Corporate Law

At the intersection of law and commerce stands the corporate law professional, who may act as both an advisor to and an advocate for the business he or she serves.  In the SEO Corporate Law Program, interns will observe and experience first-hand the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of corporate attorneys at some of the nation’s most prestigious firms working in their New York City, Washington, DC, and Houston, TX offices.

Broadly speaking, most corporate lawyers may be categorized as either transactional attorneys or litigators, and SEO interns are given exposure to both fields during their internships. Transactional attorneys advise companies involved in large financial transactions including initial public offerings of stock, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations and cross-border financing. Litigators represent plaintiffs and defendants in trials and arbitrations and may work in various areas of law, including securities, tax, bankruptcy, antitrust, real estate and white-collar crime.  Corporate attorneys must demonstrate close attention to detail, display superlative communication skills, and above all, have the analytical ability to understand the application of law to a client’s business objectives. Our interns have a chance to practice these skills throughout the summer and get the opportunity to be introduced to partners, associates, in-house counsel and other accomplished members of the Bar during receptions hosted by SEO’s partner firms.
 
Interns also participate in the SEO Corporate Law Institute (CLI), an exclusive two-week lecture series and networking forum led by top corporate lawyers and distinguished law school professors. Conceived in partnership with our law firm and banking partners, the CLI teaches pre-law interns the skills necessary to excel during their first year in law school. Law school professors provide interns with overviews of first year courses including Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Legal Writing and Exam Taking, Property and Torts. Corporate lawyers and others in the industry introduce interns to legal topics including White Collar Crime, Mergers &Acquisitions, A Practical View of Torts, Incorporating Pro Bono into Private Practice and Stress Management in Law School. The program consists of nearly 40 course hours, law school exams and extensive guidance on developing the right study strategies and exam-taking skills to excel in law school. Additionally, each student receives a set of study aids for every first year law course, for use during the first year of law school.
 
The unique SEO Corporate Law Program gives interns the training and experience they will need to thrive at a world-class firm, as well as access to attorneys at the top of the field who are happy to share their experiences, contacts and wisdom.

Corporate Law Program Application Deadlines:

Round 1: Dec. 15
Round 2: Feb. 15

Judicial Clerkship

SEO offers a unique opportunity to its Corporate Law alums during the summer after the first year of law school, the SEO Judicial Clerkship is the opportunity to clerk with a federal judge years before most other law students do, while still receiving the benefits of an SEO internship, including mentoring and networking opportunities.
SEO Judicial Clerks spend ten paid weeks clerking for a judge in the Southern District of New York.  During the summer, the clerks are able to develop their legal research and writing skills.  Clerks are also able to sit in on trials and observe lawyers in action, gain first-hand exposure to a judge’s decision-making process, and get to try their hands at drafting judicial opinions.
 
This internship is challenging yet extremely rewarding, and can open doors and create unparalleled networking opportunities.  This program is ONLY open to SEO Corporate Law alumni from the prior year are eligible to apply, we look at several additional factors in determining candidacy, including:

  • 1L grades
  • Essays
  • Resumes
  • Performance Evaluation of SEO Corporate Law Internship

We encourage all SEO Corporate Law alumni to consider this internship as an option for their 1L summer, but to do so with the understanding that a high level of maturity, commitment and research/writing performance are required.




Corporate Law Program Participating Firms: