Partner and Executive Committee Member Ilene Farkas recently discussed Pryor Cashman's summer associate plans with Law360 Pulse. According to Law360:

Like a number of firms at the moment, New York-based Pryor Cashman LLP is uncertain about the direction its summer program is going to take. Ilene Farkas, who heads the program, said that at the moment, the firm is definitely planning on doing a program with virtual components but is also hoping to include an in-person aspect.

"We desperately would love to be together as a firm," she said. "Our personal connections are really important to those who work at the firm, and it certainly blends into the summer program as well. Whether we have to do it virtually or in-person, based on last year's program, I'm confident we'll be able to maintain those connections and experiences."

With Pryor Cashman's summer associate program being particularly small, with only four participants, Farkas said the firm accepts people with the expectation that they'll stay for a long haul. As a result, she said, the firm works to give participants a varied experience to help them discover what field they want to pursue and develop relationships with the attorneys in that practice.

"Our summer program is very much designed to really give the participants meaningful work in all of the areas they want to try out, with the attorneys that they would be working with should they join the firm, so they could get to know each other," she said.

Despite the limitations of virtual interaction, Farkas said that surprisingly, last year's program didn't restrict the level of relationships and connections that were made. Participants also got a different perspective than they would have in a normal year.

"In a way, it was almost more meaningful than past years because we were able to connect on a different level," she said. "In addition to the work assignments, we're all going through this together, seeing each other in our homes as real people a little bit more than if we were only interacting in the office."

Along with the legal work, Pryor Cashman summer participants were involved in a number of team-building activities last year. They took part in a Zoom cooking class, which Farkas cited as one example of keeping them involved and immersed in the firm's culture even under lockdown.

"We had a cooking school send us the ingredients and a bunch of attorneys got together with the summer associates and a chef in our kitchens, and we all cooked dumplings together," she said. "It was hilarious, and a nice way of trying to make the best of the situation."

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