Miles Brinkley had always considered becoming a lawyer, but after earning his bachelor’s degree at Stanford, he decided to stay in the San Francisco area and work in cybersecurity. Four years later, he began applying to law schools, with an initial plan to specialize in data privacy and regulations.

Vanderbilt became his top choice because of the school’s welcoming community, something Miles got to see in action during a campus visit. “[The current students] didn’t know me… but they took time outside of Admit Weekend to talk and meet with me,” he said. “Once that happened, it was a very easy decision for me. It showed that the school followed what it said on its online and recruitment materials.”

Once he moved to Nashville, Miles began taking a breadth of courses, prompting him to reconsider a focus on data privacy. He benefitted not just from the different subjects, but also the various teaching styles and pedagogy. He also appreciates how the smaller class sizes made it possible to build personal relationships with professors.

“I think Vanderbilt’s strength truly is how much the professors do care. They’re willing to give you very micro-focused attention, making sure you’re getting the material you need. It never, even with my toughest professors, has felt indifferent,” he said.

Miles has kept busy outside the classroom, leveraging his professional background as the Technology Editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law (JETLaw). He’s also served as president of the Honor Council and is the current president of Phi Delta Phi, in addition to being a mentor for the ONEelevate Leadership Program and the Professional Development Chair for the Black Law Students Association. He’s also the president of the law school soccer team, which he says is “wonderful” for stress release.

Miles spent his 1L and 2L summers interning at Kirkland & Ellis’s Houston office and will be returning there full-time after graduation. He appreciates the flexibility that the firm offers associates when it comes to pursuing work. “It’s known for the free market platform, so you just go get any assignment you want… I was in the transactions practice group, so that was the pool, but the pool is very wide, [and] within that, I found investment funds,” he explained. “It was special. I just got it, I liked it, and that’s what I’m going to end up doing [full-time].”

He initially connected with the firm through several alumni: one, an associate who spoke on an on-campus panel, and another, a partner who attended a career fair. He understands what an impact those connections had on securing his first internship and eventually his job offer.

“When I signed my full-time offer, I gave everybody a big hug, and they said, ‘We’re so glad Jessica flagged your resume two years ago, and we’re so glad you met Andy [at the career fair],’” he recalled. “Those connections from people that simply went to Vanderbilt were the reason that I was able to get connected and then end up at a fantastic place.”

For Miles, Vanderbilt didn’t just help him secure a job offer or become a more analytical thinker; it helped him understand why lawyers think and act the way they do. “I’ve always been a people person, but [law school] made me a people-first person… because law is made by, interpreted by, [and] engineered by people. And if you can’t understand the people that write judicial opinions or make laws — or that you’re negotiating with on every aspect of law — it doesn’t make sense,” he said.