As part of our summer associate program, we had the exciting opportunity to participate in a Real Estate Mock Transaction that combined hands-on legal training with a fun and creative storyline inspired by Wicked.
The fictional scenario involved Elphaba (portrayed by Devin Amdursky) purchasing a plot of land in Miami from Glinda (portrayed by
After spending seven years in the working world before heading to law school, I wasn’t sure what it would feel like to press pause on a full-time career and dive into textbooks and cold calls. As rewarding (and intense) as my 1L year was, by the time May rolled around, I was more than ready
Imagine a scenario where summer associates enter the fictional – but ever-entertaining – Miami high-stakes real estate negotiation involving none other than Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and Scooter Braun. This wasn’t just any transaction—it was a meticulously crafted exercise, designed by none other than Jessica Buchsbaum, to impart invaluable lessons about the complexities of
I came into the summer associate program with a lot of goals—become a better legal researcher, a better editor, a better communicator, etc. But a goal I haven’t spoken about as much is a personal one. As someone who is new to Miami, I really wanted to make at least one new friend in the
Coming to Bilzin, I knew my primary interest was litigation. But even as a second year law student, I still felt I didn’t fully understand what transactional work looked like. So much of our legal education is so heavily litigation focused that sometimes it’s easy for me to forget that there are whole
One large boardroom. Two teams of five summer associates. All ready to get to business.
This week, Bilzin Sumberg kicked off the Mock Real Estate Transaction with the help of Real Estate partners Sara Barli Herald and Phillip Sosnow. Given that Bilzin Sumberg’s award-winning real estate practice group is among the largest in Florida
Concisely: life looks different for all of us in 2021. As past blog posts by my peers have illustrated, Bilzin Sumberg has adapted. Saron Musa noted in her recent post that the firm’s Women’s Book Club found its way to Zoom, and summer social events, from mojito making to terrarium building, have followed. At a time when employers are announcing “back-to-office” plans and headlines are reporting these decisions with gusto, I found myself engaged in something akin to yesteryear’s watercooler conversation.
On the heels of the mock real estate transaction*, I knew I wanted to learn more about Bilzin Sumberg’s Real Estate Practice Area. After a lunch meeting with Partner Martin (Marty) Schwartz and Mid-Level Associate Hannah Lidicker, I was invited to join a client call. Side note: if you’re a Miami Law student, word on the street is that Marty will add “Professor” to his nameplate this fall. If you’re interested in real estate law, you don’t want to miss this chance to learn from a leader in the field. Back to that client call, Marty and Hannah also extended invitations to Joe Beguiristain and Danielle Hall. The three of us dialed in, listened, and took notes. While I cannot speak for Joe or Danielle, I can tell you that I ended the call with more questions than answers.
Continue Reading Watercooler Conversations in 2021
My computer chimed shortly after two o’clock. It was an email notification from Jessica announcing that it was time to schedule our end-of-summer reviews. During our
On June 23, 2021, Bilzin Sumberg summer associates gathered on Zoom and watched a recorded message from Mary Fitzgerald of Netflix’s trending reality show, “Selling Sunset.” We also received a digital binder with a hypothetical scenario that blends the drama of the luxe life of real estate brokers at The Oppenheim Group with facts that would catch the attention of any issue spotting law student. The real fun started when the summer associates were split into two different groups and tasked with representing either the buyer or seller of a prime slice of real estate in Miami’s Brickell community.
Under the direction of Alexandra Lehson, a Partner in Bilzin Sumberg’s Real Estate Practice Area, John Trach, Saron Musa, and I are representing Nathifa Parker (Selling Sunset, LLC), the buyer. Danielle Hall and Joseph Beguiristain are representing Lucas Pizzutti (This Isn’t Us, LLC), the seller, with support from Partner Sara Herald. Thus far, we’ve attended two of three seminars aimed at providing us with an overview of each step in the real estate transaction process. Led by Partners Timothy DeKeyser and Phillip Sosnow, the seminars provide us with substantive and technical guidance for the immediate next steps in the process: negotiating terms and drafting agreements.
Continue Reading Learning by Doing: “Selling Sunset” Style
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