Five Years Out: Micah J. Desaire ’19

Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

micah_desaire
Micah Desaire

You’re a corporate healthcare associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. What do you enjoy the most and what are some of the challenges?

As a corporate associate in Kirkland’s Healthcare and Life Science group, I advise our clients—which are often large healthcare companies, health systems, and private equity sponsors—on transactional, regulatory, and data privacy matters. The Healthcare and Life Sciences group is relatively new at the firm. It’s been exciting to be part of its growth.

Health care is an incredibly regulated space. There's new laws being passed all the time. We coach our clients on assessing regulatory risks in the context of transactions, responding to governments and government agencies, and handling day-to-day regulatory matters. No two days are the same. Often, our firm—and our team specifically—might be the first lawyers dealing with interpreting a new statute and advising clients on how to respond to new laws and regulations. It's exciting and challenging to be working on complex, evolving regulatory matters.

How did you get started at this position?

I spent both of my law school summers in 2017 and 2018 at Kirkland. I got to try out a lot of different practice areas and met a lot of the attorneys. It really felt like this is where I wanted to start my career. So after I graduated NYU Law in 2019, I started [with Kirkland & Ellis] as a first-year associate. A few months later, the pandemic hit. And that just came with all sorts of uncertainty, but I was working with good people and doing interesting work. And a few months later, I looked up and I realized that I had found my niche and was really enjoying what I was doing.

Why did you decide to enroll at NYU Law?

I’m originally from Denver, where I attended the University of Denver. I was the first person in my family to go to college. And so, when I was applying to law schools, the thing that really stuck out to me about NYU Law was the AnBryce Scholarship Program. It was a merit-based scholarship and it was dedicated to first-generation students who had to deal with adversity in their lives. I was attracted to the testimonials that I read of stories, similar to mine, from students who were the first in their families to go to college. And I also saw that there was this network of people who became successful lawyers and were referencing back to how the AnBryce Scholarship Program helped them. I also knew that I wanted to be on the East Coast and eventually work in New York.

Did you have any favorite professors?

I would definitely say Professor Paulette Caldwell and [John S. R. Shad Professor of Lawyering and Ethics] Peggy Cooper Davis. I took seminars from both of them, and they were just excellent instructors. They really taught me the fundamentals of legal writing and how to think like a lawyer. Once I got out into the professional world, both classes were the ones that I drew from the most.

Is there any lesson from your time at NYU Law that you’re applying now?

Being proactive. Fortunately, I work with a lot of people who are good at debriefing and teaching. But I think, just in general in the professional world, that you have to reach out to people who are really busy. So it’s a good habit to learn how to feel comfortable reaching out to more senior people and asking, “Can we sit down and talk about this? Can we debrief?” And you have to be proactive on both ends.

Now, as I become more of a senior attorney, I have to be more proactive in reaching out to the junior attorneys to make sure that they’re getting feedback from me and that I am giving them good instruction. And I learned the importance of doing that in law school.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do?

I’m really into music. So one reason I love being in the city is just in being able to see live music all the time. I try to balance my workdays with also going out and seeing shows. So that’s a big thing. I also got a new puppy, a pit bull named Ruby, and she keeps me extra busy.

Can you share any advice for those who are just starting out in either law school or in their professional careers?

I think the main thing would be to maintain that curiosity. I did not come into law school ever thinking that I would end up being a healthcare lawyer five years out. I did not have a background in the healthcare field, but I found something that I really enjoy. And this has only come about because I remained open and flexible to new opportunities.

Posted November 14, 2024