Summer Job Diaries: Summer Associateship at Allen Matkins Gives Rising 3L Chance to Shine in Transactional Law
Terrence Knock ’27 landed his summer associate position at Big Law firm Allen Matkins through LMU Loyola Law School’s On-Campus Interview Program, which brings employers to campus to interview students for summer jobs. In his role, he has gained experience in negotiating loans and commercial leases and flexed his Legal Research and Writing skills when investigating client issues.
How did you land your summer job?
I applied to Allen Matkins through Loyola’s Summer On-Campus Interview (OCI) Program. The Career Development Office posted the opportunity, and I quickly jumped on it. I applied, completed a “screener” interview, callback interviews, and was fortunately offered a summer associate position the same day as completing my callback interviews.
What is the most interesting part of your job?
The most interesting part of my job would have to be learning about how loan agreements are structured and how commercial leases are negotiated.
What has been your most challenging assignment thus far?
My most challenging assignments so far have been my litigation assignments! These real-world matters are very different from what we see and experience in school, so the research behind the issues requires nuanced analysis. The associates and partners provide helpful insight when starting the assignment and feedback during check-ins.
What new legal skill have you acquired during your summer job?
The newest legal skills I am learning during my program are issue-spotting transactional documents and client counseling during the loan closing process. I have been able to complete initial redline reviews, review associate and partner redlines, and sit in on client counsel calls with partners to hear about any concerns with the documents and work through those issues to achieve the client's goals.
What bit of legal knowledge have you been able to display?
The legal knowledge I have been able to display during my summer job is my legal research capabilities, especially within the litigation context. With the skills I learned in Legal Research and Writing during 1L as well as my judicial externship during spring semester of 2L, I have been able to dive deep into these specific issues and provide valuable precedent in support of our client’s positions.
How has Loyola helped you map your career path?
The Career Development Office has been instrumental in helping map my career path! From resume reviews to practice interview opportunities and answering all of my questions even when the questions felt silly to me. The CDO team was extremely supportive and gracious. I would be remiss if I failed to also appreciate the feedback from professors who took time to review writing samples and provide recommendation letters for my OCI applications. I would not be learning and growing at Allen Matkins without help from the Loyola community!