RumbergerKirk has kicked off their 2024 Summer Associate Program by welcoming six law students to the firm’s office locations in Birmingham, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. For more than 35 years, the RumbergerKirk Summer Associate Program has provided law students the opportunity to work closely with seasoned attorneys and participate in a mock trial competition.  

The RumbergerKirk Summer Associate Program provides law students entering their final year of school with practical training and development to prepare for a career in litigation. Participants collaborate closely with partners and their associate mentors on client cases, attend hearings and depositions, and engage in hands-on training during professional development seminars and workshops. The program culminates with the mock trial where the students apply their newly acquired skills, with attorneys and staff at the firm volunteering as coaches and witnesses. 

“We give them so many hands-on experiences, that for a law student interested in litigation, there is no better opportunity,” said Managing Partner Frank Sheppard. “We are thrilled to welcome them and look forward to getting to know them while we help them learn and grow during their 10-week journey with us. Many of our current partners participated in the program as law students and can attest to its value and impact on their success.”

The summer class of 2024 includes:

• Erica Clements is a second-year law student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law joining RumbergerKirk’s Orlando office. She has worked as a research assistant to the assistant dean at the University of Florida and serves as co-chair of the Public Interest Environmental Conference, as well as the Environmental and Community Development Clinic. She also serves as an editor for the Florida Law Review. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida.

• Coleman Rausch is also a second-year law student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law joining RumbergerKirk’s Orlando office. He completed an internship for the Honorable Jared E. Smith of the Sixth District Court of Appeal in Florida and worked in the Office of the State Attorney in the 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida. He serves as an editor for the Florida Law Review, and was a finalist in the 39th annual William E. McGee Civil Rights Moot Court Competition for Best Brief and Finalist. He earned his undergraduate degree from Patrick Henry College.

• Madison Temple is a second-year law student at Stetson University joining RumbergerKirk’s Tampa office. She served as a summer law clerk in Tampa and as a Lexis associate at LexisNexis where she worked with students to help improve their research and writing skills. She is a 1L mock trial championship team member and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Ashley Bechtold is a second-year law student at Florida International University joining RumbergerKirk’s Miami office. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a law clerk in Fort Lauderdale and was also a teaching assistant at the University of Florida Department of Psychology. She is a member of the Asian Law Student Association, Broward County Bar Association, and the peer mentor program. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida.

• Andrew Co is a second-year law student at the University of Miami joining RumbergerKirk’s Miami Office. He served as a student intern for the University of Miami School of Law Immigration Clinic and an in-house legal intern for Sophos. He is the recipient of APABA Judge Sasser Scholarship and president of the University of Miami Law School’s Student Bar Association. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina.

• Paige Risley is a second-year law student at the University of Alabama School of Law joining RumbergerKirk’s Birmingham office. She served as a legal extern for the University of Alabama System, Office of Counsel, and as a legal extern for Legal Services Alabama. She received the CALI award for best legal brief. She is a member of the Anti-Trafficking Legal Advocacy Society, Business Law Society, the Dorbin Association, Law School Ambassadors and the University of Alabama School of Law’s Student Bar Association. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama.

Learn more about the program and their experiences by following the RumbergerKirk Summer Associate blog.