The HolmstromKennedy summer associate program provides law school students with experience practicing as an associate at our firm while exposing them to the firm’s culture and the values our attorneys share. We are looking for intelligent, energetic and conscientious law students who want to practice in the Rockford area and who we believe will fit in with our firm culture. We recruit high quality individuals with the overall goal that our summer associates will ultimately join us as entry level associates and become partners of our firm. Our summer associate program is a vital part of our effort to attract legal talent as evidenced by the fact that a number of our current attorneys worked as summer associates in the firm.
We are one of the Rockford area’s leading law firms. We engage in a diverse range of practice areas and work with our clients to address their sophisticated legal issues and endeavor to produce efficient, favorable results. Providing outstanding service to our clients through maintaining quality personnel is one of HolmstromKennedy’s core values.
HolmstromKennedy recognizes that the firm’s success is ultimately dependent upon our ability to recruit and retain attorneys who have the potential to attain professional and personal accomplishments on par with our current attorneys, and to provide new associates with training that fosters their professional development, commitment and loyalty to the firm. We believe that each attorney in the firm is part of the team, and that the team prospers when we all work together. At the same time, it is our goal to provide each attorney with the freedom to develop and pursue his or her practice, and the ability to develop a career that is economically rewarding and professionally challenging.
We believe that HolmstromKennedy enjoys a reputation of providing high quality legal services with integrity, while adhering to the highest ethical standards of our profession. It is our goal to maintain that reputation with our clients, with our peers and within our community. Adherence to these priorities, values and commitments will ensure HolmstromKennedy’s future and continued growth. We believe the firm’s culture and values are the foundation of our success.
Many summer associates are undecided about the areas of law in which they wish to practice. It is our mission to help you explore the areas practiced by attorneys at HolmstromKennedy so that by the end of the summer you have an idea of which practice areas appeal to you.
We strive to have each of our attorneys in every practice area provide work assignments to our summer associates. Additionally, summer associates attend arbitrations, mediations, court hearings and status calls, bankruptcy hearings, trials, depositions, real estate and business closings, negotiations and client meetings. Our summer associates also attend bi-weekly transactional group meetings where the firm’s attorneys discuss recent developments and relevant topics in their practice areas.
Summer associates are paired with a mentor who ensures that associates have a rewarding summer experience. Your mentor assists you in getting to know the other attorneys of the firm, answers your questions and helps coordinate your work assignments. In addition, the attorneys at HolmstromKennedy have an open door policy and summer associates are encouraged to ask questions and obtain feedback on the work they perform during the summer.
During the summer, our goal is for summer associates to get to know HolmstromKennedy’s attorneys on a professional and personal level. Our summer associates attend informal attorney lunches, our firm golf outing, bar association functions and other firm social events.
The Rockford area is home to a wide array of parks, golf courses, museums, musical venues and restaurants, and our attorneys take full advantage of all that Rockford and Northern Illinois has to offer. Our billable hour requirements are much lower, and our commuting times much shorter, than our neighbors in Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee, so we often enjoy get-togethers after work and golf outings in the summer. We attend national, state and county bar association events, provide pro bono services, participate in seminars, serve on community boards and attend our children’s sporting events. We believe in quality of work over just quantity, and that a good life balance is key to consistently producing high quality work. Our attorneys choose to practice law and raise their families in the Rockford area for a reason, and we encourage our summer associates to explore and familiarize themselves with the Rockford area and the lifestyle we enjoy.
Our summer associates are competitively compensated during their time at the firm. If you join HolmstromKennedy as a full-time associate, we offer competitive benefits and compensation. Benefits include medical, dental, life, disability and personal liability (umbrella) insurance, 401(K) and maternity and parental leave programs. We also reimburse our full-time associates’ bar review course costs, bar membership fees, moving expenses and continuing legal education costs.
Our firm offers an attractive alternative to lawyers who are looking for a challenging and sophisticated legal practice, without the disadvantages attendant to a large city/large firm environment. We encourage you to apply for a summer associate position so you can experience practicing law at HolmstromKennedy.
Kristine Pihl Youman, our recruiting partner, is not planning to interview on-campus this year.
Please apply to us directly by sending a cover letter, resume and copy of your law school transcript to:
Kristine Pihl Youman
Recruiting Partner
HolmstromKennedyPC
800 N. Church Street
Rockford, IL 61103
Phone: 815.962.7071
E-mail: kyouman@hkrockford.com