Career Paths: Dani Wasshausen ‘26L After graduation, Dani Wasshausen will work at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in the firm’s New York office.

Dani Wasshausen ’26L

Dani Wasshausen ‘26L is from Annapolis, Maryland. She attended the Ohio State University, where she received a B.A. in political science and public management, leadership, and policy. At W&L, she is a Lead Articles Editor of the Washington and Lee Law Review and Legal Writing Burks Scholar. She was also involved in the Judicial Externship program and externs with the Honorable Michael F. Urbanski, Senior United States District Judge in the Western District of Virginia. Her 1L Summer, she was a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Brynja Booth in the Supreme Court of Maryland. After graduation, she will work in the Antitrust team at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in the firm’s New York office.

Did you know coming into law school that you wanted to work in this field?

No. I began law school directly after completing my undergraduate degree and knew I loved reading, writing, and learning about the law, but otherwise remained open-minded about the particular area of law I hoped to pursue. Throughout law school, I sought out opportunities to speak with current students and alumni about their practice areas, attend networking events and guest lectures, and take courses from cross-border transactions to complex litigation. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the wide universe of legal practice. Ultimately, my summer at Weil tremendously helped my decision. Weil allowed me to split my summer working on both transactional and litigation teams—and I realized that I enjoyed certain aspects of both. The Antitrust team offered the unique opportunity to work on a variety of civil and criminal litigation, investigations, and multi-jurisdictional merger review.

What role did the size and location of the firm play in the search and decision process?

The size and location of the firm played a significant role in my initial application process. I targeted large firms in the Washington, D.C. and New York markets because of the breadth of resources and professional opportunities they offer. Once I identified those firms, however, I focused on finding a collaborative and supportive culture. I spoke with current students and alumni about their experiences and had many honest conversations during the interview process. Ultimately, I was drawn to Weil because of its strong litigation and transactional practices, as well as its positive work environment.

Was there anything in your law school or summer job experience that confirmed this career choice?

My 2L summer largely confirmed my career choice. Weil allowed me to explore various practice areas across litigation and transactional groups, so that I was confident in my decision to join the Antitrust group. The willingness (and excitement) of lawyers across the firm to engage in conversations sharing their practice experiences significantly helped my decision.

Aside from my 2L summer, Professor Pariser’s Complex Litigation Practicum and Professor Eggert’s Antitrust course further solidified my career choice. The Complex Litigation Practicum provided exposure to the lifecycle of multidistrict litigation and class actions, while honing my ability to break-down complex jurisdictional and evidentiary legal issues. Professor Eggert’s course provided a strong foundation in Antitrust law and insight into key developments in the field informed by his expertise and practical experience. Finally, my externship with Judge Urbanski confirmed my desire to pursue litigation. There, I observed lawyers’ creative legal analyses and advocacy in real-time.

What classes do you think are helpful to prepare for this job?

Legal Research and Writing are key. Although the two courses can sometimes be overshadowed by the demands of 1L doctrinal courses, I believe a solid foundation in research and writing is essential for any legal career. Over the past three years, I have routinely applied my legal research and writing skills through my coursework, competitions, summer positions, Law Review experience, and my 3L judicial externship.

Furthermore, practicums offer a unique opportunity to actively develop legal skills while receiving feedback from practicing attorneys and judges. The Trial Advocacy practicum helped refine my oral advocacy skills and deepen my understanding of difficult evidentiary concepts. The Complex Litigation practicum strengthened my pre-trial motion writing and negotiation skills, while also offering the unique opportunity to learn about multidistrict products liability litigation.

Can you describe the job search process?

I accepted my 1L summer job at the Supreme Court of Maryland around late winter/early spring of my 1L year. In the fall, I networked and assembled my application materials with help from the Rachford Fellows, peer mentors in the Office of Career Strategy (OCS). I participated in On-Campus interviews and the Government and Public Interest Interview Program. Ultimately, OCS connected me with an alumnus who helped secure an interview for a summer judicial position.

The 2L application process followed soon thereafter, which I found to be overwhelming. I continued to network and spoke with 2Ls and 3Ls who had secured summer associate positions in D.C. and New York. Around spring of my 1L year, I began compiling a spreadsheet of firms that I was interested in applying to and included information such as their size, key practice areas, and application deadlines. Then, I direct applied to those firms within the first week or two of their portals opening in June.

What are you most looking forward to about this job?

I am looking forward to learning from attorneys across the firm and diving into the world of Antitrust! It will be exciting to begin building a career while building relationships with my team and fellow first-year associates.