Our 2025 Summer Associate Program brought 11 law students from nine law schools to the firm for an intellectually challenging and professionally gratifying experience. The students took part in firm-sponsored social events and community service projects throughout the summer in addition to attending client meetings, depositions, court hearings and other proceedings. Nearing the end of the program, the students agreed to share a few highlights from their summer at Shutts.
Samuel Riffice joined Shutts’ Orlando office for the summer from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Samuel is a staff editor of The Florida Entertainment and Sports Law Review Journal and is a section representative of the Association of Law and Business. He has previously interned for the Honorable Robert Norway for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Samuel shares his thoughts on his summer experience at Shutts.
Why did you choose to spend your 2025 Summer with Shutts?
I chose to spend my 2025 Summer with Shutts because of the firm’s incredible reputation as a full-service firm with some of the top attorneys in Florida. The learning experience during the 2L Summer is so important, and I knew I would receive the best training and quality of assignments from Shutts in both transactional and litigation work. Shutts offers a Summer Associate the flexibility to work on a wide range of assignments with great feedback and instruction.
What is something new that you learned during the summer program?
I gained valuable insight into the work of transactional attorneys, something I had limited exposure to in law school and through my previous litigation-focused positions. During my Summer at Shutts, I had the opportunity to on several transactional assignments under the guidance of outstanding supervising attorneys, which gave me a much clearer understanding of this area of practice.
What advice would you give to someone about to start the OCI process?
I would tell anyone about to start the OCI process to do their homework and take the time to truly understand the firms they’re applying to. This means going beyond the websites, which are all similar, and making the effort to talk to former Summer Associates and current or former attorneys to get a sense of each firm’s culture. Most firms present similarly online, but it’s the people and day-to-day environment that makes the difference.