UB Greensfelder’s Post

The American Lawyer’s latest Summer Associates Satisfaction Rankings are out. It’s good to know our summers remain as pleased with us as we are with them! #pillsburylaw #summerassociateprogram #AmericanLawyer #woohoo #HappyFriday

Coming Tuesday: Most law firms are now welcoming their summers in person, and getting high marks for the hands-on opportunities they’re able to provide. Find out which firms were this year’s summer winners and what summers liked best about their experiences and training in the Law360 Pulse Summer Associates Survey: Part 2.

"This year's summer associates are going back to law school with tales of being wined and dined, mentored and supported. They've met prominent partners and elite clients, been assigned interesting work and lived the life of Big Law-lite: Work hard by day, play harder at night." (The American Lawyer) https://lnkd.in/gWxvrkHi #legalrankings #summerassociates #legalcareer #biglaw #midlaw

Ready to learn what West LegalEdcenter's CLE solutions can do for your firm? Stop by booth #15 at the Professional Development Consortium's Summer Conference in San Diego next week and see why over 35,000 firms choose us to help their teams stay compliant with their CLE requirements.

Trial week at Yugo Collins, PLLC ! We try cases. It’s what we do. Christopher Collins Mia Yugo Risk is par for the course when you’re a litigator. But this week was special because it was the first ever arbitration for our Summer Associates Hannah Todd and Tyler Ward! (This case was bifurcated so one part of it will be tried before a jury, and the other part before an arbitrator). You can’t be a good litigator if you’re afraid of trial. We love the courtroom. We love trying cases, and we like talking to judges and juries. Summer Associates need to see what practicing law is really like. That means they need to participate in trials. They need hands-on experience. Don’t sugarcoat the practice for your interns. Show them the real thing. We won’t have a verdict until next week. But our trial team, including Tyler & Hannah, have each made predictions, so we’ll see what happens. #triallawyers #lawyerlife #therealdeal

Surely Big Law South Africa needs to do better! I shared a post on a similar topic yesterday, looking only on the negative side of this. The post was a reflection from conversations I had in December 2023. The experience shared below by Rorisang Mzozoyana is from over 10 years ago. (I simply reference her post in so far as it speaks about lack of training and support in Big Law and the effect thereof) This means that if you were in a position to do better in 2023 and didn’t, about 10 years ago you potentially had a similar experience or at the very least saw others go through a similar experience (ie. lack of training and support). Perhaps it’s time to break the cycle? The success of a junior does not take anything away from their senior/leader. A successful, competent attorney is an asset to the firm/company and the profession at large. And no, training and support does not have to be unkind, rude, toxic or otherwise. It can definitely be humane, gracious and intentional. Most importantly, training black talent does not take away anything from anyone. It simply makes us part of a transforming, just society. #BuildingYoungLawyers

Ready to learn what West LegalEdcenter's CLE solutions can do for your firm? Stop by booth #15 at the Professional Development Consortium (PDC)'s Summer Conference in San Diego next month and see why over 35,000 firms choose us to help their teams stay compliant with their CLE requirements.

As we continue to recognize the promising legal talent that we have with us at BG this summer, today’s Summer Associate Spotlight focuses on Mackenzie Gail Howe, a rising 2L at West Virginia University College of Law. Mackenzie is originally from Danville, Kentucky, and graduated with a B.S. in psychology from Centre College in Kentucky and worked for a year as a deputy clerk at the Kentucky Court of Appeals before starting law school. We hope you enjoy this Q&A with Mackenzie: Q: What’s your favorite quote that inspires you? A: My favorite quote is by Reba McEntire: “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.” It’s a great reminder to focus on my professional, academic, and personal goals without taking myself too seriously. Q: If stranded on a desert island, what would you bring with you for entertainment? A: If I was stranded on a desert island, I'd bring my all-time favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. It’s a great comfort read! I’d listen to Tell Me I’m Pretty by Cage the Elephant or Bad Self Portraits by Lake Street Dive. My must-have films are The Secret Life of Walter Mitty or Dirty Dancing, my two favorites growing up. Q: What is something that you’ve learned while you’ve been at BG this summer? A: One thing that I will take away from my summer at BG is the power of concise writing and organization. Effective communication is key! Additionally, I am coming away with a deeper appreciation for mentorship and lifelong learning. It is so inspiring to work with people who are always committed to learning or teaching something new. Q: Last but not least, what kind of law are you most drawn to practicing at this time in your legal studies? A: Right now, I am most interested in mass torts, commercial and environmental litigation, and appellate practice. Thank you for joining our community this summer and contributing to our work, Mackenzie! #summerassociate #summer #wvucollegeoflaw #wvu #thankyou #community

We want to give a BIG thank you to Richard Zheng, our amazing intern, for his dedication and hard work over the past year! As he gets ready to embark on his next chapter, law school in the Fall, we couldn't be more proud of all that he has accomplished during his time with us in the Buffalo office supporting multiple Practice Groups throughout our footprint. We can’t wait to see all that he’ll accomplish in this next chapter. #FutureLawyer #TeamAppreciation #NewYorkLaw

"Yes, we did survey 3,471 summer associates this year from more than 70 law firms, and we ranked the firms by how much the associates liked the experience. But the average summer associate at the lowest-ranked firms still walked away more satisfied and optimistic than the vast majority of associates feel by the time they respond to our Midlevel Associates Survey." (The American Lawyer) https://lnkd.in/gWxvrkHi #legalrankings #summerassociates #legalcareer #biglaw #midlaw