Andrea’s Career Story

The people who work here are the best of the best. Kirkland attorneys are passionate and intelligent, and they take immense pride in everything they do. The energy is infectious, and it makes me want to keep growing as a lawyer.

I love that I’m always learning new things here. We rarely see the same type of case twice, so I’m always discovering new areas of the law or new ways to handle a particular issue.

In my first year at Kirkland, I was asked to join a restructuring litigation that was in its very early stages. I participated in document discovery, fact and expert depositions, and hearing preparation. Each of these phases typically takes a long time, but in this case they all happened in under a year. The experience gave me a good foundation to understand what was going on in other cases moving forward.

The open assignment system has been invaluable to my career. After my first few years at the Firm, I realized there were certain types of work I really enjoyed and others that didn’t speak to me as much. Through the open assignment system, I’ve been able to tailor my practice toward the kinds of matters I find the most fulfilling. I’ve found a practice area that I love, and I get to work with people I admire. I wouldn’t have been able to do that at another firm.

My advice to those who feel intimidated by an open assignment system is don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, even if that means introducing yourself to someone new or cold emailing someone because their Firm profile looks interesting.

Every year, Kirkland puts on a mock trial program for associates: the Kirkland Institute for Trial Advocacy (KITA). Before starting at the Firm, I never saw myself as someone who wanted to be in the courtroom, and the idea made me nervous. But through KITA and other training programs, I’ve been able to gain a lot of experience and confidence that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.

I also spent my 2L summer at Kirkland. The Firm poured so many resources into making sure that our class had an enriching and fun summer. The Firm really makes you feel taken care of. I knew that if they invested that much in summer associates, I’d be in great hands as an attorney here.