Corynn Wilson, 2L
Jan. 27, 2020 — Second-year University of Houston Law Center student Corynn Wilson will go from public interest law to Latham & Watkins, a globally recognized firm with a focus on transactional matters in the energy sector, as a summer associate at the conclusion of the Spring 2020 semester.
“I was attracted to Latham’s focus on transactional work, since I have yet to experience it, and the firm’s culture of inclusivity and diversity,” Wilson said.
Wilson expects her time at Latham & Watkins will help her decide on her future in law.
“I can see myself enjoying the negotiations of making deals at a transactional firm,” she said. “But I also envision myself advocating for effective policy later in my career. I would love to influence state legislators to pass effective K-12 education legislation to confront the issues of Texas’ educational outcomes of the millions of children in the state.”
Last summer, Wilson was a public interest fellow with Disability Rights Texas. In that role, she worked with the education team to advocate for children to receive the tools needed to succeed academically.
“I have a passion for improving outcomes in public primary and secondary education,” she said. “At Disability Rights Texas, I learned what it really looks like to advocate for clients who need help the most — clients who do not have regular access to legal aid and who are being denied their lawful rights.”
Wilson hopes to channel the lessons she learned from her time with the nonprofit to remind her of the varying legal issues that practicing attorneys encounter.
“They simply do what they need to do for their clients,” she said. “I received the invaluable experience of working face-to-face with clients who are not representatives of large corporations — they are real people who need legal help.”
Wilson also previously served as a judicial intern for U.S. District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore ’81.
“I enjoyed the experience of witnessing court proceedings at the federal level and what a clerkship would be like,” Wilson said. “I also got to spend quality time with Judge Gilmore that was very insightful. She really focuses on mentoring interns to be successful in law and to reach our goals.”
While at the Law Center, Wilson has participated in Houston Law Review and OutLaw, an organization dedicated to matters regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students at the Law Center.
She especially enjoyed classes with Associate Professor Emily Berman.
“I was particularly fond of constitutional law with Professor Berman,” she said. “I also took her foreign affairs class, and this semester I look forward to being her research assistant.”
