First Impressions
NEW YORK – It seems strange that a little under a year ago I accepted my offer to spend my summer at Weil. After the whirlwind that is the on campus hiring process—and after having met what feels like hundreds of attorneys at dozens of firms—I felt certain that Weil was the place for me. Everyone I met throughout the hiring process was so clearly engaged in the process and passionate about both the work and the people at Weil.
As I wrap up my first month at the firm, I can definitively say that my first impressions were correct and I made the right choice. From my first day at Weil, I have felt welcome. All of the attorneys I have met have encouraged me to take advantage of everything I can while I am here. They have been genuinely excited to hear about my experiences. My fellow summer associates are all extremely intelligent, and are also people I am thrilled to now call friends. Weil is more than a workplace: friendship, camaraderie, and respect permeate everything that happens here.
That said—even as Weil is more than a workplace—it is still a workplace. The work I’ve had the opportunity to do is unbelievable. I am wrapping up my rotation through the Litigation Department today; I will be moving on to Restructuring on Monday, and then through the Corporate Department one month after that. During my time in Litigation, I have had the opportunity to do the kind of real, substantive work that junior associates perform on a regular basis. I have had the opportunity to sit in on client calls and draft memos, to perform substantive legal research and writing that has become part of court filings in active cases, and much more.
The observational opportunities have been phenomenal. Just yesterday, I sat in on a series of meetings with a client to prepare for trial. The client is serving as a government witness. We began at the Weil offices for a short preparation and then went downtown to the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and met with several Assistant United States Attorneys and an FBI Agent to walk through the client’s trial testimony. Because white-collar work is such a specialty, I never thought I would have the chance to be involved with that work as a summer associate. Nevertheless, after expressing my interest to my assignment coordinator, she was able to line this up for me. Additionally, even my observational turned into an opportunity to produce substantive work. I was asked to turn my notes from the meetings into a memorandum that will be circulated to the entire team, so even those attorneys who were not at the meetings will be apprised of the developments.
My first month has been amazing and I cannot wait to see the opportunities the next eight weeks hold.