After earning her undergraduate degree, Gabby Sokan returned to her hometown of Brooklyn, New York, and worked for three years in an anti-money laundering and risk surveillance unit of UBS AG, Americas, monitoring the firm’s private bank arm. “My work required strong analytical skills and the ability to identify risks. Many of my colleagues had gone to law school,” she said. “The more time I spent in my role, the more I realized I was jealous of the complexity of matters that came across the desks of my coworkers who had JDs.”

Gabby soon found herself preparing to take the LSAT after work and thinking about what was most important to her in a law school. “I wanted to get the best legal education possible, and, for me, that meant a more personalized experience, with small classes. And if I was quitting my job to go back to school, I needed assurance that I could find a job and return to New York after graduation,” she said.

Vanderbilt rose to the top of her list because it met these criteria and offered a collegial community. When Gabby interviewed with a Vanderbilt Law graduate working in New York, “she talked about how much she had loved her time here,” she said.

Gabby came to law school knowing she wanted to focus on corporate law. After her 1L year, she quickly found a mentor in Professor Robert Reder, a retired Milbank partner who taught her Negotiation and Drafting of Key Corporate Documents. She was one of four members of the Class of 2024 who worked at Milbank as summer associates last summer. “We became quite close over the summer program, and we connected with several Vanderbilt Law School grads who work at Milbank. Several of us had taken Professor Reder’s class! He’s an incredible teacher and even greater mentor.”

Gabby joined the staff of the Vanderbilt Law Review as a 2L and now serves as the journal’s first Diversity and Membership Editor. “I work closely with the other Senior Board members across every Law Review function to select and edit articles for publication, provide feedback for 2L staff members as they develop their notes, and help with 1L outreach. I’ve had the most rewarding experience building the role, and I am so grateful to the outgoing Senior Board for trusting me with the opportunity to do something like this. Having the support of other students gave me the confidence to take on the role and explore its potential to the fullest,” she said.

As a 1L, Gabby also worked with five other students to re-launch the South Asian Law Students Association. “I’m the first person in my family to go to college and law school. I didn’t have anyone telling me how to navigate this new environment, and it helps to connect with people who have a similar background,” she said.

At Vanderbilt, she has treasured her classroom experience. “I was in awe of how brilliant my professors were during my 1L year, and I was lucky to take Professor Morgan Ricks’ M&A class and his Financial Regulation seminar in the same semester as a 2L. I’ve never had a professor who can explain such challenging concepts so clearly,” she said. She worked as a research assistant for Professor Ricks during summer 2022.

After graduation, Gabby will join Milbank’s New York office as an associate. “I received my post-graduate position through OCI,” she said. “During my first meeting with my career counselor as a 1L, I laid out my goals, and Dean Workman suggested that I keep Milbank in mind for the future. I’m glad I did, and I’m also grateful that Vanderbilt alums are so invested in recruiting from Vanderbilt Law School and that the Career Services team works to maintain these relationships.”

She also received guidance on her job search from classmates who’d already completed the process. “Vanderbilt’s size lends itself well to meeting upperclassmen as a 1L and talking to other students who had already been through the interview process helped me to make informed, assured choices and reinforced that I was on the right path,” she said.

In addition to preparing Gabby for a legal career in her chosen field, Vanderbilt also provided a supportive community that she will remain connected to throughout her career. “I’ve made lifelong friends here who I’m tremendously thankful for, and I look forward to seeing all the amazing things they will do after graduation,” she said. “Getting through law school takes a village! I am so lucky to have found a support system. I moved to Nashville not knowing anyone, and the friends I’ve made through Vanderbilt have been critical to my success.”

Her advice to incoming 1Ls: “Take time to assess your goals before the semester begins, and don’t do anything you don’t want to do! It’s easy to get swept up in all of the extracurricular and academic pressures that accompany law school, but the best way forward is already to stay true to your goals and to choose the experiences and opportunities that you value most.”