• Law Students & Associates
• Professional Staff

practicing at richards layton

Richards Layton offers attorneys the unique opportunity to work on globally significant matters at a firm that feels more like a small town.  With a partner to associate ratio of about 1:1, our junior attorneys receive personal attention, intellectual challenge, and early responsibility.  As recognized by Law360 and major ranking directories, the firm stands out in almost every major Delaware litigation venue.  And by standing out in Delaware, the home of corporate law, the firm stands out nationwide.

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• On-Campus Interviews
  Samantha Stern

  Hiring Manager

  T 302.651.7520

  We will be conducting On-Campus Interviews at several law schools and participating in multiple job fairs in summer 2023. If your school does not appear on this list, we encourage you to apply directly via our application portal. Please see the “Current Opportunities” section below for more information.

  School	Date
  Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark School of Law	August 7
  Columbia Law School	July 28
  Cornell Law School	August 1
  Delaware Diversity Job Fair	July 22
  Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law	July 21
  Duke University School of Law	August 2
  Georgetown University Law Center	August 2
  George Mason University – Antonin Scalia Law School	August 3
  The George Washington University Law School	July 25
  Howard University School of Law	July 31
  The University of Iowa College of Law	TBD
  University of Maryland School of Law	August 2
  University of Michigan Law School	July 27
  Notre Dame Law School	August 1
  University of North Carolina School of Law	July 21
  University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	TBD
  Penn State Dickinson Law	TBD
  Penn State Law	July 13
  Southeastern Minority Job Fair	July 13
  Sunbelt Diversity Job Fair	July 21
  Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law	July 26
  Tulane University School of Law (New York Interview Program)	TBD
  Vanderbilt Law School	August 1
  Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law	July 25
  University of Virginia School of Law	TBD
  Wake Forest University School of Law	TBD
  Washington and Lee University School of Law	TBD
  Washington University in St. Louis School of Law	July 27
  Widener University Delaware Law School	August 2
  William & Mary Law School	August 3

   

• Professional Development

  The firm’s prominent lawyers and clients—along with our training system and collaborative environment—provide an extraordinary opportunity for professional and personal development.  Richards Layton maintains training initiatives designed to advance associates’ legal skills and knowledge in general and practice-specific ways.  A formal mentoring program complements this training to help junior associates develop relationships and seek guidance as their careers develop.

  In addition to a formal mentor, associates have a director within their department who coordinates their work.  These pairings are changed annually so that associates can form close working relationships with several directors at different stages of their careers.  The firm’s investment in associate professional development is supported by an unmatched benefits package and a starting salary of $190,000, which provides nearly twice the buying power than in other metropolitan regions.

• Summer Program

  We select our summer associates carefully, with the expectation that each summer associate will succeed and become a full-time associate of our firm upon graduation. Summer associates rank their practice area preferences prior to their arrival in May. Midway through the summer, everyone changes departments. During each rotation, a summer associate is paired with a director and an associate. These assigning attorneys are mainly responsible for coordinating and assigning work. First-year associates serve as “buddies” to the summer associates, informally assisting in their orientation to the firm and to life in Delaware.

  Summer associates are routinely given the same level of work and responsibility as full-time associates. Informal seminars, luncheons, and weekly social events introduce summer associates to the firm as well as to all that Wilmington and the surrounding areas have to offer.

  1L LCLD Scholars

  As a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, we are proud to participate in the 1L LCLD Scholars Program. The LCLD Scholars Program is designed to strengthen the legal pipeline by expanding the opportunities for diverse first-year law students. Please find more information here.

  2022 Summer Program

  We hosted 18 summer associates, 12 2Ls and 6 1Ls, from the following law schools: Cornell, Emory, George Washington, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State-University Park, Penn State-Dickinson, Pittsburgh, Temple, Tulane, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Villanova.

  Volunteering is a tradition in our summer associate program. This year, our summer associates spent three fun evenings preparing and serving dinner at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware.

  

  

  2021 Summer Program

  While our 10-week summer program went forward virtually, we were delighted to host our 16 summer associates for a few days of in-person activities in Wilmington, Delaware at the halfway point of our program. Among other things, the summer associates visited the Delaware beaches, took a tour of our office space, and got to meet with several attorneys at the firm during various social activities.

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  
• How to apply

  Please see the “Current Opportunities” section below and submit your materials to our application portal. Please contact Samantha Stern, Hiring Manager, at stern@rlf.com with questions.

  All new summer associate and attorney hires must be legally entitled to work in the U.S. and not now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status.

  For more information about the firm and recent hiring data, please view our current NALP form.

  Legal Recruiters: The firm does not accept unsolicited resumes from legal recruiters.

• Current Opportunities

  2L Summer Associate in 2024 (Class of 2025)

  Richards, Layton & Finger is accepting applications from rising second-year law students for its 2023 summer associate class. The program offers 10 weeks in the summer for law students doing junior associate-level work across many litigation and transactional practice areas.

  If we conduct OCI at your school, please apply according to the instructions provided by your Office of Career Services.  If we attend a job fair in which you are interested and eligible, please apply according to the job fair’s instructions.  Feel free to apply to the firm through OCI and a job fair, if applicable.

  Pre-OCI interviews are limited and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  If you choose to, in addition to applying during OCI, you are welcome to submit application materials in advance.

  Applications will be reviewed as they are received and you are welcome to apply before your second semester law school transcript is available. If you apply before second semester transcript is available, you will receive a follow-up email with a customized link to upload your transcript when you receive it.

  To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, law school transcript, and writing sample to our application portal. Please contact Samantha Stern, Hiring Manager, at stern@rlf.com with questions.

  All new summer associate and attorney hires must be legally entitled to work in the U.S. and not now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status.

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  Lateral Associate Inquiries

  We welcome resumes from all interested lateral associate applicants. Please upload your materials to our application portal and we will be in contact if a suitable position becomes available.

  All new summer associate and attorney hires must be legally entitled to work in the U.S. and not now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status.

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  Trusts & Estates Associate

  We are seeking a lawyer for our trusts and estates group. This position is a non-partnership track position that offers greater schedule predictability and commensurate billing expectations. Successful applicants are attorneys with at least 3 years of experience in estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, including expertise in drafting sophisticated estate planning documents who wish to be a part of a sophisticated practice. Candidates should possess excellent oral and written communication skills. In addition, candidates should be self-motivated, be able to work in fast-paced, high energy environment, and be able to independently handle significant numbers of matters of varying complexity. An LLM degree in a tax-related discipline is preferred. DE bar is not required but a successful candidate will be required to take DE bar exam at the first opportunity. Relocation candidates, specifically those with ties to DE, are welcome to apply.

  All new attorney hires must be legally entitled to work in the U.S. and not now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status. Please submit cover letter, resume, transcript, writing sample and salary requirements to Samantha Stern, Hiring Manager, at stern@rlf.com or via U.S. Mail to Samantha Stern, Richards, Layton & Finger, 920 N King St., Wilmington, DE 19801.