Taylor Porter is proud of its annual summer associate program, which hires highly motivated, well-rounded law students to participate in two, six-week sessions. Under the guidance of practicing attorneys, our summer associates gain hands-on experience and interaction that reflect real life as a lawyer. During the second summer session of 2017, Taylor Porter has eight summer associates, and our law firm is proud to profile these students and gain their insight from the Taylor Porter summer associate program. In this article, Taylor Porter features LSU Law Student Sarah Nickel.

Learn more about the Taylor Porter summer associate program

Sarah Nickel, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Class of 2018

Sarah Nickel is entering her third year at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where she is the Articles Editor for the Louisiana Law Review. She was the winner of the Robert Lee Tullis Moot Court Competition in the fall of 2016, along with former Taylor Porter summer associate, Sara Kuebel. She has received the CALI Excellence Award for highest grade in Legal Writing and Research, and has also obtained her LexisNexis Professional Research Certification. Sarah graduated from LSU with her B.A. in Mass Communication, where she minored in Business. Sarah is clerking under the mentorship of Taylor Porter attorneys Andrée Cullens and Lauren Rivera.

What practice area(s) are you most interested in and why?

“Before working at Taylor Porter, no particular practice area stood out to me. After being here for just a few weeks, I have been exposed to several different practice areas. Because of that exposure, I have learned more about a few practice areas I do enjoy, such as commercial litigation and mass tort litigation.”

Who are your Taylor Porter attorney mentors, and what have you learned from them about the legal field that will stick with you?

“My mentors are Andrée Matherne Cullens and Lauren Rivera. Andrée and Lauren have both been very welcoming and helpful to me in everything I have done at Taylor Porter so far. Andrée and Lauren have helped me connect with other lawyers in the firm and given me the opportunity to work on interesting projects in areas of the law that I was previously unfamiliar with. They have also given me practical advice on how to manage my time and communicate effectively with other people. Together, Andrée and Lauren have both taught me the importance of communication and maintaining relationships with coworkers and clients, which is something that will stick with me throughout my legal career.”

How has the Taylor Porter summer law clerk program helped prepare you for becoming a lawyer? 

“Taylor Porter has provided me with experiences that law school simply cannot provide. From meeting with clients to attending depositions, Taylor Porter has shown me the ‘people’ side of being a lawyer. The practical skills of effective communication and maintaining relationships are key to becoming a good lawyer, and Taylor Porter has helped me gain those skills.”

What do you like best about the TP Summer Associate Program?

“My favorite aspect of the Taylor Porter Summer Associate Program has been the variety of learning experiences. The lawyers at Taylor Porter go out of their way to show their clerks what a true day in the life of a lawyer can be. During my first week at Taylor Porter, Mike Walsh invited me to attend criminal court in Livingston Parish with him — something I never thought I would do. The next week, I watched civil cases before Judge Morvant at the 19th JDC. In the meantime, I was also meeting with clients, attending depositions, and researching unfamiliar areas of the law. Overall, Taylor Porter has taught me the realities of being a lawyer, and that has been the best part of the program because no law school class could ever give me that experience.”