One of the first things I heard about the Bilzin Sumberg summer program was that it flies by. With my second summer now winding down, I can confirm that this is true. Somehow, my second summer went by faster than my first, and while I’m excited to begin the last chapter of my law school career, I will certainly miss the people I had a chance to spend time with over the last couple of months.

There is an oft-said joke at Bilzin that being a Summer Associate is the best job at the firm. Certainly, this point has merit, because no other position at this firm provides you with free food and a schedule packed with fun events. However, the single best part of the summer program is the lasting and meaningful connections you make with both your summer class as well as attorneys throughout the firm. The opportunity to spend two summers here has allowed those connections to grow into something more than professional acquaintance. Attorneys who were assigning me projects last year now feel like colleagues and mentors — people who know my strengths, push me to improve, and take a genuine interest in where my career is headed.

The work followed the same trajectory. Spending most of my summer with the Land Use & Government Affairs team, I briefed City Commission agenda items, worked through Miami 21 entitlement questions, and saw firsthand how the firm operates at the intersection of law, government, and the city itself. I also took on environmental and regulatory research in a transactional context — the kind of assignment where you start with a question nobody has a quick answer to and end with a memo a partner will actually rely on. That’s a very different kind of pressure than a law school exam, and a far better one.

Two summers in, my takeaway is simple: the work here is substantive, the mentorship is genuine, and Miami isn’t just a backdrop — it’s part of the practice. I’m grateful to everyone who invested their time in me, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.