About the role#
As a 1L Summer Associate, you will join our in-house legal and compliance teams for the summer of 2027. You will work on real-world legal and compliance matters under the guidance of our attorneys and compliance officers. You will be assigned to one of our specialized legal academies, where you will collaborate with internal and external counsel, conduct legal research, and present on a specific legal or compliance issue. This role offers the opportunity to build professional relationships and gain insight into how in-house counsel provides value to the business.
What you'll do#
- Perform complex legal research and analysis.
- Draft materials for U.S. and foreign patent prosecution.
- List patents in the FDA’s Orange Book and analyze freedom-to-operate issues.
- Address contractual issues and evaluate biopharmaceutical patent and trade secret litigation.
- Support clinical trial-related legal and regulatory matters, including trial design and patient-related analysis.
- Assist with corporate financing, securities compliance, compensation, benefits, and corporate governance.
- Assess antitrust risks related to mergers, acquisitions, and licensing.
- Advise Marketing, Sales, Medical Affairs, and Regulatory Affairs teams on FDA, FTC, and OIG matters.
- Support product manufacturing, procurement, quality assurance, and supply chain operations.
- Work on legal privacy and technology projects.
- Support commercial litigation, employment, labor, and immigration matters.
- Conduct policy assessments, training initiatives, and investigations.
- Participate in strategy meetings with in-house and outside counsel.
What you'll need#
- Completion of your 1L year at an ABA-accredited law school during the 2026-2027 academic year.
- Enrollment in law school for the semester following the internship.
- A strong undergraduate academic background.
- Excellent communication, leadership, and project management skills.
- The ability to perform complex legal research and analysis.
- A personal statement describing how this internship will be career transformative and enable you to be a leader in the legal profession or community.
- A bachelor’s or graduate degree in a scientific or engineering discipline is required for the Patent Legal Academy and recommended for the Clinical R&D Legal Academy.
Location & details#
- Location: North Chicago, Illinois.
- Term: Summer 2027.
- Modality: On-site.
- This is a full-time, paid internship.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global biopharmaceutical company based in North Chicago, Illinois. It researches and manufactures medicines across several therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and aesthetics. The organization operates as a public company with over 59,000 employees. It maintains a presence in various international locations such as Canada, South Korea, Japan, and Costa Rica.
How to get in at AbbVie
Applying early at AbbVie gives you a distinct advantage because recruiters review applications as they arrive. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published, so you can be among the first to apply before the applicant pile grows. Getting your resume in early helps ensure it is seen while the team is still actively building their candidate pool. You can use Intern Insider to identify the recruiters behind these roles, which allows you to reach out directly to ask about the position or a potential referral. Connecting with a human at the company often improves your response rates compared to waiting for a system update. It is a straightforward way to move your application forward in a competitive process.
