Born and raised in western Colorado, I am perhaps more accustomed to grand mountain vistas than many. But the panorama that greeted me on my first day at WilmerHale, encompassing both the Denver skyline and the snowy Rockies beyond—even more stunning than I’d remembered from my interview!—was breathtaking. It seems appropriate that the view here at WilmerHale includes the best of what Colorado has to offer—wild, open land and thriving, growing cities—because even in my first few days here, I already have the sense that the Denver office is emblematic of what makes WilmerHale exceptional.

In this blog, I’ll share my experiences and impressions of my time at WilmerHale this summer. During the OCI process, I was eager for authenticity in the answers to my (many) questions—particularly when I asked about firm culture and the summer associate experience. Of course, everyone knows that these questions are code for: what is it really like? Will I like the people with whom I’ll work? Will my contributions be valued? Will the effort that I put in leave the walls of the office? My summer blog entries, then, will attempt to provide sincere answers with real substance to those questions for folks going through the same soul-searching OCI process I did.

I’ve been here only a few days, and already I feel welcomed into the warm, genuine atmosphere of the office. Every person with whom I interact is unfailingly open, kind, and interested in getting to know me. An open-door policy is more than rhetoric here; I’ve found that when people offer their help at any time, they really mean it. And this culture permeates through the office: from the administrative staff to firm leadership, everyone is valued and valuable. It is also clear that each staff member, regardless of title, wants to be here and loves what they do, and this perhaps more than anything makes the Denver office a place I look forward to walking into each day.

Even in my first few days, I’m already excited about the projects I’ve been assigned. One of the reasons I chose WilmerHale was the opportunity for exposure to a wide variety of legal matters over the summer, rather than confinement to one practice area or type of work. The projects I’ve received are intriguing and substantial: one a memorandum on a recent order from a federal court that may help provide direction for a question of standing, another a large research and writing project on a public lands and wildfire issue, the end goal of which is publication. It is thrilling to begin to see—and be involved in—the complexity and novelty of what WilmerHale attorneys tackle on a regular basis and the talent and creativity with which they do so. I can’t wait to jump in.