Law Students

RECRUITING PROCESS

Morris Nichols seeks to hire highly qualified law students from top-tier law schools throughout the United States for its summer class. We encourage law students to apply to the firm through our direct application.

Students selected to interview with us are invited to visit our office in Wilmington, Delaware. During their visit to Morris Nichols, law students will meet with partners, special counsel, and associates. This provides an opportunity for candidates to learn more about Morris Nichols from a variety of perspectives. Our goal is to not only identify law students who will excel at the firm, but also for applicants to walk away from their visit with a deeper understanding of our firm, areas of specialization, and culture so that they can determine if Morris Nichols is the right place for them to build their legal careers.

If you have any questions about the recruiting process, please contact Sarah Oscar, Legal Recruitment and Professional Development Manager.

CLASS OF 2027 (3ls)

We are not currently accepting applications for entry-level positions from the class of 2027. Please check back for future openings.

Class of 2028 (2ls)

Morris Nichols seeks highly qualified law students from the class of 2028 at top-tier law schools to join our 2027 summer associate program. Positions are limited. The following documents are required to be submitted with your application: a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, undergraduate transcript, and a writing sample. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

Summer associates will be compensated at a rate of $4,230 per week, which is equivalent to our first-year associate salary of $220,000 per year. The 2027 summer associate program will run from Monday, May 24, 2027, to Friday, July 30, 2027.

We invite you to submit your application for consideration: 2027 2L Summer Associate Application

Please contact Sarah Oscar, Legal Recruitment and Professional Development Manager, with any questions regarding our application process.

Class of 2029 (1ls)

Our summer associate programs are composed of highly qualified 1Ls and 2Ls from top-tier law schools around the country. We are currently recruiting to fill positions in the 2027 and 2028 summer associate programs. Candidates will be considered for either a position that requires (1) a two-summer commitment to both our 2027 and 2028 programs; or (2) a one-summer commitment to our 2028 summer program. The type of offer extended is based on a variety of factors, including optimal class size and the firm’s overall hiring needs. Students who receive offers are informed of the type of offer at the time it is made.

The application to be considered for our 2027 and 2028 summer associate programs will open on October 15, 2026. The following documents are required for application: cover letter, resume, law school transcript, undergraduate transcript, and a writing sample. We understand that some of these required documents may not be available until January 2027. Applicants may complete the rest of the application and submit the missing documents when they become available. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis, typically after we receive a law school transcript with first-semester grades and a writing sample.

If you would like to be notified when our application opens, please submit your contact information here: Morris Nichols Summer Program Interest Form

Please contact Sarah Oscar, Legal Recruitment and Professional Development Manager, with any questions regarding our application process.

SUMMER PROGRAM

The Morris Nichols summer associate program is an integral part of our recruiting process and is designed to provide summer associates with meaningful exposure to the firm, its lawyers and professional staff, and its clients. Throughout the summer, associates get a realistic view of work at the firm as well as an introduction to some of what Wilmington and the surrounding areas have to offer young professionals.

The summer associate program is 10 weeks long and usually begins in late-May. Prior to starting, we collect information about your areas of interest and assist with housing for those joining us from out of town. At the beginning of the program, each summer associate is assigned an associate and partner mentor to provide the summer associate with guidance on the firm and its practices.

FLEXIBILITY AND SUBSTANTIVE WORK EXPERIENCE

Because few law students know with certainty the type of law they would like to practice, our program provides an opportunity for summer associates to interact with many lawyers and to work on assignments from all of the firm’s practice groups. Members of Morris Nichols’ Recruiting Committee are specifically designated to coordinate work assignments for all summer associates. Although we encourage summer associates to experience a variety of legal work, if they express an interest in a specific practice, we make every effort to accommodate their request.

Summer associates work on the same sophisticated matters assigned to our junior associates. Summer associates frequently attend client meetings, drafting sessions, closings, negotiations, depositions, hearings, oral arguments and trials. In addition to short-term assignments, summer associates often participate in one or two “long-term” assignments in an area of their preference. These assignments allow the summer associate to experience the development of a matter over a period of time and in a more in-depth manner.

TRAINING AND FEEDBACK

Training for summer associates at Morris Nichols is conducted both formally and informally. This typically includes seminars and workshops in professionalism, legal writing, written discovery, deposition skills, evidence, expert witnesses, and trial advocacy, hosted by partners and professional staff. Training also includes informal lunch meetings with our firm’s practice groups.

Summer associates receive meaningful and timely feedback to help their professional development. The firm actively encourages all lawyers working with summer associates to provide contemporaneous feedback on every project. In addition, members of the firm’s Recruiting Committee also meet with each summer associate formally at least twice during the summer to discuss their work and to provide a final review.

SOCIAL EVENTS

Our summer social events provide opportunities for summer associates and their families to get to know Morris Nichols lawyers and each other, as well as explore Wilmington and the surrounding areas. In recent summers, those events have included a Philadelphia professional sports game, a canoe and dine event, concerts, 5k runs, a crab feast, a golf outing, and small group dinner parties at the homes of some of our partners. There are also many more informal social opportunities available to our summer associates, including lunches, dinners, softball games and outings to local Wilmington events.

PRO BONO AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Summer associates often work on pro bono assignments. The summer class also participates in local service projects. These projects have included preparing meals at the Ronald McDonald House for families residing there, serving lunch at the Emmanuel Dining Room, and assembling care packages for deployed military through Operation Gratitude.

DIVERSITY

Recognizing that talented diverse candidates may be unaware of the opportunities at Morris Nichols, we have made a concerted effort to raise the visibility of our firm among law schools and law students.

Learn More About Diversity & Inclusion at Morris Nichols.