Law Students

1.  Application Submission

• Our 1L applications open in November. We have completed hiring for our 2026 2L class. We will open our direct application portal for our 2027 Summer Associate Program in the spring.
• We are accepting 1L applications in the following offices: Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Orange County, and Pittsburgh.
• 1Ls will need to submit the following: Cover Letter, Resume, Undergraduate/Law School Transcript,[1] and Essay.
• We will be accepting 2026 1L applications until January 31, 2026.

Essay Question (Maximum: 500 Words)

Your personal statement should help us learn more about you and should address the requirements of the position, including professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession. Please include specific examples to explain how your personal, academic, and/or professional background and experiences will allow you to offer a diverse perspective to our team and the clients we serve. This includes your personal experiences and information not readily available on your resume.

[1] Undergraduate transcripts will be accepted until your first semester law school grades are released.  Once first semester law school grades are received, please submit your law school transcript with your application. If you previously submitted an application using your undergraduate transcript, a Student Recruiter will reach out if supplemental materials are required.

2. Screening Interview

• This is a brief virtual meeting that typically lasts between 20 and 30 minutes. During the interview, you will meet with a member of the recruiting committee from the location to which you applied. They will discuss your background and learn more about your career goals.

3. Callback Interview

• Selected candidates will be invited to a callback interview, which is a more in-depth process lasting approximately 3 to 4 hours. It includes three 20-minute one-on-one interviews following a standard format. You will also participate in a 60-minute panel interview with three to four attorneys in a structured setting, where you’ll be asked behavioral questions such as, “Tell me about a time when…etc.” This structured approach is designed to help eliminate implicit bias in our hiring process.
• Additionally, we aim to arrange meetings with associates so that candidates can gain insight into what it’s like to work as an associate at FBT.

Come for the summer. Come back for the long haul. 

Sharpen your skills by working alongside Frost Brown Todd attorneys at depositions, arbitrations, negotiations and client consultations. As a summer associate, we see to it you are exposed to a wide range of activities and hands-on training based on the area(s) of law you want to explore. By program’s end, you will leave with a better sense of what you have to offer and a network of people ready to help you reach your career goals.

Do meaningful work.

We believe in providing summer associates with meaningful hands-on experience in a variety of industries and practice areas. We learn what aspects of the law excite you and connect you with teams specializing in those areas. Throughout the summer, our work coordinators make sure all assignments are fairly distributed among associates, with the appropriate balance of billable hours, observation and training opportunities.

Team up with not one, but two mentors.

We pair summer associates with both a partner and an associate to serve as mentors, on hand to answer questions and introduce you to attorneys and clients. These mentor/mentee relationships often outlast the duration of the program, continuing into the school year and beyond.

Learn your strengths, pinpoint areas for improvement.

When it comes to communicating with summer associates, we articulate expectations clearly and provide constructive feedback on your performance at every step of the way. Most of this feedback will be informal in nature, but at both the midpoint and conclusion of the program you will receive a formal evaluation, highlighting your strengths and pinpointing areas where additional training would help you deliver on your full potential.

Enjoy several career development opportunities.

Summer associates also spend a great deal of time in the field, touring our clients’ facilities, learning about their business operations and getting a firsthand glimpse of what it takes to build in-house relationships with world-class companies. In addition to fieldwork, we host weekly forums during which representatives of the firm’s management committees and practice groups share their perspective and interact candidly with summer associates.

Connect with colleagues at informal social events.

Summer associates aren’t isolated from one another, nor are they excluded from various firm-wide events during the summer months. Rather, here at the firm and elsewhere, you can get to know your colleagues during luncheons, meet-and-greets and community engagement projects. For previous summer associates, these social gatherings have been both fun and illuminating.

Witness skilled attorneys in action.

Many of our attorneys are at the forefront of complex and still-evolving areas of the law, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and global privacy regulations. Some are considered luminaries in their respective fields. As a summer associate, you will get to work alongside these accomplished attorneys.

Note: Frost Brown Todd LLP is an equal opportunity employer.

Get your start at the right firm. With real opportunities right from the start.

Combining skills-based instruction and observation with direct hands-on experience in the field, our First-Year Associate Program is designed to give you the tools and relationships needed to quickly rise to the level expected of a Frost Brown Todd attorney. As a first-year associate, you will take on a high degree of responsibility early on, with increasingly sophisticated assignments as you progress through the program. You will also have opportunities to broaden your horizons through client placements and by contributing to pro bono and community service projects.

Mentoring is an equally vital part of our professional development platform. We pair you with a partner and an associate mentor. These attorneys will guide you forward, introduce you to colleagues and clients and help you take your practice to the next level.

At Frost Brown Todd, it’s all about putting the right people and opportunities in your path while giving you license to determine your own success.

Market-Competitive Salaries (with Reduced Billable Hour Requirement)

We offer market-competitive salaries, yet with a billable hour requirement that is below that of other similarly sized firms. We supplement billable work with additional hours of training during your first year, allowing you to focus on the kind of professional development that will be most beneficial to you in the long run.

Tessa Castner | Partner | Cincinnati, OH

The first-year program jump-started my career through substantive training that translated directly to my practice. I learned about negotiations through peer simulations and observation opportunities. Then I was entrusted with my first solo mediation shortly after passing the bar.

Knowledge Coach

You will be paired with an attorney to serve as your “knowledge coach” for the duration of the program. Your knowledge coach will put the time in to learn about your interests and work with you to devise a training regimen, pursue relevant opportunities and manage overall workflow.

Secrets of Success

We’ve developed an innovative and informative mini-MBA program, which will give you some fluency in core business strategies and help you relate to clients on a broader plane. We also offer a series of “Secrets of Success” programs throughout the year to help refine your lawyering skills. You will hear experienced attorneys and clients advise on topics like initiative-taking, business generation and client responsiveness.

Miles Harrison | Partner | Louisville, KY

Frost Brown Todd’s competency-based evaluation process provided me with a roadmap for advancing my career. It set clear, objective benchmarks for my peers and me to monitor our progression and strive for ever-higher levels of achievement. Unlike more rigid processes based on years of practice, our competency-based model allows first-year associates to have some flexibility in charting their path forward. The annual performance review also helped me target areas of my practice to focus on to assist my growth as an attorney and contribute to the firm’s overall success.

Placement Opportunities with Clients

You will have opportunities to work directly with our clients in their place of business, learn about their operations and fine-tune your client service skills. Frost Brown Todd also maintains longstanding relationships with several nonprofit organizations in our footprint, giving you the chance to contribute through pro bono and community service projects.

A 401(k) For Your Future

We help you invest in you and your future. While many firms do not give you the benefit of retirement savings until year two, at Frost Brown Todd, you are eligible to make contributions after 30 days of employment. Our 401(k) retirement plan provides matching contributions after one year, with discretionary contributions available after two years. Investing early means your money is working for your future sooner and longer.

You are eligible to contribute up to the annual IRS contribution limit, which in 2025 is $23,500, and in 2026 is $24,500, plus catch-up (when eligible). After year one, we will provide a 4% match of your compensation directly into your plan on a per-pay-period basis. The match is your money working for your future. Additional discretionary contributions may be made that further maximize your deferred tax benefits.

Note: Frost Brown Todd LLP is an equal opportunity employer.

Those who successfully complete our 1L Summer Associate Program and return to participate in our 2L Summer Associate Program will be awarded the 1L Contributions to Diverse Perspectives Scholarship.

Application & Selection Process

• Selection for the 1L Summer Associate Program is highly competitive and considers academic excellence, a written essay, interviews, demonstrated leadership, and meaningful contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We value candidates who bring diverse perspectives and have positively impacted their communities through organizational involvement.
• FBT is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from students of all backgrounds.

Application Requirements

• Resume
• Undergraduate/Law School Transcript [1]
• Cover Letter
• Essay

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All applications must be received by January 31, 2026. For questions or accommodation requests, contact Alex Dussia, Student Recruiting Coordinator, at adussia@fbtlaw.com.

Essay Question (Maximum: 500 Words)

Your personal statement should help us learn more about you and should address the requirements of the position, including professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession. Please include specific examples to explain how your personal, academic, and/or professional background and experiences will allow you to offer a diverse perspective to our team and the clients we serve. This includes your personal experiences and information not readily available on your resume.

[1] Undergraduate transcripts will be accepted until your first semester law school grades are released.  Once first semester law school grades are received, please submit your law school transcript with your application. If you previously submitted an application using your undergraduate transcript, a Student Recruiter will reach out if supplemental materials are required.