First-year associate job description
A first-year associate is an entry level attorney who typically specializes in one area of law. Entry-level and first-year associates perform a variety of tasks under heavy supervision and should be familiar with standard legal concepts and procedures.
To qualify for the job, candidates should have a Juris Doctor (JD), and be a member of an applicable state bar.
Employers prefer candidates with summer associate or law clerk experience.
Typical duties of a first-year associate
- Researching and analyzing the law on complex issues and writing briefs for submission to a supervising lawyer in the firm
- Analyzing and summarizing complicated legal documents, including contracts, and suggesting alterations to those documents
- Performing discovery of various electronically stored data and hard copies of information in preparation for litigation
- Performing due diligence in legal matters concerning contracts, agreements, and mergers and acquisitions
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