Julie Smolinski's Blog | Palo Alto

Julie Smolinski is located in our Palo Alto office and is a member of the Transactional Department, Corporate Practice Group. She joined WilmerHale in 2007 after spending a summer with a San Francisco-based law firm and then reconnecting with her WilmerHale second year campus interviewer and fellow Stanford Law School Alumnus, Nader Mousavi, in her third year. Like Nader, she is passionate about pro bono work, and currently handles matters similar to those she began while a Clinical Student at Stanford Law School Immigrant Rights' Clinic. Prior to beginning her legal studies, Julie spent five years in the public relations arena, most recently as a Public Affairs Specialist with the Bureau of Public Affairs at the US Department of State. READ BIO »

The Deal Signed!

November 2, 2008 4:00 PM
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I apologize for my lengthy silence. The deal that I was working on when I last wrote ended up consuming my life for a couple of weeks … and then I got sick again (not pleased about that). The good news is that the deal signed! This is the first M&A (mergers and acquisitions) deal that I’ve gotten to see all the way to signing. It was a bit of a bumpy ride. There were points where it looked like the deal wouldn’t proceed, but both parties were motivated to complete the deal and it ultimately signed. ...

Accelerated Learning

October 12, 2008 9:47 AM
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So I’ve done a fair number of call-back interviews with summer associate candidates now and I’m starting to think I’m not cut out for the task. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their interests and backgrounds. The problem is that I’ve liked everyone so far. I’ve had trouble being critical. It’s often humbling to read their resumes – many of them have substantial prior work accomplishments and they all have terrific educational credentials. And personality-wise, they have all seemed great. I doubt my evaluations are of much use when decision time hits. …

Transactions – Up, Down, and Up Again

September 30, 2008 2:38 PM
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I’m back in the office after my wonderful vacation. It was so relaxing that there were points when I didn’t even know what day it was. Often, the most important decision of the day was where to eat. By the end of my trip I felt incredibly well-rested and rejuvenated. I expected to hit the ground running on Monday. Instead, thanks to a mean cold that caught me on Sunday night, all I managed to do was hit the ground. Not fun. Anyway, enough complaining...

Blissfully Disconnected

September 23, 2008 9:48 AM
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Aloha! I'm writing from sleepy Molokai, Hawaii -- across the channel from Maui -- where I'm on vacation (a belated honeymoon) for a couple of weeks. My husband and I spent our first six days on Oahu, mostly the North Shore, and then came to Molokai. It's incredibly quiet here...

Professional Juggling

September 9, 2008 3:28 PM
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This weekend at the farmer’s market I saw a man simultaneously playing the Andean flute and the guitar. Every movement was perfectly timed and coordinated. The music was energetic yet calming at the same time. I wish I could pull off doing two things at once with such skill and grace, but my efforts at multi-tasking are often messier and less efficient than I’d like...

Leaping Frogs and Contract Negotiations

August 27, 2008 2:56 PM
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So I had this bizarre dream the other night. I was trying to email a partner on my BlackBerry to tell him I was going to be late for a meeting, but every time I pushed a key an animated frog popped up instead of a letter...

Of Waves and Financings

August 15, 2008 9:22 AM
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Not to make my fellow NY blogger jealous, but getting to the beach from Palo Alto, or San Francisco if you live there, as many of my colleagues do, is a pretty easy matter. Sunday was a gorgeous, sunny day, so my husband and I decided to head to the ocean...

Corporate ... and Now Some Licensing

August 5, 2008 2:32 PM
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Ah, what a perfect weekend … big brunch on Saturday (mmm … huevos rancheros) followed by a rigorous hike in the hills near Palo Alto, stargazing on Saturday night and then pretty much nothing on Sunday—just relaxation. I’m anticipating a pretty busy week, so it’s great to come into the week refreshed...

The First-year and Mr. Learning Curve

July 25, 2008 10:00 AM
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Wow, it’s almost August already? Not quite sure how that happened. Each year seems to go by faster and faster. Does that just mean I’m getting older, or is that an indication that my life is becoming increasingly interesting? (I’ll try to figure that one out on my own time.) In any event, time has flown at warp speed since law school graduation last May...

Pro Bono Work ... Even for a Corporate-type

July 19, 2008 10:01 AM
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We kicked off a new pro bono project last week at an initial meeting with our first U-Visa client. (U-Visas are a special form of immigration relief for survivors of domestic violence, trafficking and certain other crimes.) Nader—a partner in my office who oversees the pro bono program in Palo Alto—and I had been working together over the last 4 to 5 months to set up the U-Visa program...