Sullivan takes pride in the real-world projects it provides to its summer associates. In fact, if the summer associates were not here working on these projects, the projects would be covered by first and second year associates. Not only is the work intended to give the summer associates a taste for what they will be doing when they return as first year associates, but it is intended to provide the summer associates with opportunities to work with and get to know attorneys of all levels in as many of the firm’s practice areas and offices as the summer associates would like.
With some limited exception, Sullivan’s summer program gives the summer associates control over which projects they select to work on, in what practice areas they select projects and with whom they will be working. This provides summer associates who are unsure of the area of law in which they would like to practice the opportunity to experience a sampling of projects in different areas, and those summer associates who are certain of the area of law in which they would like to practice the opportunity to focus their summer projects in that area, while at the same time meeting attorneys and staff in all offices and practice areas throughout the firm.
Some of the most interesting projects the summer associates worked on this year included:
- Preparing a multi-member manager-managed operating agreement for a high-tech intellectual property holding company.
- Assessing a party's request for bifurcation in an arbitration proceeding with respect to contested mining contracts.
- Analyzing new blockchain laws and commercial regulations regarding the perfection of security interests in digital assets.
- Assisting in the representation of a former NFL player against his team based upon claims that the team terminated his contract because he was suffering from the consequences of a series of concussions.
- Drafting a portion of a brief as to interpretations of the Massachusetts tax code pending before the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.
- Evaluating a potential defamation suit on behalf of a professional athlete.
This year’s summer class worked on projects in tax, probate, real estate, litigation, corporate, securities and intellectual property, among others.
Matt Bailey, Brandon Schneider, Ryan Rosenblatt, Rachel Gants and Jillian Friedmann attended the Boston Bar Association's CORI Sealing Clinic on July 3, 2019, assisting low-income clients in asking courts to seal their criminal records.
