Milbank LLP was honored to host a group of law students at our Hudson Yards office for a “Day in the Life at Milbank” event as part of the Next Generation of Lawyers (Next) initiative. The Next initiative, which prepares law students and young professionals for the legal field, is sponsored by Civics Educação (Civics), an education technology company founded by director Felipe Neves. Born and raised in Brazil, Mr. Neves received his LLM from Stanford Law School. He was honored by President Barack Obama for his non-for profit public education work in Brazil prior to founding Next.
At the program’s start, Milbank’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer Mikeisha Anderson Jones, Esq. and Executive Director David Wolfson welcomed the Next students to the Firm and discussed the Firm’s longstanding commitment to DEI, its ongoing initiatives, and its partnership with Next. The students then participated in a career panel with Milbank partners Atara Miller, Kamal Nesfield and Carolina Walther-Meade, who discussed their practice groups and career paths and shared their advice for new lawyers. Milbank partners Marcelo Mottesi, Eschi Rahimi-Laridjani and Viren Mascarenhas also shared their perspectives in a second panel, where students asked questions about career challenges and surprises, as well as exciting projects.
After networking with Milbank attorneys over lunch, the Next students spoke with associates and affinity group members including Haley Ling, Amanda Borges, Patrick Sobchak, David Hanno, Pilar Martins, Simone Arthur, James Wang, Chelsea Minuche, Aaron Rudyan and Rachel Rice. Our associates shared the importance of building community, the power of mentorship, and how to take ownership of your work and your career. They also shared their affinity groups’ missions, and talked about the groups’ activities, events and schedules throughout the year. After hearing the associates’ perspectives and impressions of Milbank and reflecting on the Next program’s breadth and scope, one participant noted, “Next truly helped me see the world in a way I never had before. The world is so much bigger now.”
The day-long program ended with a tour of the Milbank Hudson Yards offices, with Next students getting an inside look at how the Firm uses its space to encourages community and collaboration. The Hudson Yards event is part of an ongoing series of executive education programming jointly developed by Civics and Milbank’s São Paulo office, with the support, guidance and leadership of Milbank partners Fabiana Sakai and Tobias Stirnberg. Previously, the firm’s São Paulo office has hosted Next students for a series of seminars and events to support continued learning and connection.
Milbank looks forward to continuing to cultivate its partnership with Civics Educação, and to participating in the continued success of the Next initiative.
