You Are What You Say You Are

As I write this, I have been at Weil for only 16 days. In that time I have worked on an M&A matter, two capital markets deals (one debt and one equity), and have been staffed on no less than three structured finance projects, not to mention the two pro bono matters I am staffed on. That is eight projects in sixteen days. My contemporaries at other firms have asked how I managed to get on so many things when they are struggling to get one meaningful project. The answer is that I asked for it.

On my first day, a group of associates swung by our office to take us to coffee. They said they were in the Capital Markets group, and my immediate response was “I love Cap Markets!” One of the associates seemed surprised but, without missing a beat, launched into talking about everything the group had going on. Within hours, I was staffed on a deal and part of the team. I thought this might have been a one-off experience, maybe the Capital Markets group is just very friendly and has lots of extra work they need done? The following day, I went to lunch with members of the Structured Finance group. Once again, minutes into the conversation, I said I thought the mechanics of securitization were unbelievably cool (yes, I know, I’m a legal nerd). The team seemed surprised but wasted no time. By the end of the lunch I was staffed on two deals and was added to a third by the end of the day.

Though mystified, I came to the conclusion that at Weil, you can be who you want to be and you are what you say you are. In other words, Weil is a place where you can immediately define yourself and the practice you are passionate about. Instead of questioning that, people at Weil just shake your hand and say welcome to the team.