Your Journey Starts Here
We want future colleagues who spend their summers with us to get the full experience of working at DWT. That includes doing complex work for market-leading clients alongside colleagues who care about your interests and who have expertise and insight that can help you learn how to build a practice. It also means joining a community that values excellent work and client service, teamwork, fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture, giving back to our communities, and leading rich personal lives outside the office.
So, what does that actually look like? It’s doing everything from drafting motions and contracts to assisting with pro bono matters to preparing for and attending client meetings, depositions, negotiations, and trials. It’s getting legal and skills training from our practice and industry groups and being paired with mentors based on your particular goals and interests. And it’s getting to know your colleagues at work and beyond, through affinity groups, events like our Summer Associate retreat, and countless conversations over lunch and coffee.
By the end of the summer, you’ll know what it’s like to be a first-year associate at DWT—and a member of our community. Come join us!
ApplySummer Associate Program
- 1L Diversity Scholarships
- 2L Patent Prosecution Diversity Scholarship
- 2L OPPORTUNITIES/ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS
1L Diversity Scholarships
As a 1L Diversity Scholarship recipient, you will receive $15,000 for your second year tuition and expenses and a paid Summer Associate position.
Criteria
Our Diversity Scholarships are open to first-year law students who:
- Are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession;
- Take an entrepreneurial approach to their work and career;
- Excel in written and oral communication, research, and analysis;
- Prioritize collaboration, effective use of time, and professional responsibility;
- Bring creativity and confidence to their work; and
- Are committed to practicing law after graduating law school in the location for which they are applying.
To Apply
Our online application site for the 1L Diversity Scholarships opens in early December, and the deadline is typically in early January. We will review and interview candidates on a rolling basis. To apply, you must submit your documents online via our application site (we will not accept applications via email). Please make sure your contact information is current and that your voicemail can receive messages. You will need the following documents ready to upload for your application:
- Current Resume
- Cover letter (please indicate your connection to the location for which you are applying in the letter and address to Sandra Morriss, Manager, Law Student Talent Acquisition)
- Personal Statement*
- Legal writing sample, not heavily edited by a third party (generally 5-10 pages)
- List of three references (one of whom is qualified to comment on your law school work)
- Complete undergraduate transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable)
- Law school transcript for fall term (unofficial copy is acceptable)**
*Your personal statement should help us learn more about you. Topics can vary widely and may include: how diversity is a driving factor for you, how you currently contribute to a diverse community and how you hope to do so in the future, what you would like us to know about you that is not in your resume and cover letter, or how your personal experience shaped your perspective on diversity. Your personal statement should be no more than one page, single-spaced, and 12-point font. Please include your name in the header but do not address your personal statement to anyone.
**If your transcript is not currently available, please submit your application without it. You will receive a follow-up email by mid-January with a link and instructions for submitting it online.
2L Patent Prosecution Diversity Scholarship
As a 2L Patent Prosecution Diversity Scholarship recipient, you will receive a $15,000 for your third year tuition and expenses. You will also work in a paid Summer Associate position with the Patent Prosecution team in our Seattle office.
Criteria
Our 2L Patent Prosecution Diversity Scholarship position is open to second-year law students who:
- Have a technical background and an interest in patent prosecution;
- Are patent bar eligible with an electrical engineering, mathematics, or computer science background;
- Have work experience with electrical and/or software engineering in the software industry (a plus)
- Are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession;
- Take an entrepreneurial approach to their work and career;
- Excel in written and oral communication, research, and analysis;
- Prioritize collaboration, effective use of time, and professional responsibility;
- Bring creativity and confidence to their work;
- Are committed to practicing in Seattle after law school;
To Apply
Our online application site for the 2L Patent Prosecution Diversity Scholarship position in the Seattle office opens in early June, and your application must be received by 11:59 pm PDT on Sunday July 30, 2023 to be considered. We will review and interview candidates on a rolling basis. To apply, you must submit your documents online via our our application site (we will not accept applications via email). Please make sure your contact information is current and that your voicemail can receive messages. You will need the following documents ready to upload for your application:
- Current Resume
- Cover letter (please indicate your connection to Seattle in the letter and address to Sandra Morriss, Manager, Law Student Talent Acquisition)
- Personal Statement*
- Legal writing sample, not heavily edited by a third party (generally 5-10 pages)
- List of three references (one of whom is qualified to comment on your law school work)
- Complete undergraduate transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable)
- Law school transcript (unofficial copy is acceptable)
* Your personal statement should help us learn more about you. Topics can vary widely and may include: how diversity is a driving factor for you, how you currently contribute to a diverse community and how you hope to do so in the future, what you would like us to know about you that is not in your resume and cover letter, or how your personal experience shaped your perspective on diversity. Your personal statement should be no more than one page, single-spaced, and 12-point font. Please include your name in the header but do not address your personal statement to anyone.
2L Opportunities/On-Campus Interviews
DWT accepts applications for 2L Summer Associate opportunities during the summer between 1L and 2L year.
OCI & JOB FAIR SCHEDULE
In addition to accepting applications via our website, we will attend the following on-campus interview (OCI) programs and career fairs. Submission deadlines vary by program.
- Hispanic National Bar Association Virtual Career Fair – June/July 2023
- Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair – July 24, 2023
- Lewis & Clark Law School – August 8, 2023
- Patent Interview Law Program – July 21, 2023
- Seattle University School of Law – August 1, 2023
- UC Berkeley School of Law – August 3, 2023
- UC Law San Francisco – August 2, 2023
- University of California, Irvine School of Law - July 26, 2023
- University of Oregon School of Law – August 11, 2023
- University of Washington School of Law – August 1, 2023
- Willamette University School of Law – August 9, 2023
Criteria
Our 2L Summer Associate positions are open to law students who:
- Are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession;
- Take an entrepreneurial approach to their work and career;
- Excel in written and oral communication, research, and analysis;
- Prioritize collaboration, effective use of time, and professional responsibility;
- Bring creativity and confidence to their day-to-day work;
- Will complete their second year of law school prior to joining us; and
- Are committed to practicing in the location to which they apply after law school.
To Apply
Our online application site for Summer Associate opportunities opens in early June, and your application must be received by 11:59 pm PDT on Sunday, July 30, 2023 to be considered. We will review and interview candidates on a rolling basis. To apply, you must submit your documents online via our application site (we will not accept applications via email). Please make sure your contact information is current and that your voicemail can receive messages. You will need the following documents ready to upload for your application:
- Current Resume
- Cover letter (please indicate your connection to the location for which you are applying in the letter and address to Sandra Morriss, Manager, Law Student Talent Acquisition).
- Legal writing sample, not heavily edited by a third party (generally 5-10 pages)
- List of three references (one of whom is qualified to comment on your law school work)
- Complete undergraduate transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable)
- Law school transcript (unofficial copy is acceptable)
Summer Associate FAQ
Application and Interview Questions
2Ls: We accept applications for 2L Summer Associate positions during June and July 1L summer through our website and via career fairs and On-Campus Interview programs. We are not able to visit every law school for OCI so, if DWT seems to be a good fit for you, we encourage you to apply online (emailed applications are not accepted). Typically half of our summer class is made up of students who have sought us out directly.
1L: Diversity Scholarship applications are reviewed as we receive them in December and early January but candidates may not be contacted for interviews immediately given holiday schedules. We anticipate 1L Diversity Scholarship interviews will take place in January though some initial interviews could be conducted earlier.
2L: Summer Associate applications are reviewed in June and July, and we typically begin initial interviews in July with second round “callback” interviews beginning in late July/early August. The Hiring Committee makes every effort to contact candidates soon after the callback interview. The committee meets on a regular basis during the recruitment season, but because we have a high volume of applicants, the wait time can be up to three weeks during interview season. If you have completed the second round of interviews, we welcome periodic check-ins on the status of your candidacy. We strongly encourage you to keep us informed of any timelines for offers you may receive while you are being considered by us.
- Initial: A candidate will meet with one or two people via video and the meeting will take up to an hour.
- Callbacks/Second round: We conduct second round interviews by video or in person and this usually involves meeting with 6-8 of our attorneys. Interviews may last up to 4 hours in length with a few breaks in between.