Summer Associates

The firm offers a ten-week Summer Associate Program that provides students who have completed their second year of law school with a broad range of experiences and opportunities. An experienced partner oversees the program, and each summer associate is provided a mentor to assist him or her during the Summer Associate Program.

How to Apply

Our 2024 Summer Associate positions have been filled; information for 2025 applications will be available in early 2024.  To apply, please send your resume, writing sample, cover letter, list of references, and your law school transcript to:

Mary Johnston
Recruitment Coordinator
One City Center, PO Box 9546
Portland, ME 04112

Or by email to [email protected].

The Program

The Summer Associate Program is typically based in our Portland office, with the opportunity to work and gain experience in the firm's Augusta, Concord and Boston offices during the course of the summer. From time to time, however, the Summer Associate Program may hire students who are based primarily in the Augusta, Concord or Boston offices, with similar office rotation opportunities available. Throughout the summer, the partner in charge of the program solicits assignments from all attorneys within the firm, regardless of office location, but work is also assigned directly from attorneys once the summer associates arrive. The firm does not have a strict rotation program among various practice groups, but work distribution is carefully monitored to make sure that each person is given as broad an experience as possible. Summer associates with an interest in a particular area of law are encouraged to express their interests to their mentor and we work hard to make sure to find opportunities for them to gain experience in that area.

Real Work Experience

Summer associates at Preti Flaherty work on actual matters for real clients. In addition to research and writing opportunities, as part of their work assignments, summer associates are frequently given the opportunity to attend client meetings, court appearances, regulatory hearings, transactional closings, and legislative proceedings. The firm also hosts a number of social activities throughout the summer, including dinners at partners' homes, lobster bakes, sailboat rides, and baseball games in order to enhance the experience and become better acquainted with our attorneys in a more informal setting.

Summer associates are provided feedback on assignments they undertake throughout the summer. At the end of the Summer Associate Program, all attorneys within the firm are asked to provide written feedback on any summer associate with whom they worked, and these evaluations are reviewed by the firm's Recruitment Committee, which makes the final hiring decisions.

The Summer Associate Program is Preti Flaherty's primary hiring tool for new associates. The Summer Associate Program gives both the participants and us the best opportunity to learn about each other. Therefore, it is Preti Flaherty's goal to offer positions to as many of its summer associates as possible.

Firm Highlights

Publication

November 7, 2023 Election Results

Maine’s November 2023 statewide elections were exclusively referendum questions, four were citizen initiatives, and four were proposed amendments to the Maine Constitution. Of these, Questions 5, 7 and 8 were placed on the ballot...

Publication

Helping Employers Navigate the New Independent Contractor Rule and Compliance Challenges

On March 11 th , the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) new Independent Contractor Rule goes into effect.  As your organization readies itself for compliance, it’s imperative to scrutinize your independent contractor classifications...

News

Attorney Jeffrey Thaler Named to 2024 Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Energy Law

Preti Flaherty’s attorney Jeffrey Thaler has been recognized by  Lawdragon  as one of the top 500 Leaders in Energy Law. This is Jeff’s third time named to this prestigious list since the first publication...

Publication

Failure to Follow Your Contract's Notice Requirements Can be Costly

In Kinetic Systems, Inc. v. IPS-Integrated Projects Services, LLC et. al., No.: 20-cv-1125 (D.N.H. February 6, 2024), the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire granted summary judgment for a general contractor...

News

Preti Flaherty Welcomes Trust and Estate Attorney Elise Salek to the Firm

Preti Flaherty is pleased to announce that Elise Salek has joined the firm’s Trusts & Estates Practice Group. Practicing out of the firm’s Concord, New Hampshire office, Elise brings nearly three decades of experience...

Event

Sigmund Schutz to moderate panel at 36th Annual Media and the Law Seminar: Under Attack! Existential Threats to Journalism and Free Speech

From unlawful searches and seizures of newsrooms and highly contentious litigation to physical harassment and calls for violence online, journalists and news organizations are under attack like never before. At the 36 th Annual...

Event

Accessing Police Misconduct Records

Preti’s Sigmund Schutz will be one of the Maine panelists in New England First Amendment Coalition’s Accessing Police Misconduct Records series. This series continues NEFAC’s freedom of information lessons and builds on the information...

Publication

USCIS Announces H-1B Registration Period for FY2025: New “Beneficiary Centric” Registration Process and Increased Fees

USCIS has recently announced a series of changes that will impact the FY2025 H-1B registration system and cap filing season. H-1B Registration Period and Organizational Accounts As in prior years, under this process, prospective petitioners...

News

David Van Slyke Named to 2024 Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law

Preti Flaherty’s Managing Partner David Van Slyke has been recognized by Lawdragon as one of the top 500 environmental lawyers in the U.S. It’s the third time he has been named to this prestigious...

News

Benchmark Litigation Names Preti Flaherty 2024 “Maine Firm of the Year"

Benchmark Litigation has named Preti Flaherty as 2024 Litigation Firm of the Year in the State of Maine. Through extensive peer- and- client reviewed research, as well as analysis of casework; the Benchmark Awards...