Going into my first week, I felt a whirlwind of emotions. I hopped onto the Brightline train to start my journey from Miami to Orlando for orientation, feeling a rush of nerves, excitement, and new beginnings. Little did I know that over the next few days, I would soon realize that there was nothing to be nervous about!
From the moment I stepped into the Orlando office for my first day of orientation, everyone at the firm welcomed me and the other summer associates with open arms. We began our day getting to know each other before being invited to an office-wide breakfast event where we connected with with many partners, associates and staff.
We jumped right into our training sessions to begin our onboarding process. Don’t worry though, it wasn’t all just work! The day also included a delicious lunch at the Boheme Restaurant across the street with associates Sara Kallop and Enyi Uche. After the long training day, we enjoyed amazing tacos and happy hour at Reyes Mezcaleria with Director of HR Karen Garcia and associates Mary Hudson, Graham Marcus, and Madison Buckley. It was fun to wind down the day with good food and hear about past summer associates’ experiences.
On Wednesday, we said our farewells as each summer associate went to their respective offices to begin work. Thursday marked my first day in the Miami office where I was greeted by my mentor Brittney Polo and colleagues as well as gifted a beautiful Orchid plant for my office! We will see if my not-so green touch has its effect or not on this one!
After getting situated, the associates and summer associates were invited to meet with Paul Lipton, RumbergerKirk’s Director of Professionalism, Career and Skill Development, to discuss the importance of networking. It was great to hear Paul’s thoughts as well as from the other associates about how networking has changed due to shifts from in-person to Zoom hearings. Later in the day, all Miami attorneys gathered for lunch where Nicholas Aguirre delivered two case briefings. We also learned that he just got engaged!
I continued my last remaining training sessions before ending my first day in the Miami office with a welcome happy hour for us! It was during these moments where I got to connect with everyone in the office and see how close they all are as well.
By Friday, I was on my own researching case law and drafting a motion. Additionally, the writing competition was announced, presenting our first opportunity to showcase our creativity and writing skills in a way that I haven’t shown before. We were invited to another amazing lunch at The River Oyster where we had the opportunity to continue getting to know everyone and learn about some of their cases. We also learned a fun fact about associate Phoebe Thomas, who is practically famous at the restaurant. A photo of her and her family fishing is hanging on the wall! Despite initial nerves, I made it through my first week due to the unwavering support of everyone at the firm. Week one down!
