The time for my final summer blog post has come. I know… try to hold back your tears (regardless of whether they are tears of joy or sadness). I’ve decided to take this time to share a few tips regarding how to make the most of your time as a Summer Associate at Bilzin Sumberg:
1. Manage your Time. As a Summer Associate, your schedule quickly fills up with assignments, lunches, social events, trainings, and tag-along opportunities. However, if you plan and utilize your time well, you will not have to sacrifice your personal life or lifestyle in the slightest. Claudia, for example, loves to work out in her spare time and has not had to alter her daily workout routine whatsoever. In fact, she has had enough time to increase her social media presence by starting a twitter account (@Claudia_Ojfit) dedicated to her love of law and fitness! Geoff and I have also had enough time to work on our fitness in the office…
2. Explore Areas Outside of your Comfort Zone. Even if you think you know exactly what area of the law you want to explore during the summer, make sure you explore other areas that you might know nothing about. The breadth of assignments has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the summer. If you don’t believe me, just ask Elise. She was dead set on transactional work until she took my advice and accepted an assignment with the Land Use group. Since that moment, it seems as though Elise took every Land Use assignment that she could get her hands on! (Follow this link to see her reaction every time a new assignment was posted.)
3. Get to know People on a More Personal Level. Not only are the lawyers and staff at Bilzin Sumberg incredible at their jobs, they are also incredibly interesting. However, you will never know about a person’s unique background without asking. For example, my fellow Summer Associate Hannah was born in Hawaii, raised in Arizona, and has attended 14 Taylor Swift concerts in 10 different states… just within the past 2 years! Not to mention that Geoff had a short-lived stint as a contestant on ABC’s “The Bachelorette”.
4. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help. The first time you look at an assignment, it may look like a completely different language (Seen here, Geoff trying to pronounce “mutatis mutandis”). Thankfully, Bilzin Sumberg has an incredibly talented support staff that can help you avoid stressing out (and making mistakes). For example, Lauren reached out to the Firm’s research librarians for help with an assignment. They responded immediately and saved her hours of work. Lauren said she thought they were kidding when they got back to her so quickly!
5. Wear Breathable Materials. I mean, this one should really go without saying. We are in Miami…during the summer. The last thing anyone wants is to return to the office after lunch looking like Jared Spector after placing second at the 2015 South Florida Fair’s Hot Wing Eating Contest (…he can’t always finish in first place). To put things into perspective think this, this, or this.
If you follow these tips, I promise that you will survive your time as a Summer Associate and have a lot of fun while you’re at it.