Although we summer students have been working at MB for over a month now, the firm's offices have been effectively closed since COVID hit in 2020. But, Ashley Faust, our fearless leader and Student Director, pushed and pushed for the firm to have us back in the office this summer… AND it worked!
As of this week, all of MB’s students were back in the office and it was great (to say the least)!
The day started around 10 a.m. when we were greeted by Ashley in the lobby of our building. We walked to the elevators and up to the 27th floor we went! I can speak for all of the students in saying that the office environment was very well organized, very bright, and an overall really nice surprise! We went over to our designated student area, where our desks were adorned with monitors, keyboards, mouses and LOTS of space. A common thought that students have about the office is that they will be working in windowless, dark cubicles for the summer. I can say with confidence that that’s not the case at MB! Our cubicles are spacious, with large desks, tons of windows with gorgeous Toronto views, and lots of spots to put your personal items.
I was largely impressed by the culture of the office environment. It was really great to see the excitement with which all the lawyers had while greeting their colleagues (and friends) that they had not seen much of (if at all) since the office closed in 2020. All of the lawyers which us students know by name took plenty of time to greet us and get to know us in person – which was a really great touch. As students at MB, you certainly do not feel overlooked.
Then, Kathryn Stroscher, the HR Manager, gave us a tour of MB’s two-floor office and the building. The tour included the amenities in the underground PATH, the food court, the most convenient ways to get in (and out), and of course the COVID and fire safety protocols. I’m not sure what I expected, but the office is huge! I know it’ll take me some time to learn the lay of the land.
After settling into our desks, and chatting about our new and exciting surroundings, we finally got to work. At around 1:30 p.m., we ventured out of the office for lunch. Our summer cohort is very fortunate that we get along so well. We were missing, Naomi, one of our fellow students because she was at a discovery, but lunch was still a blast!
For the rest of the afternoon, we worked at our desks exchanging comments and questions between the students, got to know the lawyers and associates better, and got comfortable in our new office space. I headed home at around 5:30 p.m. (my usual log-off time) and relaxed!
by Madeleine C.