2016 summer associates

Above-left: Frankie, my sous-chef, clearly jealous of my culinary prowess (my artisanal flatbread, seen here, was unanimously crowned “dish of the night”)

We’ve been told from day one that Bilzin Sumberg hires summer associates with the intent that they will one day become partners at the Firm. While this may sound too good to be true, attendance at last night’s dinner event exemplifies Bilzin Sumberg’s dedication to retaining the highly qualified attorneys that began their careers here as summer associates.

In addition to the 2016 summer associate stars, the event’s guest list included prominent members of previous summer classes, such as Leah Aaronson, Desiree Fernandez, Jerry Goldsmith, Jared Spector, Shalia Sakona, Lori Lustrin, Mildred Gomez, and Jeff Snyder. The night was made even more special thanks to guest appearances from Jessica Buchsbaum and Jay Sakalo who, while not summer associates at Bilzin Sumberg themselves, are certainly honorary members of the 2016 class.

Two Chefs Restaurant describes the private-party cooking class as a “cooking adventure… under the guidance of a chef… designed to build camaraderie while honing your cooking skills.” This description, while accurate, omits the wine that was certainly responsible for some of the more “imaginative” artisanal flatbread topping combinations. Other culinary highlights of the evening included pecan crusted lump crab cake, ahi tuna tartare, stuffed mushroom caps, Caesar salad, toasted quinoa, grilled salmon, and grilled New York strip steak (as if we weren’t already fed well enough).
Continue Reading Two Chefs (But We’ve Got Us A Few Here)

With three weeks down and six to go, the summer is in full swing. We are getting the hang of balancing assignments and social events while also getting to know the attorneys and each other. Last week, the ladies of the summer associate class got to join the women attorneys of Bilzin Sumberg in volunteering for United Way and the Lotus House. The Lotus House is a Miami organization that provides shelter for homeless women and children. Not only do they provide shelter, the Lotus House gives these women training, education, and resources to improve their lives.

The particular event we attended was Women Helping Women, which is part of the United Way Women’s Leadership group. There were so many women from a variety of local community organizations there to volunteer for the Lotus House. If that wasn’t inspiring enough, Georgette, a Lotus House alumnus, spoke to us about how the organization lifted her and her young daughter out of poverty only three years ago. She now holds a position at the Lotus House and was recently promoted. Her story left tears in our eyes and truly exemplified the impact the Lotus House has on women, children, and our greater community.Continue Reading Ladies Night for the Lotus House

The very first day of orientation, the summer associates were introduced to the concept of tag alongs. Bilzin Sumberg provides opportunities for us to shadow experienced attorneys as they interact with clients, learning by observing. We were asked to rank practice groups in order of personal interest, allowing Jessica Buchsbaum to assign the experiences in order of priority as they arise.

I don’t think any of us were expecting the number and variety of tag alongs we’ve experienced in just the first two and a half weeks of the summer. All seven summer associates have had opportunities to observe associates and partners “in action,” interacting with their clients on pressing matters. So far, our group has tagged-along with the Corporate & Tax, Litigation, Land Development & Government Relations, Business Finance & Restructuring, and Real Estate practice groups.
Continue Reading Summer Associates Tagging-Along

Dessert cart 1It was officially the second week of our Summer Associate Program, and our first fieldtrip was on the horizon–the Marlins Park tour and game, organized by the Land Use Practice. While Jerry, Jared, and Leah are renowned for their coordinating abilities (matching Clambake outfits), our class is well on its way to dethrone them. We met at 5:30 P.M. sharp (sort of), and four brave souls banked on me getting them safely to the ballpark (already taking heart in light of the upcoming Poker Tournament).

A couple of wrong turns and attempts at parking later, we made our way to the park entrance. “Not so soon,” said the universe, as Frankie realized he had left his ticket at the office. If you have known Frankie for approximately a week, you are more than confident in his ability to finesse his way through impromptu interviewing, subleasing gone wrong, and just about anything else. To no surprise, Frankie soon joined us on the Marlins Park tour, precisely in time to get a glimpse of the Clevelander pool area.
Continue Reading Take Me Out to the Dessert Cart

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Paul VanderMeer’s winning lemon tart

The “freshman fifteen” is a staple of any memorable college experience. You’re living out of the house for the first time, and the amount of fat in the one dish you know how to “cook” is surpassed only by its MSG content. You’re just a swipe away from the dining hall’s endless array of every fried dish you can possibly imagine, and you’re the only one stopping yourself from indulging in that second, third, or even fourth dessert.

As we end our first week at Bilzin Sumberg, my fellow summer associates and I have encountered similar gluttonous temptations. Thursday and Friday mornings’ legal writing seminars were accompanied by breakfast spreads that could’ve fed a summer class twice our size. Thursday evening’s library happy hour included a plethora of delicious finger foods and beverages, both of the adult and non-adult varieties. Finally, Friday afternoon’s bakeoff featured desserts that would’ve impressed Gordon Ramsay, and I’m not just saying that because Jessica Buchsbaum was a star competitor.Continue Reading The “Summer-Associate Seven”

Concept image of the six most common questions and answers on a signpost.

The latter half of my first week at Bilzin Sumberg was over before I knew it. Between the social activities, trainings, and first assignments Geoff, Frankie, Hannah, Jenny, Lauren, Claudia and I grew even more excited for what is to come. As we parted ways to enjoy our Memorial Day Weekend, I realized that the seven of us have a wealth of information to reflect on during our time off. Not only did we receive practical training in our first week at the Firm, we received great advice from the Firm’s former successful summer associates and experienced attorneys.

On the third day of the summer associate program, we had lunch with first year associates Leah Aaronson, Jerry Goldsmith, and Jared Spector, who are also summer associate alumni. They offered us some “uncensored” advice on the summer associate program, which put us at ease while also inspiring us to take full advantage of our summer at Bilzin Sumberg. It was extremely beneficial to get to ask questions of people who were in our shoes recently, and to get insight as to life as a young attorney at Bilzin Sumberg. 
Continue Reading Sound Advice for Our Summer in the Magic City

Our 2017 Summer Associates at Orientation!
Our 2016 Summer Associates at Orientation!

We are excited to welcome our 2016 Summer Associates!  Today, they participated in orientation, computer training and will be ready to begin working (and blogging!) soon.  We have a robust summer planned and know that they will have the opportunity to learn a lot and