As a summer associate rotating through three practice groups within the Corporate Department, I wasn’t sure whether I would have much exposure to pro bono matters because of my preconception that most pro bono work was reserved for litigators. This preconception stems from my experience in law school where most pro bono clinics are oriented towards litigation matters. However, my experience in the Weil Dallas office has been completely contrary to my initial expectations. During my first week in the Mergers 8Acquisitions practice group, I was immediately staffed on pro bono matters without even needing to ask, working with both the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program and the International Refugee Assistance…

So far during my summer experience, I’ve had the opportunity to work on many different matters– all extremely interesting. But the matter I’m the most excited about is working on a pro bono case that has the potential to set precedent under New York law. Giving back to the community is really important to me, so it’s amazing to be at a firm that not only allows pro bono opportunities, but truly encourages them. Every Weil attorney I’ve spoken with is passionate about their pro bono practice, and Weil has incredible infrastructure and support to help every attorney give back. I’m proud to be at a firm that recognizes the…

One of the best parts of my experience as a summer associate at Weil has been the level of involvement in pro bono matters that I’ve gotten to do throughout the summer. Weil attorneys have ample opportunity to give back to the community through various pro bono matters and the firm truly encourages it. Throughout my summer, I’ve had the opportunity to work on various pro bono matters with both junior associates and partners. I was able to attend an oral argument in a courthouse for one of the pro bono matters I was working on, which was one of the highlights of my summer. Some of the most valuable…

My time spent working on a pro bono project at Weil was definitely one of my favorite experiences of the summer. I was given the opportunity to work with an organization that helps under-resourced entrepreneurs build businesses. Working with start-up organizations is not something Weil is usually involved with. This coupling of pro bono and a new area of law for the attorneys involved provided me with a large degree of responsibility that I wouldn’t have been able to get otherwise. For this project I was the first person to research and draft multiple different documents related to the businesses’ Articles of Incorporation and other supplementary documents. Because we were…

Commitment to pro bono was one of the things that I was looking for in firms when I was preparing for OCI – and weighted heavily in my decision to come to Weil. So when I was choosing my rotations I decided to take advantage of the pro bono rotation, which allows summer associates to spend two weeks at one of Weil’s pro bono partners. While on my pro bono rotation, I did research projects related to health justice and environmental justice. I also learned more about how Weil works together with its pro bono partners. At first I was nervous that I might miss out on making connections at…

During the OCI process, I was focused on finding a firm where I liked the people and where the work would be interesting. Many law students, including myself, want to join law firms that work on exciting cases and high-profile deals, and this summer I have thoroughly enjoyed shadowing attorneys, researching complex legal issues, and developing my writing skills. However, one important aspect of a firm’s culture that many law students overlook during the interview process is the firm’s commitment to serving the community – in legal and non-legal ways. Maybe this is because it is difficult to gauge a law firm’s commitment to service solely through interviews. However, I…

When I started as a summer associate at Weil, I couldn’t help but notice that virtually every office that I went into had interestingly shaped, crystal desk statues. My curiosity piqued, I saw that the statues had “Pro Bono Award” etched into the glass. Apparently, this award was given to lawyers who had participated in a significant amount of pro bono hours.  The ubiquity of these statues was one of my first clues of Weil’s commitment to pro bono. As the summer went on, multiple pro bono opportunities came up. Happy to get involved, I joined to help out with a not-for-profit museum. Over the course of this assignment –…

During my time at Weil, the firm has consistently demonstrated its passion for pro bono. While many firms promoted their work in this space during the recruiting process, I can confidently say that the pro bono opportunities and experiences Weil has provided my summer associate class is unique compared to my peers at other firms. In addition to hosting a speaker panel featuring several highly accomplished attorneys for us to learn about Weil’s pro bono practice, the firm held a special pro bono client training for my entire summer associate class.  By attending this training session, each member of my summer associate class now has the opportunity to participate in…

Weil has an incredibly supportive culture towards pro bono work. During my first sibling lunch, my summer siblings talked about the emphasis the firm places on pro bono work and how encouraging the partners are for associates to take on such assignments. One associate mentioned partners at the firm called him to check on the progress of his pro bono engagements and to encourage him to take on more pro bono assignments. The Innocence Project is a highlight among the many types of pro bono work that Weil does. All the summer associates were invited to a training which gave us detailed instructions on the Innocence Project’s screening process. I…

NEW YORK – Every Wednesday at the Firm, the summer associates gather in the dining room for lunch and an installment in the Summer Speaker Series. Each week we hear from a panel of Weil lawyers, who are passionate about a certain aspect of firm life. This week featured the firm’s Pro bono Counsel, Miriam Buhl, and a team of lawyers working on a high profile First and Fourteenth Amendment pro bono case lead by Pro bono Committee member and litigation partner Steven Reiss. If you’ve ever met Steve, you know he tells it like it is, and the advice he had for the summer class was this: “All good…

NEW YORK – Weil’s dedication to pro bono is one of the things that brought me to this firm. Weil offers summer associates in New York the opportunity to take a two-week externship where you are placed to work with a non-profit organization.

NEW YORK – On Friday, July 8, Weil held a community service day for the summer associates. This was in addition to a number of community engagement and pro bono activities that we have engaged in this summer, and I was excited to see what the day would entail. We partnered with Free Arts NYC to host a fun-filled day of arts and crafts for underserved children currently living in local homeless shelters.

NEW YORK – Every morning for the last two weeks, instead of walking ten minutes down 58th Street to Weil’s office, I have trekked on the 6 to the Bronx where I go to my pro bono externship at a small non-profit called Start Small Think Big. My externship is well worth the extra commute time–it has honed my legal skills while giving me a new perspective on corporate law.

BOSTON – On my first day in Weil’s Boston office, I attended a presentation by a partner on the firm’s pro bono work. I listened as he described the firm’s belief that, as attorneys, it is our obligation and privilege to volunteer our skills to the most vulnerable in our society in need of legal representation. I learned that the firm has a goal for each attorney to perform at least 50 hours of pro bono work a year and that the Boston office was the recipient of Weil’s Pro Bono Cup for commitment to service this year. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until I was staffed on a pro bono assignment…

NEW YORK – The people at Weil are what make this firm truly remarkable. I first interacted with Weil attorneys during an on-campus reception my first semester and, instantly, I clicked with the attorneys I met. They all had pleasant and engaging personalities! Although we discussed the general “research checklist” of things to inquire about when meeting attorneys at potential firms, what I remembered most was that our conversation included a fair amount of laughter. One piece of advice I received about the job search process is to place a high premium on the personality of a firm and the people that work there. Could I envision spending my working…

NEW YORK – They say that time flies when you’re having fun, and this statement couldn’t possibly have more accuracy than when describing my first week at Weil. As one of more than seventy summer associates, I completed a day of training and orientation before hitting the ground running­­ – I received my first assignment the morning of my second day here. Over the course of my first week, I have had the opportunity to observe partner-client calls, conduct research for a corporate transaction and complete a due diligence assignment. I couldn’t be happier with the nature of the work I’ve been assigned. Many firms tell their summers that they will…