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Every summer, law students at William H. Gates Hall head out to law firms, government offices, nonprofits and businesses across the country. For a few short months, these students work side-by-side with practicing attorneys, getting a firsthand look at the ins and outs of the legal profession. It’s a chance to move beyond theory and see how the law plays out in everyday life.

This new series catches up with rising 2L and 3L students as they briefly step away from their work and share their thoughts, surprises and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

This week, we met up with Paulette Bussard, a rising 2L.

�鶹���� Law: Where are you working this summer?

Paulette Bussard (PB): The first half of the summer I'm working at Perkins Coie, and then the second half I'll be working at Nintendo.

�鶹���� Law: How did you find out about both of your employment opportunities?

PB: I'm a Gregoire Fellow — it's a program that the University puts on that helps students from diverse backgrounds break into the legal field when they don't necessarily have a legal background or family in the law — and so I found them through there. I ended up interviewing with 18 different firms and companies, and it was a mutual-pairing process.

�鶹���� Law: What type of projects have you been working on so far?

PB: I've been working on a little bit of everything this summer. I did a project with the EER group, which stands for Environment, Energy and Resources, and researched some new greenhouse gas regulations. I also worked with the Labor and Employment group and did some research on potential accommodations for an employee. Right now, I'm working with the FinTech & Payments group and doing work with the blockchain.

So, I'm really working on a bit of everything. That's one thing I really love about my job. I get to try all these different areas of the law that I wouldn’t have necessarily had the opportunity to if I worked somewhere else.

�鶹���� Law: How long will you be working at each of the two places?

PB: This is actually my last week at Perkins — I've been here for six weeks. It flew by fast. Then, I'll be at Nintendo for five weeks.

�鶹���� Law: Do you usually work as part of a team?

PB: There are usually just one or two attorneys that are supervising me, and so there's been times where it's just me and the partner working on a project. But there's been other occasions where it's been an associate and a partner, but typically the groups are small. The number of attorneys I’ve worked with overall is probably quite a few at this point.

�鶹���� Law: Have you had any networking opportunities so far?

PB: Oh gosh, every day. It's a big part of the program. They encourage us to reach out to attorneys and grab lunch or go get coffee. Right after this, I'm grabbing coffee with a partner in the Labor and Employment group. It’s nice because it gives you a chance to talk to the attorneys one-on-one.

�鶹���� Law: If you could plan any type of event or outing for you and your coworkers, what would you do?

PB: I think outdoor activities are good for bonding experiences. We're in the office all day, so maybe something like kayaking. I think that would be a lot of fun, or maybe hike. I haven't had a lot of opportunities yet this summer to get outside, and I always think getting some sun is a good rejuvenation tactic.

�鶹���� Law: Have you learned any skills that you didn't anticipate needing or using?

PB: I underestimated the value of casual networking. There have been a few times where I've run into people on the elevator, and that's how I got a project — just by talking to them. People were always telling me about having an elevator pitch, and there was literally a point where I was in the elevator with a partner and I used an elevator pitch. I never thought that was a thing that would actually happen, but it did.

�鶹���� Law: What do you think will be your most memorable experience for you during your summer employment?

PB: Besides the work, it's been bonding with the other summer associates. There are two other �鶹���� Law students who are a year above me, and we've had a lot of great opportunities to do fun activities. Like last week, we built skateboards that were going to be donated to foster kids.

We also went to Chicago the first week that I was here. Perkins got all the summer associates together from across the country — I think there are about 30 or 40 of us — and it was fantastic meeting all the other law students that were in the same position I was in.

�鶹���� Law: What's one superlative you would give your office coworkers?

PB: I would have to give them Widest Breadth of Knowledge.

�鶹���� Law: What is one positive surprise you've had so far at your summer employment?

PB: I've gotten along really well with the other summer associates. I'm hoping to stay in contact with them throughout the school year, even though some of them go to school on the East Coast.

�鶹���� Law: How did �鶹���� Law best prepare you for your summer employment opportunity?

PB: My legal writing class was so incredibly important. Having those basic legal writing skills and knowing how attorneys write really prepared me to do well in a firm setting.

�鶹���� Law: What's one thing you wish you'd known before starting your summer position?

PB: I wish I had an idea of the specific practice groups that I wanted to talk to before I started. Next year, I’ll have an idea of the two or three practice groups that I'm interested in, and I’ll hone in on those by building relationships with the partners and associates in those practice groups.

�鶹���� Law: If your office had a talent show, what would your talent be?

PB: I like to think that I would do stand-up comedy, but I don't think that I'm that funny on demand. I think I'm more of an in-the-moment funny person. So, maybe I wouldn't do that. If I can bring something from home, maybe I would bake something because my goal this summer is to become a better baker.

�鶹���� Law: Do you have any other plans outside summer employment for the summer?

PB: My best friend just moved to Hawaii, so I have to go visit her, and then I'm going to get my wisdom teeth out. I put that off during the school year, so that's something that needs to be done.

�鶹���� Law: If you could have a cameo in any legal TV show or movie, which one would you pick, and what would your role be?

PB: I feel like I have to say “Legally Blonde” because there's a Paulette in the movie. Her and I could team up together in some way.

�鶹���� Law: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your summer experience so far?

PB: I wrote a memo for one of the first projects I worked on, and the partner really liked it. She made a few edits to it, and it ended up going out to the client. I felt proud of myself because I didn't think anything I was going to work on was going to be a client-facing document.

�鶹���� Law: What's one interesting fact about you that people may not know?

PB: My family is from Mexico, so I've been to Mexico 50-plus times.