One of the most unique and rewarding aspects of spending a summer at Bilzin Sumberg is the opportunity to interact with clients and watch more experienced attorneys in a real world setting. A “tag along”, as it is commonly referred to, gives summer associates the opportunity to watch other lawyers practice in their respective fields, whether it be in court, during a negotiation, or at the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners.

Most of the time, Jessica Buchsbaum arranges the tag alongs based upon our practice group interests, but, sometimes, a tag along derives from an assignment we have been working on. For example, I did an assignment for Stanley Price involving real estate on Miami Beach that was recently designated as a historic landmark. After conducting research on whether the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board had the authority to make this designation, I traveled with Stan to the Preservation Board to watch him deliver his argument. It was extremely rewarding to see my research used in a real-world setting in order to help a client!

There have been many other exciting tag alongs that have already occurred throughout the summer as well, although it is impossible to mention them all. A few weeks ago, we all had the opportunity to travel to the Board of County Commissioners with Al Dotson and Wendy Francois to watch them secure funding for renovations at Dolphin Stadium. We were even lucky enough to have a guest appearance from Dan Marino and Jason Taylor.

Also, Moshe Zaghi recently sat in on a client meeting with Suzanne Amaducci-Adams where she went over a management agreement for a new hotel in Miami. At the end of the week, Leah Aaronson and Desiree Fernandez will be going to watch David Gersten, the retired Chief Judge for the Third District Court of Appeals for the State of Florida, give an oral argument at his old stomping grounds.

There is no better way to understand the day-to-day practice of law and to decide what practice groups we are most interested in than by attending tag alongs. We are all very excited to attend a few more before the end of the summer!

Bilzin Sumberg keeps all of the summer associates busy and on the move. Whether it be through community involvement, social events, or practical simulations like the mock real estate transaction, our calendars are often full of interesting opportunities to both learn and immerse ourselves in the firm.

Even with all of these activities, the vast majority of our summer is spent working on assignments–real assignments, for real clients.

One of the unique things that sets Bilzin Sumberg’s summer associate program apart is the ability for us to choose our own assignments. As Leah pointed out, we all met on our first day to decide which practice group we were most interested in taking our first assignment from. The next day, we received instructions from Jessica detailing how to access the assignment pool. The assignment pool listed a number of available assignments, from a number of different attorneys. We were each able to pick up our first assignment and start moving from there: Desiree took a Government Relations and Land Use assignment, Leah a Litigation assignment, and Moshe a Business Finance and Restructuring assignment. Jared and I took Corporate & Tax assignments.

 The best part of the assignment pool is that it is constantly being updated with new and exciting projects. We are nearly four weeks into the summer program and have all taken a variety of assignments from different practice groups.  This allows us to get a feel for the type of work attorneys do in each department and also allows for informal mentoring opportunities to arise: everyone that I have worked with has been happy to sit with me and give me feedback on my work product, as well as more general advice about the practice of  law. It has made taking assignments more efficient and made whole departments accessible, and is another great part of working at Bilzin Sumberg.

Last Friday, the summer associates (with special guest and renowned former summer associate blogger, Mike Levine) participated in a Community Service Project Day by assisting with The Virginia Key Restoration Project hosted by Citizens for a Better South Florida, a service learning program to restore the endangered coastal ecosystem on Virginia Key.  This project began after Hurricane Andrew ravaged the landscape in Virginia Key in 1992. Summer associates from South Florida firms participated in the event as well. Our group helped to propagate native plants in Virginia Key’s nursery, while others helped with clean-up of the coastline, or worked to remove invasive and exotic plant species. As always, Jessica Buchsbaum came prepared with water bottles, Gatorade, snack bars, fresh oranges, special-edition wet wipes, bug spray, gardening gloves, and sunscreen. Afterwards, we were led on a nature walk to learn more about the various ecosystems in the area. During the nature walk, we were able to see what the seedlings that we planted will eventually grow to become.  At the end of the day, there was delicious barbeque food catered by Shorty’s BBQ!

It was a great experience to work together outside of the office and get involved with the restoration and maintenance of such a valuable and beautiful natural area in Miami. From day one, the employees of Bilzin Sumberg have emphasized the importance of being actively involved in the community through the Bilzin Sumberg Cares initiative, and Friday was yet another example of the firm’s commitment to giving back and serving the Miami-Dade community.

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Last night, the Bilzin Sumberg summer associates, both old (alumni) and new (current), endured the traffic on US1 to drive to Two Chefs in South Miami for a night of great food, wine, and company. A favorite night of the summer for many who have attended over the years, the summer associate alumni cooking event was certainly a ton of fun.

We cooked our own dinner! After being handed an apron and a towel by our ‘master chefs,’ the 20-or-so of us split into groups. Each group was responsible for making a different dish; the menu included quesadillas, tuna tartare, risotto, quinoa, salmon, steak, and of course, Two Chefs’ famous chocolate soufflé. There was plenty of work to go around and we all played a part in some aspect of the meal.

I began my cooking contribution by helping Shalia Sakona with the soufflé – a much harder task than I had anticipated. Thankfully, Shalia had the skill needed to get the job done. I, on the other hand, found that slowly churning a giant pan of risotto with Eric Singer was much more my speed. The steak was delicious too, despite the fact that Brandon Rose almost ruined it by incorrectly laying the meat on the grill (which, admittedly, none of us knew could ruin a steak).

Eating the meal was just as fun as cooking it. Everyone had a great time sharing past summer associate stories while cleaning their plates of all the delicious food. The Two Chefs event was certainly a success!

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This past Thursday, at around 5:03pm (so as to be fashionably late), the summer associates started making their way down to the 14th floor terrace to attend the quarterly Cross-Department Social Enhancement Event. While the event started slow, the terrace was soon packed with a little over a quarter of Bilzin Sumberg’s attorneys, including several partners.  Topics of conversation ranged from predictions about Thursday night’s Heat game, which were sadly almost all proven wrong, to the differences in lifestyles of transactional lawyers and litigators.

As summer associates, the event was an opportunity to learn more about, and network with, Bilzin Sumberg’s attorneys in an informal setting. But to us, the event was far more than a networking opportunity. The event embodied two of the many factors that drew us to Bilzin Sumberg in the first place: work-life balance and sense of community.

While speaking with Kyle Morabito, a former summer associate and real estate associate, about Bilzin Sumberg’s real estate practice, I asked him how he had the time to attend the event. He explained that at the beginning of a given week, he usually knows what he has to accomplish for the week, as the attorneys he collaborates with and the attorneys who assign him work are clear and realistic about expectations. Kyle explained that this gives him the flexibility to work late when he can so that he has the ability to leave early on occasion.

The event was one of many that Bilzin Sumberg holds regularly to foster the firm’s sense of community. However, the firm’s sense of community extends far beyond the social events it holds. As Marshall Pasternack made it a point to stress upon extending our offers, when the firm hires an associate it hopes to be hiring a future partner. In our first few weeks at the firm, we have quickly realized that Bilzin Sumberg is not only a law firm, but a community that is committed to our long term success.

 

Tuesday marked the beginning of the annual Summer Associate Real Estate Mock Transaction. This year’s theme is “Game of Summers”, modeled after one of the most popular shows among the attorneys of Bilzin Sumberg, Game of Thrones. The Summer Associates were split into teams, with Desiree and I serving as counsel for the Targeryans, who are looking to purchase a commercial real estate property from the Lannisters, represented by Leah, Jerry, and Moshe. Although Jessica Buchsbaum insists there are no winners or losers in the transaction, the summers don’t necessarily agree. A friendly rivalry can already be seen at the negotiating table.

Over the course of the summer, each side will negotiate many important documents found in a typical real estate transaction. This provides the opportunity to become familiar with the details of the transaction, which is extremely beneficial in Miami’s thriving real estate market. It also allows summers to get to know some of the members of the Real Estate group. Bryan Hawks and Adam Lustig help explain the details of the documents and some of their interesting experiences while practicing law (and provide some comedic relief), while  Alexandra Lehson and Kent Koch serve as coaches for each side.

This week’s negotiations were intense, as both sides hashed out the details of a letter of intent.  After lengthy deliberations, an agreement was finally reached. Although the terms of this deal seem fair, both teams are determined to get the best deal for their client and “win” The Game of Summers.

 

Late last week, the Summer Associates at Bilzin Sumberg were tasked with one of the most challenging assignments of our young careers: judging the annual bakeoff between Jessica Buchsbaum and Paul VanderMeer.  This event was one of the most anticipated. In fact, each of us received a two-page survey several months ago with instructions to disclose all of our dessert preferences. Both Jessica and Paul were given these surveys so they could each maximize their chances–though Jessica may have made charts and graphs to improve her odds.

 
This year’s bakeoff was an especially important one. Jessica and Paul were tied 2-2 in the all-time series, and with year-long bragging rights on the line, both competitors brought their ‘A’ game. They each made two desserts.
 
The winner, by unanimous decision, was Jessica’s Decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, which may have been the best thing I have ever eaten in my entire life. While Paul’s Peanut Butter White Chocolate Rice Krispies with Fixins proved a worthy competitor, the judges all agreed that Jessica’s dessert was ever so slightly better. Rounding out the desserts was a tiramisu made by Jessica, and a Chocolate Tart with accompanying Kahlua Whipped Cream by Paul. We were lucky enough to be given helpful advice from attorneys (a.k.a. more seasoned dessert judges), who were all too happy to share in the deliberation process.
  
While we had to pick a winner between Jessica and Paul, all of their desserts were truly delicious. We were very lucky to be able to judge the bakeoff and look forward to it being the beginning of a very sweet summer.
 
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Thursday will likely be one of the most memorable days of the summer associate program. The best way to summarize the day is that it involved sugar, spice, and everything nice! Here are the highlights:

Sugar

Several members of the firm have a sweet tooth and a few are very talented bakers! Over the summer, we  completed a dessert preference survey sent to us by Jessica Buchsbaum. Jessica and Paul VanderMeer had a dessert bake-off and the summer associates were the judges! Stay tuned for more details and pictures in Jerry‘s blog post next week. Let’s just say there was plenty of sugar consumed.

Spice

It should come as no surprise that many of the members of this firm are loyal fans of Miami sports teams- particularly the Miami Heat. Thursday was Game 1 of the NBA Finals and the beginning of the Heat’s quest for a ThreePeat. (What a great time to be in Miami!) The Culture Committee announced that it was Heat Pride Day and all employees were able to show their support for the Heat by wearing White Hot Heat gear and jeans! (Heat/Spice… see what I did there?)

Everything Nice

Finally, the day ended with a Wine & Cheese welcome reception in which all Bilzin Sumberg employees gathered to socialize and greet us. We were individually introduced to the firm by our mentors. It was a great experience and opportunity to meet many of the wonderful people at Bilzin Sumberg!

The first week has flown by. We have been through several training and informational meetings, picked our first assignments, met our mentors, and most of us have already had tag along opportunities with attorneys. We are off to the start of an incredible summer at Bilzin Sumberg.

Here goes nothing! After a long school year of waiting to finally start at Bilzin Sumberg, the summer associate program has officially begun. Better yet, the five wonderful summers of 2014 (Desiree, Jared, Jerry, Moshe, and I) have quickly become friends! We met for drinks at Batch Gastropub in Brickell the night before our first day and have really enjoyed spending time with each other since.

So far, we have attended meetings where we met departmental managers, learned firm policies and were introduced to tons of new computer software.  While orientation has definitely been busy, it hasn’t been without excitement. We got to choose our first assignments!

The assignment pool included some very interesting topics – local issues, large corporate deals and research on same-sex marriage were among the offerings. However, the five of us didn’t want to risk taking an assignment from another who might have had his eye on it.  To resolve any potential conflicts, Jerry suggested that we meet to discuss our first assignment selection. I invited everyone to “step into my office” and talk it through. Luckily, Jared was comfortable sitting on top of a bookcase!

The five of us went through the list, each naming our top assignment choice. Miraculously, no two summers wanted the same one! The 2014 summer associates are surely off to a great start.

2014 Summer Associates
From Left to Right: Leah Aaronson, Desiree Fernandez, Jared Spector, Jerry Goldsmith and Anosh Zaghi.

Bilzin Sumberg is thrilled to welcome our 2014 Summer Associate class on their first day of the program today.  To learn more about our 2014 Summer Associates, click here.

The Summer Associates spent the first day of their 9 week program in orientation, which included an introduction to the different firm departments, an overview of what they can expect during their summer including mentoring, assignments, evaluations, training, social events and a personal welcome from the hiring partner, Marshall Pasternack.

In addition to the traditional professional development trainings & social events like the real estate mock transaction and the summer associate alumni Two Chefs private cooking event, we are most excited about the new events that have been introduced this year.  Some of my personal favorites include the fishing trip to Key Largo, the Wynwood Culinary Tour and the meal service benefitting the Chapman Partnership.  Stay tuned to learn more about this year’s program from our newest bloggers!  Welcome!