Benesch is proud of its commitment to creating a more inclusive legal profession. We seek to hire individuals who share that same commitment, and the Benesch 1L Fellowship Program was created to foster inclusion in the legal profession. Benesch invites all 1L law students with a demonstrated commitment to inclusion to apply. A demonstrated commitment to inclusion can include but is not limited to efforts and commitments to support members of populations that have been historically underrepresented in the legal profession. This is a paid position, and we have openings in the firm’s Cleveland, OH, Columbus, OH, Chicago, IL, New York, NY, and San Francisco, CA offices as fully integrated positions within our Summer Associate Program.
Our 1L Fellowship program provides an excellent opportunity to gain an understanding of how law firms work, and includes opportunities for client interaction, observing and participating in business deals, involvement in strategy and negotiation sessions, courtroom activities, and teamwork with Benesch Attorneys. Our comprehensive professional development sessions and simulated training programs, such as our mock negotiation and mock deposition training, go together with the direct work experience our fellows will receive. Fellows will also participate in the firm’s regular operations, such as department meetings and specially planned events, as well as those designed exclusively for our summer program, including our Summer Associate Retreat, Summer Foundations Professional Development Series, and practice group overviews.
Fellows will receive a variety of work, in both substantive areas of law and types of projects assigned. We review each fellow’s work on an individual basis and seek to include assignments that develop foundational skills and enable evaluators to provide critical feedback for growth. Each Fellow will have both a dedicated partner mentor and an associate buddy to provide career advice, make internal connections, and help navigate the firm.
Criteria
Candidates must be full-time first year law students or part time law students enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, with an expected graduation date of December 2027 or May 2028. Our recruiting committee will evaluate all applicants and consider the following factors:
- Exceptional law school and undergraduate academic performance
- Outstanding leadership abilities
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- A demonstrated commitment to the advancement of inclusion, whether in the community, in school, or in prior employment
- Life experiences that have shaped professional goals and values consistent with a commitment to inclusion
- A commitment to community service
- A commitment to client service
- An interest in working in private practice
- A desire to work in your selected city long term
- Permanent authorization to work in the United States
- Completion of the Suited candidate assessment within three days of application submission
How to Apply
Candidates may apply to and be considered for only one Benesch office. Please submit your resume, first semester law school transcripts, undergraduate transcripts, and a cover letter of 500 words or less via our careers page here. Candidates must also complete the Suited assessment within three days of application submission. If any of these five required components are missing, the application will be considered incomplete.
Your cover letter should include the following elements:
- Describe your interest in Benesch;
- Describe your academic and leadership achievements;
- Using specific examples, explain how your personal, academic, and/or professional background and experiences will allow you to contribute to a culture of inclusion for our team and the clients we serve; and
- If your ties to the city in which you applied are not evident from your resume, please describe your interest in working long term in your selected city, and any connections to that city which might be helpful for our evaluation.
Suited Candidate Assessment: Click here to complete
Benesch has partnered with the predictive candidate screening platform Suited to help us better understand applicants. Our goal is to make the recruiting process as fair and seamless as possible, so we matriculate candidates who will be fulfilled in their roles and complementary to our culture. In addition to your academic background and experience, the traits and competencies captured by these assessments have been proven to be both highly relevant and predictive of on-the-job success as a law associate, while reducing bias in the evaluation process.
Completion of the Suited assessment is a required part of our application process. Please complete the Suited candidate assessment within three days of your application submission date using this link. To request a reasonable accommodation for the assessment, click here.
Note that if you have already completed the Suited assessment for another firm, you will not need to do so again. Rather, you may share your assessment results with Benesch by using the same above link.
For more information about Suited, click here.
Timeline
Benesch will accept applications beginning on Friday, October 31, 2025, through Monday, January 26, 2026. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis upon full completion of the application process, including the resume, cover letter, first semester law school transcripts, undergraduate transcripts, and completion of the Suited assessment. Students are strongly encouraged to begin the application process in the fall and return to submit law school transcripts upon receipt.
For questions regarding the application process, please contact the law school recruiting team via email at lawschoolrecruiting@beneschlaw.com.
