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 first 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 is proud to profile Southern University Law Center student Raymond Wilkes.

Learn more about the Taylor Porter summer associate program

Raymond Wilkes, Southern University Law Center, Class of 2018

Raymond Wilkes will enter his third year at Southern University Law Center, where he is a Marshall Brennan Fellow, under the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. In the 2017-2018 school year, Raymond will serve as the executive editor of SULC’s Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty. Raymond received his bachelor of science from LSU in nutrition and food science, with a concentration in food science. During the summers of 2015 and 2016, Raymond was an intern under Professor Margret Burnham, from Northeastern University School of Law, with the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Program. Raymond is clerking under the mentorship of Taylor Porter attorneys Mike Walsh and Kelley Dick.

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

My background in nutrition and food science has made me interested in multiple areas of law. These areas range from healthcare, insurance, intellectual property, education, and labor and employment. My mentors have been extremely helpful by allowing me to do projects in these different areas and by exposing me to other areas of law that I would be willing to practice, such as construction, criminal, and family law.  

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 Michael Walsh and Kelley Dick. Although they have taught me a great deal about the practice of law, they mostly taught me the value of professionalism, hard work, and the importance of loving your job. I have learned the value of professionalism by seeing how they come to work, address their coworkers, and the quality of work they produce. I have learned the importance of hard work and diligence by watching them demonstrate the long hours it takes to prepare for client meetings, hearings, depositions, and trial. Additionally, I have also learned the importance of loving your job, because my mentors have shown me how the amazing work environment at Taylor Porter makes them love the practice of law even more.

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

The Taylor Porter summer law clerk program has helped prepare me for becoming a lawyer by allowing me to put into practice everything I have learned thus far in law school. I have learned the practical skills of talking to opposing counsel, problem solving various issues, multitasking multiple projects, and learning how to remain flexible with what may happen throughout your day. All of these things are what lawyers go through on a constant basis, and I am extremely fortunate that I have had the privilege to experience all of this as a summer clerk with Taylor Porter.

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

What I like best about the Taylor Porter Summer Associate Program is that I am treated not as a law student, but as a colleague. The attorneys at Taylor Porter treat their law clerks with respect and care as if they were an associate at the firm. This has meant a great deal to me, because I am allowed to voice my opinion and advice on projects without the fear of not being heard or valued. I have also enjoyed the closeness of the staff, because I have been treated like a family member during this program. The comradery of the associates, the mentorship of the partners, and the assistance from the staff, all demonstrate how rare a firm Taylor Porter is.