Spencer Fane is thrilled to announce that a record-breaking 13 office locations will welcome 24 law students to the firm’s distinguished summer associate program, including six returning associates.
As client opportunities increase across the firm’s continually expanding national footprint, the 2025 class of summer associates will build on core legal skills and professional versatility as they assist senior attorneys in meeting diverse client needs through the firm’s immersive and educational legal preparation program.
This year’s class includes: Yatzaret Aguirre-Sanchez (Nashville), Kaylen Aldridge (Denver), Sophia Artley (Minneapolis), Kayla Bowen (Phoenix), Grant Boyden (Salt Lake City), Michelle Bryant (St. Louis), Trey Chauncey (Las Vegas), Makenna Copeland (Overland Park), Madison Droubay (Salt Lake City), Kenzie Hatman (Springfield), Rachel Holt (Kansas City), MinJae Kim (Salt Lake City), Linnea Lindeman (Denver), Román Martinez (Dallas), Madison Merrill (Salt Lake City), Charles Mulholland (Houston), Kyra Patterson (Nashville), Rachel Pickett (Overland Park), Joe Scholten (Kansas City), Jamison Straulin (St. Louis), Anna Syptak-Welch (Plano), Jake Thompson (Kansas City), Simon Trebon (Phoenix), and Brecken Wojciechowski (St. Louis).
“Each summer, we look forward to our summer associates engaging with attorneys across offices and practice groups, providing fresh perspectives while they absorb experiences and insights which will be foundational to their future legal work,” said Spencer Fane Chair Patrick J. Whalen. “Mirroring our highly intentional hiring process, our selected summer associates demonstrate thoughtful and creative legal acumen and strong cultural alignment. This results in lasting student-attorney relationships and newfound confidence as they finish their law degrees.”
The summer associate program begins in late May and concludes the first week of August. Learn more about each member of the class below.
Yatzaret Aguirre-Sanchez (Nashville)
A rising 3L at Belmont University College of Law, Yatzaret is an associate editor at the Belmont Law Review, student ambassador, peer mentor, and member of both the Women’s Legal Society and American Constitutional Society. She returns to Spencer Fane for the second year as a summer associate and most recently served as a legal intern for the Hon. Lynne Ingram of the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in Nashville. During a previous internship at Southern Legal Counsel, she focused on matters related to immigration law and assisted with projects for decriminalizing poverty, improving school districts, and LGBTQIA+ rights matters. An active member of her broader legal community, Yatzaret is proficient in Spanish and is a member of the Latino Law Student Association, Tennessee Bar Association, and Expungement Clinic with Davidson County. She completed her undergraduate degree in political science and philosophy at the University of Florida.
Kaylen Aldridge (Denver)
Kaylen is a Colorado Law Review production editor, Student Bar Association elections commissioner, and a student ambassador at the University of Colorado Law School, where she is a rising 3L. She is also an active member of the Women’s Law Caucus, treasurer of the Society for Work, Employment, and Labor Law, and participated in the Interdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition and Sherman & Howard 1L Transactional Competition. Kaylen completed her undergraduate degree summa cum laude in business administration at the University of Arkansas. She returns to the Spencer Fane summer associate program for the second year and previously served as an administrative intern at an injury law firm and a human resources intern for an excavating company, where she notably overhauled the company safety manual to comply with OSHA guidelines.
Sophia Artley (Minneapolis)
An admissions ambassador, Asylum Law Project coordinator, Minnesota Justice Foundation volunteer, and Robina Public Interest Scholar, Sophia is a heavily involved, rising 2L at the University of Minnesota Law School, where she also maintains an active membership in the American Constitution Society. She previously worked for Senator Amy Klobuchar as a legislative intern, specifically focusing on her foreign policy and veterans’ affairs in the U.S. Senate, and, prior, as a casework and outreach intern in the Congresswoman’s Minneapolis Office. Sophia completed her undergraduate studies in political science, Spanish, and Latin American/Latinx/Caribbean studies summa cum laude at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she was notably Academic All-Conference and captain of the swim and dive team, was a cellist in the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, and worked as a Political Science Department assistant.
Kayla Bowen (Phoenix)
Kayla is a rising 3L at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, where she is a full-tuition scholar via the Dean’s Achievement Award, a three-time CALI Award recipient, and earned the Award for Outstanding Performance in Legal Writing. In addition, she is the incoming senior note editor for the Arizona Law Review. She also completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona, graduating summa cum laude. Kayla has gained valuable legal experience as a law clerk in private practice, providing litigation, transactional, and administrative support to multiple attorneys. She has previously volunteered for two service-based groups, Maximo Nivel and Amigos de Las Américas, in summer programs based in Guatemala and Dominican Republic, respectively.
Grant Boyden (Salt Lake City)
A CALI Award winner, editor-in-chief of the Utah Law Review, and full-tuition scholar, Grant maintains several involvements as a rising 3L at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and minor in chemistry within the university’s Honors College. He previously served as a legal intern at the Federal Public Defender Office for the District of Utah, where he assisted in legal research and writing and notably completed a Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals opening brief. Grant also has a background in health care research and has worked on teams for studies spanning COVID in hard-to-reach communities, post-surgical opioid prescribing, fatty liver disease, and physician and staff burnout for two health systems.
Michelle Bryant (St. Louis)
Michelle is a faculty fellow focused on health care antitrust, health equity, and corporatization at the Saint Louis University School of Law, where she is a rising 2L. She earned her health science degree from Truman State University and worked in multiple health and social services roles before obtaining her Master of Public Health from Washington University in St. Louis, during which time she served as a clinical research coordinator and assistant. She has notably been certified in Health Care Research Compliance since 2018. Michelle has worked at Mercy Research for more than eight years, currently as a consultant and most recently as the director of regulatory operations and quality assurance, where she provided administrative leadership, strategic direction, and operational management for one of the nation’s largest community health system-based research organizations.
Trey Chauncey (Las Vegas)
Trey attended BYU for his bachelor’s degree before continuing at the university’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he is a rising 3L. He has served as a law clerk at the BYU Office of the General Counsel for the past year, where he researches and advises on complex litigation claims made by and against the university. In addition, he was selected to participate in the BYU Law Corporate Compliance Academy, where he was instructed by private practice partners and U.S. Department of Justice attorneys on topics including white-collar crime and anti-corruption law.
Makenna Copeland (Overland Park)
Makenna attended UMKC for her bachelor’s degree in business administration, graduating summa cum laude. Now, a 3L at the UMKC School of Law, she serves as an associate justice on the UMKC Supreme Court and is an active member of the Estates & Trusts Society. Her extensive experience at Spencer Fane includes an externship, in which she primarily worked on estate plans, certifications of trust, and various probate matters. She continued this focus as a law clerk at the firm for the past year, also previously serving as a law clerk within the industry at the Probate Law Center. As a current summer associate at Spencer Fane, she will advance her valuable work supporting the Tax, Trusts, & Estates practice group.
Madison Droubay (Salt Lake City)
A rising 3L at BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School, Madison serves as a student ambassador, Bankruptcy Law Society board member, and just finished a stint as a legal research and writing teacher’s assistant. She has been recognized as a quarterfinalist in BYU’s Moot Court Competition and as the female second year law student White Lighting Winner. In addition, she has used her Spanish fluency to volunteer as an interpreter for the university’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies. Madison completed her undergraduate studies in accounting at Southern Utah University, where she co-authored an academic article published in the Journal of Education Advancement and Marketing. She notably returns to Spencer Fane as a second-year summer associate, also holding experience as a summer extern for the Hon. Chief Justice Matthew Durrant of the Utah Supreme Court.
Kenzie Hatman (Springfield)
Kenzie is a rising 2L at the University of Arkansas School of Law, where she plays an active role in trial and negotiation competitions and serves as the secretary of the Federalist Society. She obtained her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Williams Baptist University, where she was an All-Academic Student Athlete and was named All-Conference for women’s soccer, among other notable achievements. Kenzie’s internship experience includes serving as the program director for the Foodbank of North Central Arkansas, where she orchestrated special projects, implemented and monitored federal regulations and best practices, and developed and fostered community relationships. She has also completed a legal internship in private practice.
Rachel Holt (Kansas City)
A rising 3L, Rachel has established a meaningful presence at the University of Kansas School of Law, where she is a full-tuition Jayhawk Scholarship recipient, Pro Bono Honor Roll member, staff articles editor for the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, and representative for the Balance and Well-being Club. She double majored in political science and international relations at Truman State University, graduating cum laude and notably working as a correctional officer during her junior and senior years. Rachel has completed law clerkships at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the City of Olathe, Kansas, also previously serving as a legal assistant in private practice.
MinJae Richard Kim (Salt Lake City)
A former deputy sheriff, reserve police officer, and drone pilot and present 19th Special Forces Group paralegal, MinJae entered BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School with extensive experience in criminal and civil proceedings as well as non-judicial conflict resolution, case analysis and investigative work, and numerous compliance matters. He completed his undergraduate studies in applied business management at BYU-Idaho and, prior, was a National Security Education Program Scholar specializing in the Turkish language at Boston University. He is also fluent in Korean. A 3L, MinJae returns as a Spencer Fane summer associate and has completed internships at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah as well as at Snow Christensen & Martineau prior to its combination with Spencer Fane.
Linnea Lindeman (Denver)
Linnea is a rising 2L at the University of Colorado Law School, where she impressively serves as president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, vice president of the Public Defense Student Association, a member of the Silicon Flatirons, and a volunteer for the Korey Wise Innocence Project. She has devoted significant time to causes which work to prevent the sexual exploitation of youth, demonstrated through her four-year involvement in the Hennepin County No Wrong Door Program, most recently as the program coordinator. She also served as a subject matter expert within the Research Advisory Board for Not a Number, an interactive child trafficking and exploitation prevention curriculum. Linnea received her bachelor’s degree cum laude from the University of Florida, where she was a member of the Title IX Student Advisory Board and was notably selected to give the graduation commencement speech. She also has intermediate Japanese language skills.
Román Martinez (Dallas)
While earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas, Román was captain of and heavily involved in the Texas Mock Trial Team. Now, a rising 2L at Baylor Law School, he was recently recognized as a 2025 Faegre Drinker Spring Moot Court Competition Top Ten Speaker. He is also a member of the Baylor Barrister Society, Hispanic American Law Student Association, and Baylor Law First-Gen Organization. Román previously performed a legal internship in private practice, gaining critical experience researching cases, drafting a wide variety of legal documents, and assisting attorneys with trial preparation. A native Spanish speaker, he is notably bilingual.
Madison Merrill (Salt Lake City)
A rising 2L at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Madison is an active member of the Women’s Law Caucus. Her previous internship experience includes working under the Hon. Kevin R. Christensen of the Box Elder County Justice Court in Brigham City, Utah; for former U.S. Senator Mitt Romney in his Washington, D.C., office; and as a paralegal focused on trust and estate planning in private practice. She also boasts former experience as a data management intern, employing her acute attention to detail to edit and review client metadata. Madison received her bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, graduating with a perfect GPA.
Charles Mulholland (Houston)
Charles is a rising 3L at the South Texas College of Law in Houston, where he has been honored with CALI Awards in two courses and is a member of the Presidential Fellows Program and the Aggie Law Students Association. He completed his undergraduate degree in science in electronic systems engineering technology and minored in cybersecurity at Texas A&M University, where he gained an advanced knowledge of programming language and coding systems. Charles returns to Spencer Fane for a second summer as an associate, where he will continue to build on his skills in conducting comprehensive legal research, drafting and reviewing legal documents, and assisting senior attorneys in various capacities.
Kyra Patterson (Nashville)
Kyra has maintained proactive involvement in collegiate organizations and honor societies since her undergraduate studies at Howard University, where she was an Executive Leadership Council Scholar and president of both the Black Women in Pre-Law Society and My Sister’s Keeper, among other achievements. Now, a rising 2L at Vanderbilt Law School, she serves as secretary of the Vanderbilt Bar Association and If/When/How, service chair of the Black Law Students Association, and member of the Labor and Employment Society. She has extensive and diverse professional experience in Washington, D.C., where she completed an energy & environmental internship with U.S. Senator Edward Markey; a legislative internship for democratic staff within the U.S. Committee on Education and the Workforce, also preparing notes for Ranking Member Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA-03); a fellowship with Next Generation Leadership Institute focused on reproductive justice initiatives; and a corporate internship with The Association of American Publishers.
Rachel Pickett (Overland Park)
A Jayhawk Scholarship and CALI Award recipient at the University of Kansas School of Law, where she is a rising 2L, Rachel obtained unique professional experience prior to working toward her Juris Doctor. She is a former programming manager of a technology-based company, where she developed programming for retreats and membership sessions; and served as a Doctors Without Borders integrated channel marketing intern. Notably, while earning her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from the University of Missouri, she was a Walter Williams Journalism Scholar, two-time Discovery Research Fellow, and inducted into the Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism Honor Society.
Joe Scholten (Kansas City)
Upon obtaining his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude and with multiple honors from the University of Saint Thomas, Joe went on to attend Pontificia Università Gregoriana in Rome, Italy, graduating summa cum laude with an additional bachelor’s degree in sacred theology. He notably boasts Spanish and Italian language proficiencies. Now, a rising 3L at the UMKC School of Law, he is ranked first in his class, has received CALI Awards across five different courses, and is a member of the UMKC Law Review and mock trial team. Joe has previously served as a law clerk in private practice and interned for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, gaining valuable skills researching and drafting legal materials and preparing for trial.
Jamison Straulin (St. Louis)
Jamison is a rising 2L at Washington University School of Law, where he is the community service chair for Sports and Entertainment Law and was the 1L representative for the Student Bar Association. He obtained his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where he was a teaching assistant for the course, “Nazi Germany and the Holocaust in American History,” following a summer semester abroad in Germany. Jamison previously served as a paralegal in private practice, where he gained experience balancing a high volume of diverse work – conducting legal research, drafting documents, and coordinating case discovery for up to 62 case files at a time.
Anna Syptak-Welch (Plano)
Anna is a rising 3L at the UMKC School of Law, where she is ranked seventh in her class and involved in several university organizations. She is a board member of the UMKC Law Review, president of the Christian Legal Society, and active within the Trial Advocacy Team and Association of Women Law Students. Notably, she was named a Top Oralist for 1L Oral Arguments and is both an Hon. Stephen R. Bough Law Review Scholar and Second Century Scholar. Anna completed her undergraduate studies summa cum laude in theatre at Oral Roberts University, then worked as an ophthalmic technician prior to attending law school. She returns to Spencer Fane for the second year as a summer associate and has also served as a student intern for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jake Thompson (Kansas City)
Jake earned both his bachelor’s degree in finance and Master of Business Administration from Benedictine College, where he was notably a Scholar Athlete on the men’s basketball team and selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honor Court. Following, he temporarily worked as an accounting specialist at a privately owned truck dealership network before enrolling in the UMKC School of Law. Now, a rising 2L, he is active within the Sports and Entertainment Society and the Christian Legal Society.
Simon Trebon (Phoenix)
A three-time CALI Award winner, Top Ten Oralist of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, O’Connor Merit Scholar, and Willard H. Pedrick Scholar, Simon is a highly involved and distinguished rising 3L at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where he has also volunteered for the Unhoused Legal Assistance Project since entering law school. Prior, he obtained his bachelor’s degree from Sacred Heart University’s Honors Program, graduating summa cum laude. There, Simon was a member of the NCAA Division I men’s golf team and the representative for the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He has served as a tax intern, a law clerk in private practice, and most recently as a legal extern for the trial group at the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office.
Brecken Wojciechowski (St. Louis)
Brecken attends Saint Louis University School of Law, where he is a rising 2L and a student representative for the Real Estate Law Organization. He received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, where he co-majored in real estate and law. He was also a member of the IU Real Estate Club, the Commercial Real Estate Workshop, and served within the university’s peer mentorship program. He has gained valuable, hands-on experience both as a transition and quality control intern for a real estate services firm and as a real estate valuation intern for a global advisory firm. In the latter, he conducted market research, drafted client reports, and assisted with more than 20 live appraisal deals across a variety of commercial property types and locations.