US Law Students & Graduates

Where exceptional law students meet extraordinary opportunities to launch their legal careers.

The Ropes & Gray 2L Summer Associate Program:

This 10-week, 2L program will afford you a true Ropes & Gray associate experience, including work with partners, associates, and clients. You will receive formal and informal mentorship, feedback, and guidance, and you will be challenged in the best possible way—all of which will help you launch your Ropes & Gray career.

A select number of candidates will be offered the opportunity to spend both their 1L and 2L summer at the firm.

The current weekly pay for Summer Associates participating in the Summer Program is $4,326.92.

We are looking for candidates with a gold medal mentality and a track record of success. If you value teamwork, strive to win, and bring grit, intellectual curiosity, and adaptability to your work, then Ropes & Gray is the place for you.

How to Apply for the Ropes & Gray Summer Associate Program

We are currently accepting Ropes & Gray 2027 summer associate program applications.

Apply here.

We are also hiring a select few law students to spend the summer of 2027 split between a Ropes & Gray U.S. office and our Tokyo office. Participating in Ropes & Gray’s Tokyo Split Summer Program will give selected applicants the opportunity to experience first-hand the cutting-edge industry-defining work in our growing and vibrant Tokyo office, and how our lawyers collaborate across offices. This provides a unique opportunity for those who have the requisite language skills and may be interested in working on Tokyo matters or even relocating to our Tokyo office one day.

Apply here.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews begin in January. We will make offers after receiving your first semester grades.

What You’ll Do as a Ropes & Gray Summer Associate

As a summer associate you will:

• Work with attorneys and clients who are leaders in their field
• Contribute to active matters and transactions, including commercial, pro bono, and AI assignments
• Receive regular feedback and training
• Build lasting relationships through formal and informal mentorship

Who You’ll Work with and Learn from as a Ropes & Gray Summer Associate

Our summer associates additionally benefit from:

• Workshops that build both technical and leadership skills
• Personalized coaching, including access to an in-house writing coach
• A work-allocation system that promotes equitable staffing and opportunity
• A dedicated team of associate development partners and managers focused on your success
• Hands-on experience across a range of matters that expand your knowledge and perspective
• Individualized guidance and feedback to support your professional growth

Your Summer Experience: Real Work, Real Clients, Real Impact

Hear directly from Ropes & Gray associates as they share real-world perspectives on the transition from law school to practice. Through discussions about their work, development, and the support they’ve received, they offer valuable insight into the firm’s culture, opportunities, and the many paths to success within our global platform.

Co-hiring partner for the firm Jeff Katz, sits down with three members of the 2025 summer associate program in this recent podcast.

See what the press is saying about our people, our impact, and our innovation, and learn about our market-leading work that makes the news.

Innovation in Practice: AI and the Future of Law

• Business Insider highlights how Ropes & Gray attorneys are integrating AI into daily legal work, transforming how complex matters are analyzed and delivered.
• The American Lawyer explores Ropes & Gray’s generative AI workshops for summer associates, offering hands-on experience with applying AI to real client projects.
• Law360 speaks with the firm’s technology strategy leader and a summer associate about immersive AI training and the importance of responsible technology use in practice.
• Reuters Chief of Attorney Talent Amy Ross discusses the growing need for law schools to integrate AI education to prepare students for technology-forward firms like Ropes & Gray.
• Yahoo Finance features Ropes & Gray’s adoption of the precedent-based AI drafting platform DraftWise, which enhances efficiency and consistency across the firm’s transactional drafting practices.

Market-Leading Transactions

Ropes & Gray advised:

• Nippon Steel Corporation in its historic partnership with U.S. Steel.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance as health care regulatory counsel in its take-private acquisition by Sycamore Partners, valued at $23.7 billion.
• Bain Capital on the final close of its $14 billion flagship private equity fund.
• EQT in a $14.5 billion acquisition of Nord Anglia Education—an international schools group operating 80+ schools in 33 countries.
• TPG in its acquisition of AT&T’s 70% Stake in DIRECTV for $7.6 billion and DIRECTV in its acquisition of DISH TV and Sling TV.
• Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe in its dismissal of a high-profile class action antitrust suit.
• Collaborative Fund as the lead investor in AI company Phaidra’s $50 million Series B funding round.

Talent, Culture & Career Growth

• The American Lawyer features Hiring Partner Jeffrey Katz and Chief of Attorney Talent Amy Ross discussing Ropes & Gray’s innovative Re-ttorney Program to welcome back top alumni talent.

Pro Bono in Action

• The Washington Post spotlights Ropes & Gray’s pro bono client John Huffington, who received a full innocence pardon after serving 32 years in prison—including 10 on death row—for crimes he did not commit.