Career Paths: Natalia Homchick ’20L
Natalia Homchick ‘20L is from Mercer Island, Washington. She received a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to studying law at Washington and Lee, she worked for a software company in Chicago, IL. Natalia spent her 1L summer as an intern at a small public interest focused law firm in New York City and her 2L summer working for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York City. During her 3L year, she worked as a federal judicial extern in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia. Natalia served as a Managing Editor for the Washington and Lee Law Review and Co-President of the Women Law Students Organization.
Natalia Homchick ’20LWhere will you be working after graduation and in what practice area?
After graduation, I will be working at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York City in the firm’s corporate department. I will work with Paul, Weiss’ various corporate teams for about a year and a half before choosing a permanent team within the department.
Did you know coming into law school that you wanted to work in this field?
When I began law school, my goal was to work at a large or mid-sized law firm immediately following graduation. Through my various experiences in law school, I discovered that I wanted to do corporate work in a Big Law setting.
What role did the size and location of the firm play in the search and decision process?
Going into the application process my preference was for a bigger firm with varied practice groups, but I also applied to mid-sized firms that had a variety of practice groups because I wasn’t completely certain what I wanted to practice. I focused my search on geographic locations that I would be comfortable living in long-term. Paul, Weiss is a larger firm with their main office in New York City. It was a perfect fit.
Was there anything in your law school or summer job experience that confirmed this career choice?
I really enjoyed my time at Paul, Weiss as a Summer Associate in 2019. Paul, Weiss has a completely open summer program and I was able to work on assignments in M&A, financing, bankruptcy, securities regulation, litigation, and was involved in pro bono work. This experience allowed me the opportunity to realize that I wanted to do corporate work.
What classes do you think are helpful to prepare for this job?
I think the corporate law courses that I took at W&L provided me with a solid foundation of corporate law principles. A few of my favorite courses included Close Business Arrangements, Publicly Held, and Problems in Corporate Law.
Can you describe the job search process?
Because I knew that I wanted to work for a big or mid-sized firm, I focused on three markets that I wanted to live and work in long-term. I then applied and networked with lawyers at larger and mid-sized firms in Seattle, D.C., and New York City. For networking, I utilized both W&L alumni connections and connections to my undergraduate alma matter, University of Notre Dame. I focused most of my attention on the firms participating in the W&L “interview programs” in D.C. and NYC. I also applied to firms not participating in the W&L interview programs. Paul, Weiss participated in the NYC interview program through a resume collect, and shortly after the interview program I was invited for a callback interview at the office in NYC. The offer followed shortly after the callback.
What are you most looking forward to about this job?
I am looking forward to working with and learning from all of the phenomenal lawyers at Paul, Weiss. I am also very much looking forward to getting exposure to and being involved in interesting and complex corporate deals.
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