In preparation for our 2013 Summer Associate program, I’ve been working on a project that will be a useful tool for our incoming summer classes. This project quotes anonymous evaluations of previous summer associates by Bilzin attorneys over the last few years and is broken down by topic. These topics include attitude, time management, preparation & organization, attention to detail, communication, writing and oral presentation. This chart of “The Do’s & Don’ts of a Successful Summer” will provide a glimpse of what the attorneys like and don’t like in terms of the topics listed above. However, it does not include “off the record” type tips like the ones listed below.
- Stay current with firm news – read the posts on the firm website, firm blogs and any news on the firm intranet. It’s always good to know what’s going on around you and this helps with conversation topics as well! It also helps to read the local newspaper to see if any attorneys are quoted or to have a few cocktail reception talking points of interest.
- Get Involved - Get to know all levels of attorneys and staff where you spent your summer, participate in all offered events as well as events with your mentors and fellow summer associates.
- Be Well-Rounded – Try to not be too much of anything and be open-minded about practice areas and assignment types, don’t shy away from something because you don’t know how to do it.
- Immerse yourself in the Magic City - Don’t just learn about the firm’s or organization’s culture; learn about the Miami culture too. Go to different neighborhoods and try doing fun things outside of work that aren’t already part of your awesome summer event lineup!
- And last but not least, genuinely care about your summer – If you care about your job, it will show in your work product and people will notice.
We are so excited to welcome our new summer class within a month! Our team has prepared what will undoubtedly be a memorable 9 weeks of summer at Bilzin and we are looking forward to a very successful summer.
