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
It was a rainy Friday morning, as Saron Musa found us a coveted street-side parking spot at the corner of NW 17th Ave. and NW 16th St., in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Allapattah.
Come to think of it, looking at the freshly paved roads, wide and clean sidewalks, and brightly lit pedestrian areas, it seemed like Allapattah may have graduated past the “up-and-coming” stage already. (This seems to also be born out in crime statistics, which show total crime in Allapattah down about 30% over the past 5 years.)
After parking, the biggest concern for Saron, Danielle Hall, Nathifa Parker, and I was staying dry. However, it didn’t take long for us to spot the “red carpet” to our destination. In this case, the “red carpet” was a hot-pink overhang that spanned the majority of the first level of the newest addition to the resurgence of Allapattah—No. 17 Residences.Continue Reading No. 17 Residences: Where Vision Meets Hard Work
I logged off my computer, changed into comfortable shoes, and headed to the elevators. With our first in-person event underway, I was thrilled to see my fellow summer associates, explore Brickell, and bring out my competitive side.
The summer associates met in the lobby to leave for the Scavenger Hunt that would include associates
Wednesday night the Summer Associates had our first social event with a Practice Group. Trivia Night, hosted by Carl Boccuti, had us split into groups of 4-5 with the Litigation Practice Group to compete for the ultimate prize, bragging rights for the rest of the summer. The questions included everything from Rihanna’s birthplace to
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
Today, we are excited to kick off our summer associate program!
This summer looks a little different than previous summers but we are excited for a hybrid program
The summer program has been filled with professional development courses through PowerSummer, jigsaw puzzles, coffee breaks with attorneys, negotiation sessions, attorney spotlights, and so much more! As we wrapped up our last week of the summer associate program, we were tasked with closing the deal for the Mock Real Estate Transaction, keeping a
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
One of the biggest potential downsides of a virtual summer program is missing out on the day-to-day opportunities to connect with the Bilzin Sumberg family. However, this summer has proven that you can still get to know people and have fun while working from home, with two great examples being our practice group social events