Hear From Our Former Summer Associates.
“2020 was an extremely challenging year. Another firm cancelled a summer associate program and I had to scramble to find rewarding work. Klarquist saved the day. Not only did the firm find a way to offer me a summer associate’s position, but provided quality guidance and mentorship. Klarquist’s ability to transition its summer associate program online was seamless. I worked with many attorneys at the firm, including those on the litigation and prosecution teams. Communication was effective, mentoring was hands on, and work was available from nearly all practice groups. Despite the challenges of 2020, the Klarquist experience was by far the best thing that happened.”
– Neal Alnajran, Summer Associate, 2020
“Admittedly, I am biased. As a diverse, non-traditional law student seeking to make the most of my career, Klarquist has been my dream firm since I decided to take the LSAT. If you have landed on this page, you likely already know that Klarquist enjoys national recognition for providing top quality intellectual property services. You are also probably familiar with the firm’s consistent top tier rankings, and you may even know that Klarquist is home to the largest collection of IP lawyers in the Pacific Northwest. However, what is less obvious is the tremendous value and attention that the firm’s leadership places on investing in human capital.
There will be many reasons to remember the year 2020. Unfortunately, as the devastating economic effects of the global pandemic manifested across the nation, many of my law school peers lost their summer associate positions, and I feared I might share the same fate. Not so. Instead of canceling the summer program, Klarquist went above and beyond by creating and facilitating a virtual program that was wholly inclusive, welcoming, and supportive. I spent the summer working on intellectually stimulating, substantive projects across the spectrum of IP law: patent litigation, trademark law, and trade secret law. Even though learning and working from a distance was challenging, my supervising attorneys consistently made time to provide mentorship, feedback, and guidance. Without question, from day one, everyone in the firm––partners, associates, and staff––showed a genuine and earnest desire to learn more about me, to answer any questions I had, and to assist in my professional development.
Overall, the Klarquist summer associate program was an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience that I would recommend to any law student searching for a firm that values hard work and diligence but also recognizes the importance of balance and quality of life. In a year that will be remembered for its hardships, I found a professional home that I look forward to returning to upon graduation.”
– Sara Slabisak, Summer Associate, 2020
“I really appreciated the breadth of experiences I had while working as a Summer Associate at Klarquist. I assisted Klarquist attorneys and agents in communicating with clients and USPTO Examiners, providing legal opinions, drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent applications, and more. Klarquist attorneys and agents were communicative and friendly, and gave great feedback on my work. I felt like they really took the time to make me feel welcome. Thank you for a great summer!”
– Genevieve Weber, Summer Associate, 2019