Summer Experience: Gretchen McGrath ’27L This summer, Gretchen McGrath worked at Alston & Bird in New York City.

Gretchen McGrath ’27L

Gretchen McGrath ‘27L is a third-year law student from Exeter, NH. She is a member of WLSO and serves as a Law Review Lead Articles Editor. After her 1L year, she interned at the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. This past summer, she worked at Alston & Bird as a summer associate in New York. After law school, she is excited to start her legal career at Alston…and to get a puppy!

What did you do for work this summer?

This summer I worked as a summer associate at Alston & Bird in the New York office and had a wonderful experience. In just nine weeks, I worked on several engaging assignments, attended a summer associate retreat in Atlanta, met many interesting and friendly peers and mentors, and participated in fun, team-building activities. One of my favorites was the cooking class!

How did you find/get this position?

I learned about the firm through some on-campus events with Alston reps. I believe they sponsored a handful of LSFL games with tacos and snacks, which always get my attention. 🙂 I also learned more about the firm through some networking. After meeting with attorneys during my interviews, I got a good sense of the more laidback big law culture at the firm and felt like it was a great fit. My time this summer confirmed that everyone there takes their work very seriously but tries not to take themselves too seriously, which I appreciate.

Describe your work experience.

I got to try a little of everything! I drafted part of a motion to dismiss regarding a contract dispute, wrote a trade dress memo for the IP group, researched for a habeas petition, populated a 50-state survey tracking AI laws and voting misinformation, and shadowed a mock M&A deal, among other assignments. I especially enjoyed working with others as part of a team effort to dig into complex sets of facts and craft creative arguments. In addition to the more substantive work, the firm taught us about the business side of law firms and had all the summers do a mock negotiation during the retreat. I’m grateful to have had such a well-rounded experience.

What were some skills you developed this summer?

I developed my ability to organize my thoughts and communicate effectively to different audiences. When submitting written work, I wanted to make sure my work product was clear and useful. Understanding how busy attorneys are, I’d include my takeaways, link important cases with relevant language highlighted, and suggest next steps in an email. I also got more comfortable navigating how to communicate the status of matters to clients when the news was not as favorable as the client might like. In that scenario, I realized the importance of being honest and offering options and a plan of action.

What was your favorite aspect of this summer work experience?

I valued all the levels of mentorship at the firm and the opportunities to learn from many perspectives. I got the sense that the staff, associates, and partners cared about our personal growth and enjoyed getting to know us beyond the work. At the firm wide meeting early in the program, they presented on the summers’ interests and shared pictures of us engaging in our various activities/hobbies.

Has this experience helped you figure out post graduate plans, and if so, how?

My summer experience confirmed what I suspected during my interviews: the people are terrific. I am very excited to return to the firm in New York next year with the litigation group!

How do you think this experience will shape the rest of your time at W&L Law?

Since returning to school, I’ve noticed a greater appreciation for the stakes of disputes I read in my textbooks. These are real people and real businesses, with real problems. We are fortunate to be in a position that they look to us to help them navigate through the turbulence. One of my professors recently shared helpful advice aimed at 3Ls: To effectively deal with other people’s problems, we must make sure we’ve dealt with our own. As 3Ls, we have one year to reinforce healthy routines and prepare to be professionals. His advice was well taken!

I also plan to get more involved in local activities. Like at Alston, W&L has so many great events and community gatherings. And the surrounding area is so beautiful; I want to more fully appreciate it during my final year.