Lizzie Gomez ’14 | Columbia Law School

Lizzie Gomez

As a summer associate in the Buenos Aires office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton this past year, Lizzie Gomez ’14 immersed herself in the world of cross-border transactions, capital markets, and joint ventures. But perhaps the most rewarding part of the experience was working in a tight-knit, hands-on environment.

“The summer associates were really integrated into the office,” explains Gomez, who was born in Peru and raised in Los Angeles. “There was no hesitation in giving us feedback from the start.”

Gomez applies a similar managerial philosophy to her role as executive editor for the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review, where she oversees the journal’s publication process. This academic year, Gomez helped implement a new management approach, which she refers to as “community groups.” Each staff member was appointed to a team and tasked with promoting the journal through one of several avenues—such as fundraising, social media, or web development. The new system offers students more opportunities to participate in the online-only publication while simultaneously helping to raise the profile of the journal.

 “The work we do at the journal is not just about publishing articles—it’s about building your own little network and mentoring students,” she says.

After graduation, Gomez will return to Cleary as a corporate law associate in New York City, though she would like to spend time in one of the firm’s Latin American offices.

“Every deal that Cleary works on is so different and has an interesting twist in it,” she says. “There’s always a new aspect to it. I think that’s incredibly fun.”