2025 Summer Legal Associate Intern

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

AbbVie is proud to offer qualified first-year law students with an interest in in-house practices, as set out below, and an interest in diversity an exciting opportunity to join our legal department for an immersive summer associate internship program at our North Chicago, Lake County, Illinois headquarters full-time for 11 weeks this summer. 

As an AbbVie Summer Associate, you will participate in a paid summer internship starting May 20, 2025, focused on providing students with robust projects throughout the summer. As a summer associate, you will be located at our corporate headquarters in our north suburban Chicago location, with living assistance for eligible candidates. 

2025 Overview 
Summer associates will be immersed in AbbVie’s in-house legal team, learning about and handling real-world matters under the supervision of AbbVie attorneys. Summer associates will work with one of the following departments within the in-house legal team for the duration of the summer internship:  

Patent Legal Academy 

Summer associates will have substantive exposure to a variety of prosecution and litigation-related tasks, which may include drafting materials for U.S. and foreign patent prosecution, listing patents in the FDA’s Orange Book, analyzing freedom-to operate issues, drafting or editing contracts, evaluating issues related to biopharmaceutical patent litigation, observing litigation events such as hearings or depositions, and participating in strategy meetings with in-house and outside prosecution and litigation counsel. Summer associates will also receive support to help prepare them for the USPTO patent bar examination.   

Clinical R&D Legal Academy 

Summer associates will have substantive exposure to a variety of clinical and regulatory legal issues related to AbbVie’s pipeline of assets. Responsibilities may include reviewing, drafting, and interpreting clinical agreements, researching and evaluating legal and ethical issues related to clinical development, and participating in strategy meetings with stakeholders to advance the development of assets.  

Global Therapeutics Legal Academy  

Summer associates will support various pharmaceutical and aesthetics product brands and will work alongside attorneys in the Global Therapeutics Legal group to provide substantive advice to Marketing, Sales, Medical Affairs, and Regulatory Affairs departments concerning a broad range of legal and strategic issues. These issues include product labeling, advertising campaigns and product claims, new product launches, social media, and market access. And as part of this support, summer associates will gain exposure to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Office of Inspector General (OIG) and other relevant laws, regulations and guidance that apply to our business.  Summer associate responsibilities will include an internship-long research project focused on developments in laws and regulations that are relevant to brand legal support, and an accompanying presentation of that research to the Global Therapeutics Legal team.   

Securities Academy 

Summer associates will support AbbVie’s Corporate Legal, Governance team. This group is comprised of a broad spectrum of legal professionals impacting key areas such as financing, securities compliance and disclosure, compensation and benefits, parent company and subsidiary corporate governance. 

Strategic Transactions Academy 

Summer associates will work across AbbVie’s Global Alliances and Licensing & Acquisitions legal transactions teams. These teams partner with key functional stakeholders within AbbVie, to execute various strategic transactions in furtherance of AbbVie’s product pipeline. Summer associates will have the opportunity to work with internal business clients and outside counsel during negotiation and strategy calls relating to mergers & acquisitions, technology licensing, agreements for the purchase of goods and services, venture financing, collaborations, and partnerships.  Responsibilities may include drafting and reviewing contractual provisions, crafting solutions to address strategic questions under existing partnerships, assisting with transactional due diligence, and researching developments in laws and regulations with respect to the high-profile transactions managed by these legal teams.  

Operations, Privacy, and Technology Academy 

This team’s summer associate will support the Operations function, which is responsible for AbbVie’s product manufacturing, procurement of goods and services, quality assurance, supply chain, and various aspects of product development; support the Legal Privacy team; and work on various Legal Technology projects, including those related to AI and the use of data across the enterprise. This program will heavily focus on contracting, including interpretation, drafting, negotiations, and strategy/planning, as well as research regarding various types of provisions and related laws. 

Litigation/Employment/Compliance Academy 

Summer associates selected for this program will work across AbbVie’s Commercial Litigation, Employment, Labor & Immigration, and Legal Compliance teams.  Summer associates will have the opportunity to work across a broad array of litigation and counseling matters, including in areas such as product liability, antitrust, contractual disputes, visa and other immigration issues, and compliance with relevant laws including the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and many others.  Responsibilities may include researching developments in laws and regulations that are relevant to supporting the various teams, researching issues and questions relevant to ongoing litigation matters, and participating in meetings with key business partners. 

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All summer associates will research and present on a legal issue related to their work and will have the opportunity to meet and work with AbbVie’s in-house and outside counsel, including partnering closely with both a managing attorney as well as a mentoring attorney who will both provide ongoing guidance and professional development. Summer associates will also be encouraged to provide their valuable input on initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity  in the legal profession as a whole.  

By the end of the summer, AbbVie 1L Summer Associates should have attained: 

• practical experience working for a global biopharmaceutical company in an interesting and evolving area of law, 
• an understanding of how in-house attorneys provide value to their company as trusted 
• advisors to the business,  
• leadership opportunities and experience building business relationships effectively, and  
• meaningful writing and communication development. 

1. Students must complete their 1L year at an ABA-accredited law school during 2024-2025 
2. Must be enrolled in law school the semester following your internship 
3. Strong undergraduate academic background 
4. Interest in diversity and inclusion in the legal profession 
5. Bachelor’s or graduate degree in a scientific or engineering discipline required for Patent Legal Academy, recommended for Clinical R&D Legal Academy 
6. Ability to perform complex legal research and analysis 
7. Excellent communication, leadership, and project management skills 

How to Apply 

Please (a) apply by uploading your resume and related information at the AbbVie Career Site and (b) emailing a single PDF consisting of the documents set forth below to [email protected]. 

1. Current resume 
2. A letter explaining your interest in the AbbVie 1L Legal Academy Program, including your preference(s), if any, among the internship programs listed above 
3. A personal statement addressing your interest in promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal profession or greater community 
4. Undergraduate transcript (unofficial) 
5. If applicable, other graduate transcripts (unofficial) 

In addition, as soon as your first semester law school grades are available, please email your unofficial law school transcript to [email protected] 
. 
Preference will be given to applications received by February 7, 2025. 

Salary: Selected legal academy scholars will be paid $1,888 per week for the 11-week program ($20,768).  

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives, serving our community and embracing diversity and inclusion.  It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected group status.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html 

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html