Luis M. Reyes

Every student I had was a unique person, with specific goals and problems to overcome. One person might need help getting in shape; another, building people-skills to make friends at school. Every student needed to be heard and understood on a personal level. Helping people through legal disputes is no different. To that end, I strive to understand each client’s goals, fears, and motivations. These steps are necessary to create a tailored litigation strategy. 

Bilzin Sumberg includes a formal mentorship program but informal mentoring goes on behind the scenes daily. The attorneys have an open-door policy—literally and figuratively. As an associate, it’s empowering to brainstorm ideas and develop strategies with senior level lawyers. I also appreciate that I get to see how my work is incorporated into a final product.

Early in my career, I’ve learned so much from watching my colleagues depose equivocating witnesses, prepare for and present jury trials, and reach great settlements with otherwise disagreeable counterparties. These are skills that books and law school cannot teach.

People genuinely like each other at the firm. I know most firms strive to achieve a good firm culture, and they’ll say they do, but it’s real at Bilzin Sumberg. The firm invests time and money into programs and events where staff and attorneys socialize and volunteer together in the community. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve continued to connect virtually for happy hours and cooking classes. 

Bilzin Sumberg places great importance in developing a positive reputation in the community. With the firm’s help, I have joined the Cuban American Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association to broaden my peer group. I have also thoroughly enjoyed giving back to the community by mentoring University of Miami moot court teams and helping children in foster care through Lawyers For Children America.