2L Fellowships

2L Corporate Experienced Hire Fellowship

Choate’s corporate group continues to grow rapidly in our industry-leading transactional practices. Our 2L program seeks to hire into our transactional team talented 2L law students with significant prior experience relevant to these practices. This unique program offers fellows the opportunity to build on their pre-law school experience by working exclusively with our corporate group as a member of our 2026 Summer Associate class.

During our summer program, fellows will receive opportunities to work on client teams, receive important and relevant training and coaching critical for long-term success, and participate in exciting and fun social events to get to know our firm and our people.

Fellows Will Receive

The standard weekly compensation for a summer associate (consistent with a first-year associate salary).
An additional award of $25,000 distributed at various milestones.
Mentors who are committed to each fellow’s development and lasting throughout their career.
Summer staffing throughout our corporate department so each fellow can determine which areas of transactional law are of greatest interest to them and begin to build skills important for long-term success.

Selection Criteria

This is a highly selective, merit-based fellowship awarded on a limited and competitive basis to applicants who are committed to practicing transactional law.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Enrolled as a first-year law student in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school (with an anticipated graduation date of Spring 2027).
An exemplary record of academics in law school and college, leadership experience and other personal and professional achievements.
A minimum of two years’ work experience prior to law school that is useful and relevant background for our transactional practices.
A sincere interest and intention to practice at Choate after graduation.

At Choate, we’re devoted to providing the highest quality advice and service to our clients, and we recruit with this standard in mind. In addition to intelligence, interpersonal skills and drive, we look for the following traits in our candidates:

Strong critical and analytical thinking.
A commitment to excellent client service.
Proven oral and written communication skills.
A dedication to camaraderie and teamwork.
A desire to become a great lawyer and build a career in Biglaw.

Application Process

We will accept and review applications on a rolling basis from March 3, 2025 through March 31, 2025 at 5PM ET. For consideration, please provide the following information:

Current Resume – This should include your 1L summer job if applicable;
Cover Letter – This should include what drives you to want to work in Biglaw in Boston;
Personal Statement – One-page, single-spaced statement describing why your prior professional work experience will make you successful as a transactional lawyer at Choate;
Transcript from first semester of law school; and
Transcript from undergraduate/graduate institutions.

Applicants must have permanent US work authorization with no expiration date.

Please note:

Only one application may be submitted.
Applicants who are not awarded a corporate experienced hire fellowship, may still be considered for our 2026 summer program.
If selected for this Fellowship, recipients may not accept a 2L award from another law firm.

Any questions about the application process, please contact legalrecruiting@choate.com.

Please note we expect that your written work will be your own, without the assistance of artificial intelligence tools.

2L Diversity Fellowship

Built for different perspectives

As part of Choate’s longstanding commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the legal profession, we are excited to announce our 2L Diversity Fellowship for Summer 2026.