Bilzin Sumberg is “Proud to be Judged by the Company We Keep.”
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to see how that phrase is implemented at the firm on a daily basis. Every attorney I’ve spoken to this summer has reflected on a pro bono matter they worked on while simultaneously handling other complex
The American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct has a preamble that describes a lawyer as “an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice.” Though I’ve only been working at Bilzin Sumberg for six weeks now as a summer associate, I can confidently say
After gaining meaningful experience as summer associates at Bilzin Sumberg, Ben, Brianna, and I are excited to return and begin our careers as full-time associates! We are currently in the midst of The Academy, a program designed to instill in us the values and culture of our firm. The second day primarily focused
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
On Wednesday, the other summer associates and I had the opportunity to teach a group of middle school students the relationship between freedom of speech under the First Amendment and cyber bullying.
The small group of students visited the firm through the Breakthrough Miami program, which Sara Herald is deeply involved in. Breakthrough Miami is an academic enrichment program that uses student-teaching-student models to ensure that young children attending under-resourced schools still have access to educational opportunities. The program has a 100% high school graduation rate as well an over 90% college attendance rate for the young students involved.
Continue Reading Breakthrough Miami Visits Bilzin Sumberg
Since our first day at Bilzin Sumberg, we have been told how important it is for the firm to be actively involved in the community. With that in mind, last Friday, we took a break from our usual Friday schedules which usually entail wrapping up our
We started the day with a legal writing seminar taught by Ed Lintz of Legal Writing Pro—a resource to which I attribute much of my success in law school (Point Made, written by the company’s founder, was by my side at all times then and now). But the seminar was particularly helpful
It’s hard to believe, but we’re now more than halfway through the Academy. We began the day by visiting with Oksana Esberard, who led us in our second mindfulness session. Scott Baena and Jessica Buchsbaum
One of my primary objectives coming into the summer was to establish a plan of action for my future, both at Bilzin Sumberg and in the Miami community. Of course, at the top of the list was figuring out which of the firm’s prestigious Practice Groups I would prioritize, but I also wanted to put myself on a path to career development and community entrenchment that would carry me for the duration of my career. Over two-thirds of the way through the summer, I can confidently say that the summer associate program has helped me to accomplish this goal through meaningful work with substantive feedback and consistent attorney mentorship opportunities. Everyday has proven to be a new chance for us to learn, grow, and have fun, and Bilzin Sumberg could not be more welcoming in helping us to feel at home while providing us with a practical dose of real legal work.
Continue Reading Learning from Lawyers over Lunch: The Life of a Summer Associate
Bilzin Sumberg hosted a wine and cheese reception this Monday to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month. “Celebrate” in this context has a double meaning. Brian Adler ran through the history of Pride Month and taught me aspects of the movement that I never considered. From Pride Month’s inception–beginning with the Stonewall Riot–members of the LGBTQ community have used positivity and acceptance as a form of resistance. My previous understanding was that the movement essentially served as a single-issue platform: to fight for the acceptance of gay marriage. But I was completely wrong. The community through Pride Month has successfully fought for greater HIV/AIDS research, for anti-discrimination legislation (such as the Matthew Shepard Act), for more inclusion of the LGBTQ community in the military, and various other initiative pushing for equality. There is much more work that needs to be done, but certainly a lot to celebrate.
Continue Reading Happy Pride Month!