Associate

How it is used

Firms use titles such as 'junior associate' and 'senior associate'. In US firms new lawyers join directly as 'first-year associates'. Associates do much of the research, drafting and due diligence, and record their time in billable hours.

Example sentences

1. A senior associate will handle the day-to-day work on your file.

2. Associates at the firm are expected to bill around 1,800 hours a year.

Common collocations

• senior associate
• junior associate
• first-year associate
• associate lawyer

Related terms

• partnerIn a law firm, a senior lawyer who co-owns the firm or holds an equivalent senior position and is responsible for clients and junior lawyers.
• law firmA business in which lawyers work together to provide legal services to clients, often organised as a partnership.
• paralegalA person trained in legal work who helps lawyers with tasks such as research, preparing documents and managing files, but is not a qualified lawyer.
• lawyerA person trained and qualified in law who advises clients and represents them in legal matters; the general word that covers attorneys, solicitors and barristers.

More terms: Legal Professions

• attorney
• client
• counsel
• solicitor
• barrister
• bar
• LLB
• LLM
• JD
• legal advice
• notary
• in-house counsel