Our hiring partners in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC. are heavily involved in recruiting law students to join Katten’s summer associate program. We have asked them to share their responses to frequently asked questions regarding life at Katten, navigating the recruiting process, Katten’s summer associate program and what makes their legal market unique.
Navigate by clicking on the hiring partner names below:
Kristin Achterhof, Chicago
David Halberstadter, Los Angeles
Seth Messner, Washington, DC
Howard Schickler, New York City
Adam Stoddard, Charlotte
Kenya S. Woodruff, Dallas
Kristin Achterhof
Advertising and Brand Litigation Partner and Co-Chair
National Hiring Partner
Chicago
What has made you stay at Katten?
I’ve stayed at my firm for so many years because it’s the kind of environment where I genuinely enjoy practicing law. The people here are smart, creative and truly collegial, which makes the work both intellectually engaging and collaborative. Our clients are sophisticated and exactly the types of companies I always hoped to work with when I started my career.
I've also had meaningful opportunities to take on pro bono matters and develop leadership skills, both of which have been important to me. Perhaps most importantly, hard work and commitment to clients are recognized and rewarded, and I feel that my voice is heard. All of that combined has made the firm a place where I can grow and contribute in ways that matter.
What makes Chicago's legal market unique to others?
Chicago's legal market is unique because it offers remarkable variety within a more accessible city. You'll find everything from large white-shoe firms to specialized boutiques, as well as national and international firms that have recently expanded into Chicago — creating leadership opportunities for those who join growing offices. The market also benefits from a diverse, sophisticated client base across industries like finance, health care, manufacturing, tech and real estate. Combined with a collegial legal community and a more affordable, high-quality lifestyle than coastal markets, Chicago offers a rare mix of opportunities and livability.
Why would you recommend Katten as a place to practice and build your legal career?
I would recommend Katten as a place to practice and build your legal career because the firm is truly committed to developing its attorneys. Katten invests in training, offers a highly regarded mentorship program, and takes a team-oriented approach to building clients and delivering client service. Many of our clients are highly sophisticated national and international companies who come to us with challenging deals and cases, and you will be exposed to incredibly high-level and complex work. Just as importantly, you don’t have to sacrifice your personal life to succeed here. I’ve been raising five children while working full time at Katten, and I’ve been able to do that because the firm has supported my life choices and given me the tools and flexibility I need to thrive both professionally and personally.
What advice would you give to law students looking to join the summer program at Katten?
My advice to law students interested in Katten's summer program is to be yourself during the interview process — authenticity goes a long way. Academically, take a broad range of classes so you’re exposed to different fields, and come into the summer with an open mind about what you may ultimately want to practice. Many students discover new strengths and interests once they're here, and Katten is a great place to explore those possibilities.
What makes someone a successful summer associate at Katten?
A successful summer associate at Katten is someone who's open to taking on a variety of assignments, is responsive to the attorneys who reach out with work, and collaborates well with others. Producing strong, thoughtful work product and consistently meeting deadlines are also essential. These qualities show that you’re engaged, dependable and ready to contribute to the team.
What type of assignments do summer associates take on at Katten?
Summer associates are assigned work that is similar to the work that is performed by first- and second-year associates at the firm. We want our summer associates to experience what it is like to be a young associate at the firm. We also provide shadowing opportunities where summer associates can experience closings, court hearings, depositions, etc.
David Halberstadter
Litigation Partner and Deputy General Counsel
Los Angeles
What has made you stay at Katten?
I think the decision to remain at a law firm is similar to the decision to join a firm, in that there are both rational, practical considerations and emotional, intuitive elements. I am not restless by nature, so absent a compelling reason to look elsewhere, I don’t have a "maybe the grass is greener" mentality (Rather often, the grass isn’t greener anyway). From a practical, rational standpoint, I have stayed at Katten because it is an exceptionally well-managed, financially stable law firm that grows carefully, methodically and strategically. The firm has given me a supportive platform from which to conduct, grow and market my particular practice and the flexibility to be creative and entrepreneurial in doing so. But perhaps even more important is they way it feels to work at Katten. Our attorneys genuinely love their individual practice areas, and that enthusiasm is contagious. The relationships between attorneys and non-attorney staff are warm, friendly and supportive. We genuinely enjoy celebrating events and milestones together, having our families dress in costumes and trick-or-treat throughout the offices around Halloween, wishing each other happy birthdays and congratulations on bar passage, promotions to partnership, pro bono and other volunteerism and so on. Katten appreciates that our personnel are "whole persons" with family lives and personal interests, and the firm encourages its people to be well-rounded individuals who take care of their physical and mental health and provides the resources with which to do that. I cannot put a price or a quantitative value on how important it is that my workplace feels like a family!
What type of work assignments do summer associates take on at Katten?
We really try to provide summer assignments that are "real work," not "make work," and which will give the summer associates a realistic taste for the types of work they would do as full-time associates in a given practice. In litigation-based practice groups, those assignments may involve legal research and writing (of course), or perhaps other forms of online background research; review of documents; drafting motions or sections of motions; and assisting with hearing or trial preparation. In transactional groups, the assignments might involve comparing drafts of a proposed agreement, turning deal comments into additional contractual terms, research (there are always issues to research!), and participating in negotiations or deal closings.
What do you enjoy most about the summer program?
In addition to all of the reasons I provided in response to the "why I’ve stayed" question, Katten is committed, both in concept and in practice, to actively mentoring associates during all phases of their professional careers. Our attorneys are invested in the future of the associates with whom they work; the firm has an established, robust professional management team who design, develop and deliver targeted learning opportunities, exceptional career, talent and business development resources and coaching.
Katten also "walks the walk" when it comes to pro bono and other volunteer service, urging all of its attorneys and non-attorney professional staff to give back to the communities in which they reside. We provide many pre-approved pro bono and volunteer opportunities, but just as importantly, we provide attorneys with the opportunity to suggest and select giving-back opportunities that closely align with their own interests.
Finally, our attorneys take "on-the-job" learning very seriously. It would be very unusual for a Katten attorney to give out a discrete assignment and expect it to be completed devoid of context or an understanding of how the project fits into the overall representation of the client. We treat all of the members of a client team as a true team, and make a point of explaining why an assignment is being given and how the work product will be used, providing associates with constructive feedback on their work product. Partners also endeavor to include associates, including very junior attorneys, on Zoom calls, in-person conferences, client meetings, depositions, court hearings, deal closings, etc.
Can you share any additional insight that would be helpful for law students?
Many law firms and their attorneys will say similar things about their practices and their offices: "We are a preeminent or premier law firm," "we have a dynamic practice," "and a collegial atmosphere;" we are "innovative" and "cutting edge." I have probably used a cliché or two in my answers above. Law students should take these statements for what they may be worth, but they should also pay close attention to how a law firm’s attorneys act, how they interact with other attorneys and staff, and how people in the office seem when they aren't "on." In other words, you should be observant of your surroundings whenever you are interviewing because you can gather a lot of information besides what your interviewers are telling you!
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Seth Messner
Structured Finance and Securitization Partner and Managing Partner
Washington, DC
What has made you stay at Katten?
Top-notch legal work with collegial attorneys in a Goldilocks-sized office and firm.
What makes someone a successful summer associate at Katten?
Being engaged and bringing enthusiasm that inspires everyone and creates a positive environment for learning and fun.
What do you most enjoy about the summer program? Do you have a favorite event?
Each year the summer program brings back a flood of memories from my own summer associate experience at Katten as well as each subsequent summer program thereafter. My favorite event is usually a sporting event which last year was the DC United soccer game.
What is Washington, DC's culture like in terms of developing summer associates and junior attorneys?
We try to cultivate a collegial culture where summer associates and junior attorneys feel comfortable asking questions and learning and where more senior attorneys provide real mentoring. From the beginning, we try to open opportunities for client interaction and leadership at all attorney levels.
Howard Schickler
Structured Finance and Securitization Department Partner and Co-Chair
New York City
What has made you stay at Katten?
The reason I came to Katten 15 years ago is the same reason I stay. It's all about the people. From the very first meeting I had with Katten management and every meeting with attorneys in each office, it was clear to me that not only was everyone excited for me and the rest of the Structured Finance team to join but upon joining we immediately hit the ground running with cross-selling and collaboration. It has been the same for the last 15 years if not more so.
What makes New York City's legal market unique to others?
New York is the financial capital of the world. All of the biggest deals, the most important cases and the highest profile clients are here in New York. New York also has the best legal talent with the number of law schools that feed into our associate classes. There is nowhere else I would want to work.
What advice would you give to law students looking to join the summer program at Katten?
Because of our smaller class size, your summer experience will give you the opportunity to know exactly what it is like to be a full-time associate at Katten. The work assignments you get are the same assignments we give our junior associates and you will be working on actual active matters and cases and not on recycled research and writing projects. This is not a test it is actual supervised legal practice.
What makes someone a successful summer associate at Katten?
Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions! Those that are inquisitive, follow up, and want to learn do very well at Katten. Show us you can handle responsibility and we will give it to you. There really is no hierarchy.
What do you most enjoy about the summer program? Do you have a favorite event?
As the New York hiring partner, I love getting to see all the students that I have interviewed long ago actually come to the firm and find out that all the things we told them about the firm and the people that work here are true and then some! My favorite event is the Summer Associate Academy when we get all of the summer associates together from all of the US offices in one city for a week and everyone gets to know one another. It’s never too early to network!
Why would you recommend Katten a place to start and build your legal career?
Katten is unique in that when we hire our summer associates, we do not hire them to be one of a large group of associates that we don't expect to be here in two years. Our philosophy is that we keep our class size small because we are hiring you not for just a summer but rather to be a full-time associate at the firm, a future partner and a future firm leader. You can (and many people do) spend their careers at Katten.
Adam Stoddard
Real Estate Partner
Charlotte
How does work get distributed to summer associates at Katten?
Work is distributed through a centralized work assignment system that is run by a mid-level associate. Attorneys submit work assignments through a database, where they are then assigned to summer associates. Our goal is to ensure that our summer associates receive an opportunity to work with every practice group in our office throughout the summer.
What makes Charlotte's legal market unique to others?
Charlotte has a unique mix of a demand for sophisticated legal work due to being a national financial hub, while still keeping a small-town vibe. The purchasing power of a Katten associate with a lower cost of living in Charlotte is hard to find in legal markets across the country. I think Charlotte is the best of both worlds.
What has made you stay at Katten?
The people! I work with a wonderful team of attorneys, paralegals and staff, many of which have “grown up” with me over many years at Katten. It really makes for a special workplace when the team working with you in the trenches are also your friends.
What do you most enjoy about the summer program? Do you have a favorite event?
I really enjoy the social events where we get to know the summer associates outside of the office. My favorite was our pickleball event!
What is Charlotte's culture like in terms of developing summer associates and junior attorneys?
Charlotte's culture is very open and collaborative. Summer associates are treated like junior attorneys, and junior attorneys are treated like integral parts of the team. We really pride ourselves on getting attorneys in the middle of sophisticated deals early in their careers, with an emphasis on client-facing opportunities.
What type of work assignments do summer associates take on at Katten?
Work assignments include legal research, drafting memoranda and transaction documents, sitting in on calls with clients and opposing counsel, shadowing a transaction from kickoff to closing and more. We want our summer associates to experience what it is like to be a first-year associate in our office.
Kenya S. Woodruff
Partner and National Chair, Health Care and Deputy General Counsel
Dallas
What made you decide to join Katten?
I joined Katten for the opportunity to be a part of a national health care practice and to have the ability to contribute to the growth of the Dallas office which opened a few months before I came to the firm in 2018.
What do you think differentiates Katten from peer firms?
Katten has a flexible approach to practice group management which enables the attorneys to tailor their marketing and personnel management in a way that is conducive to the growth of the respective practice and to the delivery of great client service.
What makes Dallas's legal market unique to others?
The Dallas legal market is very welcoming to newcomers. New attorneys can sometimes be overwhelmed by the number of opportunities and invitations to be involved. But once they get involved, they will find that the friendships and connections made are a vital (and fun!) part of their professional success. Additionally, the population in Texas continues to grow. This is fueled by its business-friendly community that has prompted several Fortune 500 companies to move their headquarters and/or significant operations to Texas.
What is Katten's Dallas office's culture like in terms of developing summer associates and junior attorneys?
Summer associates and junior attorneys have the opportunity to be in an office where they can literally know every person but also have the support and resources of a large national firm. From the first year of the opening of the office in 2018, the Dallas office has had summer associates. It is clear to the leadership of the office that the future of the office depends on a strong pipeline of young attorneys. These attorneys are involved in leanly staffed teams that give them the chance to develop more quickly than their counterparts at other firms. Associates are also encouraged to be a part of the firm’s efforts to increase the profile of the firm in the region, which enables them to start to build an individual reputation as well.
How do you feel Katten's formal mentorship or training programs for summer associates and junior attorneys help shape law students?
The formal programs ensure that all associates have a uniform body of core information. It also equips them with the tools to develop the personal relationships that are essential to their development as attorneys and hopefully partners in the firm. The support that the talent team provides does not stop at the formal training programs that everyone receives. If the practice leaders or practice managers see that an associate needs additional support, there are individualized resources available to assist with skills such as oral communication, writing and executive presence.