second-year summer associates
HRO focuses on hiring second-year students from law schools across the country. First-year students may be eligible for the James E. Bye scholarship awarded each year to one student from the University of Colorado and one student from the University of Denver. Applications are sent out to eligible students on or about December 1st and the recipients of the scholarships are selected and notified in February. Students who are interested in this scholarship program should contact their schools' Career Services office for additional information.
Mentoring program
In addition, summer associates are assigned an associate mentor. The mentor will introduce the summer associate to other attorneys in the firm and answer any questions they may have. By separating the work coordinator and mentor responsibilities, we provide an environment where the summer associate can be secure in learning about the firm, its culture and practices, without an effect on the work evaluation process. HRO attorneys understand the value of a mentoring relationship and strive to provide opportunities to enhance those relationships.
Feedback
We realize that meaningful feedback is an important part of the summer associate program. Each summer associate receives a mid-summer and an end-of-summer performance review. These reviews are conducted by the work coordinator and hiring partner. We also encourage the summer associates to request feedback directly from the attorneys reviewing their work.
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2005 Summer Associate U.S. Olympic Committee Tour in Colorado Springs. Back Row from left: Michi Tsuda, Andrew Mohraz, Rob Peterson, Alex Ross, Troy Woollen, Matt Jaksa. Front Row from left: Bernardo Martinez, Olympia Fay, Cathy Mauer, Sarah Stoneking, Kim Greebon, Laurie Rust.
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The Chili Cook-off is a much anticipated summer event. Pictured is this year’s winning team. From left: Peter Hansen, Paul Thompson, Kelly Matthews, Charlie Maguire, Nick Claassen, and Maricela Barbosa.
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