Mentoring,  Summer@Weil

No Dumb Questions: Not Just a Truism

As a future lawyer, it’s perhaps unsurprising that I am somewhat of a skeptic. Throughout law school, this skepticism has manifested in occasional distrust when people utter the almost platitude-like statement: “There is no such thing as a dumb question.” But, less than two weeks into my summer program, I have learned that at Weil, people truly mean it.

In orientation trainings, associates and partners alike repeatedly implored me and the other Summer Associates to feel comfortable e-mailing them with questions, speaking up in meetings, and stopping by their offices to introduce ourselves. In fact, I often do not even have to seek out associates and partners to learn about what they do. Weil attorneys frequently walk by my office and, seeing an open door and a new face, will introduce themselves and welcome me to ask questions about their time at Weil.

I have also seen this culture of encouraging questions firsthand on deal work. For example, within the first couple of days of starting the summer program, I was staffed on a buy-side M&A deal that was mere days out from closing. This meant high pressure and high stakes for the associates and partner heading up the deal. Yet, in the face of regulatory filing requirements and constant emails and requests from the client, the target’s counsel, and other third parties, the deal team allowed me to observe calls and then stayed after to answer my various (often) questions about how the M&A process works.

Joining a law firm can be daunting—the Weil family has helped alleviate my nerves with its open and welcoming culture.

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