Erin’s Career Story

Kirkland’s culture is entrepreneurial, meaning it’s dynamic and forward-thinking in ways that encourage creativity, resilience and growth. As attorneys, we’re encouraged to challenge the status quo and explore new ideas and solutions, and there is a strong emphasis on learning from both successes and failures.

Since my 2L summer at Kirkland until now, I’ve been given as much responsibility as I choose to embrace. I have never felt confined in my capabilities and consistently find myself presented with chances to expand and enhance my skills. This has made for an exciting and rewarding journey.

While Kirkland does offer structured mentorship programs, what resonates most with me are the genuine connections and mentorships I've cultivated through the Women’s Professional Network (WPN). Kirkland excels at creating an environment where these bonds naturally evolve during informal WPN gatherings, be it a monthly lunch, happy hour or comedy show outing. These gatherings have allowed me to build relationships and gain different perspectives from individuals who either have undergone or are currently experiencing situations similar to mine.

The open assignment system empowers attorneys to excel by promoting skill diversification, fostering professional growth and enhancing networking opportunities. Our summer associates and junior attorneys have the opportunity to work with many different attorneys on a wide variety of assignments and varying practice groups, which allows us to expand our skills sets and become well-rounded professionals.

Kirkland has helped me become comfortable with the uncomfortable. I am a person that wants to be in control at all times, but that’s simply impossible when working this job. Working at Kirkland has helped me embrace situations and challenges that make me step outside my comfort zone and practice adaptability, and my colleagues are always there to help me navigate through that.