Summer Experience: Nate Reynolds ’22L This summer, Nate Reynolds worked in a variety of practice groups for Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, and Hamilton in New York.

By Peter Jetton
September 22, 2021

Nate Reynolds attended Franklin and Marshall for his undergraduate degree. Prior to law school, he participated in Teach for America, teaching math in Indiana.

What did you do for work this summer?

This summer I was a Summer Associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, and Hamilton in New York. Cleary is a law firm with a variety of both transactional and litigation practice groups. During the summer, I was able to sample some work from many different groups.

How did you find/get this position?

I found Cleary through a Zoom webinar for students about to start the OCI process. I then saw the firm again on W&L’s New York regional interview site and decided to apply.

Describe your work experience.

While I worked for Cleary’s New York office, the summer experience was mostly remote due to COVID. I still had a great experience because the firm creates a lot of opportunities to meet people at Cleary. We also had two days in-person so we could meet some of the people that we had been working with remotely all summer. The work was interesting and the people were welcoming, kind, and worked very hard to create an enjoyable experience despite the limitations.

What were some skills you developed this summer?

I spent most of my time working on research and writing projects. In particular, I researched more specific legal questions that would help build individual paragraphs in briefs rather than a broad overview of the law.

What surprised you about the work you did this summer?

I was most surprised at how welcoming everyone was despite the virtual environment. I was still able to meet a lot of people and get to know them despite not being able to meet many people in person.

What was your favorite aspect of this summer work experience?

My favorite experience was working on pro bono matters throughout the summer. I was able to work on special education representation and an appellate brief with a lot of interesting constitutional issues.

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

I received an offer to return to Cleary after I graduate.