Last night, the rainy South Florida weather had the summer associates and I dreaming of brighter (and dryer) pastures. Like an episode from The Magic School Bus, the summer associates and the Corporate Practice Group took a quick field trip to the beautiful shores of Ireland. In mere seconds, thanks to Zoom, we arrived
The last thing on my mind when I entered into finals season last fall, at the end of my first (and entirely online) semester of law school, was where I would be working in the summer. My first finals season was filled with stress and a total lack of familiarity with the law school system,
Dr. Maya Angelou left us with the following words: “[P]eople will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Small gestures can have a tremendous impact. Collectively such experiences create a culture. Before I started as a summer associate at Bilzin Sumberg this month, a small yet validating gesture led me to submit an application for employment to the firm.
It was March 2020, days before the world shut down. My day had a rocky start with a “Breakfast with the Bench” event at 7:30 a.m., where a law student’s nightmare came true: I spilled coffee on my white shirt—the same shirt I needed to wear to my interview at another firm later that day between my second and third classes. #MiamiTraffic made the prospect of returning home to change my shirt a pipedream.
But, it wasn’t the Miami traffic that got me; it was the interview at the firm. I received a less-than-warm greeting from the receptionist before waiting thirty minutes for the interviewing attorney. While the interview went fine, upon my departure I was informed by the receptionist that parking wasn’t validated for interviews. So, I returned to campus and entered class late in my stained shirt, with $21 less in my pocket.
Continue Reading Go Where You Are Validated
Last Friday, the summer associates and I had the honor of meeting Bilzin Sumberg Partner and Construction Group Leader, Joy Spillis Lundeen. Joy, a recent addition to Bilzin Sumberg, is regarded as the reputed go-to person for all things construction and has an impressive roster of clients.
Born and raised in Miami, Joy reflected on the dramatic changes to Miami’s skyline since her childhood and recalled the excitement she felt, and continues to feel, when admiring the City’s continued development. Interestingly, her passion for construction was largely inspired by her upbringing. Growing up, Joy’s family owned a leading, Miami-based architectural firm that contributed to the development of many well-known structures throughout South Florida. This familial backdrop inspired Joy to study architecture in college and when contemplating an area of law in which to specialize, construction seemed to perfectly align with her interests. Since then, Joy hasn’t looked back as she continues to trail blaze through an often male-dominated construction field.Continue Reading Constructing Our Future-One Attorney Spotlight at a Time
This year, we kicked off the Summer Associate Program at Bilzin Sumberg with a warm welcome from Jessica Buchsbaum, Betsi Cobas, and Jay Sakalo. The Summer Associates and I logged into our next virtual orientation session, and we were honored
One of the most important elements of being a Summer Associate is getting to know the attorneys that make up the firm. Meeting and speaking with the partners and associates of a law firm is an integral way to learn about the firm’s culture, the different practice groups, and gain advice from those who were once in your shoes.
Coming into an entirely remote summer program, my fellow Summer Associates and I were unsure how much of those interactions we would be able to have. Fortunately, we quickly realized that there would be no shortage of opportunities to meet the wonderful people of Bilzin Sumberg.
Continue Reading Home Brewed Connections
This week, my fellow Summer Associates and I started our much-anticipated positions at Bilzin Sumberg. While the coronavirus is keeping us away from the office and out of the Courthouse, Jessica and Betsi have planned an engaging and robust, albeit untraditional, Summer Program. On our opening Zoom call, Jessica and Jay welcomed the six
Week 1 of The Academy is in the books, and Ben, Brianna, and I are looking forward to Week 2. We are especially looking forward to taking the Oath of Admission to the Florida Bar and celebrating with our families and colleagues.
Last week our program focused on a broad spectrum of topics, including time-management
Throughout the summer we have been reminded of how important it is to build relationships throughout the community — someone who truly embodies this statement is Scott Baena. Last week, my fellow summer associates and I had the chance to have lunch with Scott at Seaspice. With a beautiful view of the Miami
In the final weeks of the summer associate program, we had the opportunity to debrief with an experienced attorney at the firm—Marshall Pasternack. In his infamous “10 at 3” meeting, Marshall took time out of his busy day to share some of the things he’s learned throughout his career with myself and