As their internship concludes, our Summer Associates reflect on their overall experience and how this will shape their perspective and guide their future paths in the legal profession. Next up is Christian Fricke.

• What were your overall thoughts on your Summer Associate experience?
  • I had a great experience this summer. I had the opportunity to work with many of the excellent attorneys and staff and help our clients. I worked on a variety of different matters and learned about areas of law I have not had the chance to learn about in law school. Most of all, I was able to learn from excellent attorneys as I prepare to become an attorney next year.
• How did your internship change or reinforce your approach to practicing law?
  • My time this summer reinforced the idea that practicing law requires constant improvement. I was blown away by how good the attorneys here are. Every day that I saw them help our clients succeed, it motivated me to do and get better. That is going to stick with me, and I plan on using it for my last year of law school.
• What advice would you give to future Summer Associates at Lane & Waterman?
  • Enjoy your time during the summer, get comfortable trying new things and stepping into new areas of law, and work hard. 
• What will you miss most about the Quad Cities when you’re back in school?
  • I will miss the people the most. The food too.
• Do you have a favorite memory or moment from the summer you’d like to share?
  • Finding out that we got a win for a client is a pretty good feeling. We also went golfing a few times this summer with some of the partners. I enjoyed those events.

The firm’s Summer Associate program offers law students practical legal experience following their first and second years of law school. During this program, Summer Associates engage in active client matters, and assist by, among other things, drafting briefs and transactional documents; participating in depositions, arbitrations, and mediation sessions; attending client meetings; and observing courtroom procedures.