A Warm, Weil Welcome
This week, Weil welcomed the 2018 Summer Associate Class. In the morning of our first day, the Recruitment Department, Summer Program Committee (SPC) Mentors, and associates from different practice groups all took turns welcoming us to the firm. Then, we met our summer siblings, our personal guides to Weil for the summer, for lunch. As we discussed some activities my sibling has planned for us for the summer and the opportunities she has had at the firm so far, it was clear how important mentorship is to both her and Weil.
As tradition goes in most first days, at one point we went around the room and introduced ourselves to the group—all 98 or so of us in the New York office. Quickly we started connecting for reasons that had nothing to do with the law. Fans of the World Cup and the 76ers found each other, as well as those who are living in New York for the first time, and the ones who never left the city. As I noticed people listening and responding to others, whether with a playful joke or an offer to play pick-up basketball, I realized that I was surrounded by peers with whom I definitely wouldn’t mind working late hours or getting stuck in an elevator.
Beyond the initial receptions and lunches we have had this week, it is the brief interactions I have had in the hallways with associates who help me find a particular office or share with me tricks to get to the cafeteria faster that truly stand out to me. In just a few days, I connected with an associate who did not just participate in the same clinic as I did in school, but also worked on some cases I worked on this year. Another associate, after hearing about my interest in a particular practice group, offered to introduce me to people from that practice group—and followed up to make the introduction later. Moreover, one of my SPC partner mentors “assigned me” some new TV shows I need to check out before the end of my summer. So after a week, through both formal programming and unofficial encounters, it is safe to say that I feel like I fit in at Weil, and indeed, I feel welcome.