Growing up, I have always been surrounded by lawyers. My father is an attorney, my
aunt/second mom is an attorney, and my uncle is an attorney turned finance bro. All three
are/were involved in different types of law ranging from litigation, to finance, to the Navy’s Judge
Advocate General (JAG) work. Having this in mind, it is no wonder that I have become drawn to
the field of law. At the end of my sophomore year, I decided to take my interest beyond the level
of avidly watching Law & Order: SVU and Suits and into the real world.
This summer, I was lucky enough to land an internship at the prestigious Davis Polk &
Wardwell LLP in Midtown, Manhattan. I was admitted along with four other college summer
interns. The firm is headquartered in New York City, but is one of the most internationally elite
and recognized firms in the business world. DPW practices over 20 different areas of law, with
offices in eight different countries. They are particularly well known for their work in business
law. I was privileged enough to be recruited to work in the Finance practice where I worked as a
legal assistant alongside some of the top attorneys in New York.
My tasks were miniscule compared to the works and wonders that go on within the firm
but everyone on my team was always sure to make me feel like what I was doing was making a
difference. I was responsible for making sure that files, patents, trademarks, and copyrights
were being filed for the appropriate lien in question. I would also do a few of the stereotypical
summer intern duties such as making copies, stapling packets, and creating portfolios. My team
was made up of a variety of people- ranging from recent college grads to senior attorneys who
had been working the same job for 30+ years. Two of the other legal assistants were working
their first full time job- just having graduated from NYU and Kenyon College. The three of us
would have lunch together almost every day discussing work gossip, personal relationships, and
every life issue in between.
Working at DPW was my first non-service industry experience. For the past two
summers I worked as a waitress at restaurants in Long Island, where I was able to hone in on
my people skills and handling unexpected situations. I would definitely recommend to anyone
starting out in the workforce, to work at least one service job when they are starting out. I
learned more lessons working as a waitress in regards to how to handle different types of
people while always being respectful- as well as learning how to multitask efficiently and
responsibly. It gives a whole new perspective for when you go out to eat at restaurants too if
you’ve had experience working at one it makes you feel more sympathetic for the ongoings that
occur behind the scenes.
I was lucky enough to go through my whole first summer-city-experience with one of my
best friends. We lived together in an apartment the size of a shoebox with a permanent slant of
45 degrees. The “apartment” had one bedroom and a living room with a bed in it, with the
smallest bathroom and kitchen you have ever seen. Luckily, our sophomore year rooms
prepared us well for the close quarters and we made it through the summer unscathed. Soon
after moving there, we developed our favorite spots for dinner, which we would walk to almost
every night instead of cooking. We would start our mornings by working out together either at
the gym next door or walking to our neighborhood’s SoulCycle studio before parting our different
ways to our firms. After which we would shower and get ready for work, put our work shoes in
our purse and put our sneakers on our feet for our 20-block commute. No matter how long or
hard our days would be, we would end every night watching Scandal and drinking peppermint
tea.
Working in the professional world is scary, especially when you’re living away from your
family and in a big city like Manhattan. I would strongly recommend doing it with someone you
won’t get tired of and someone who is the same size as you in clothes