Los Angeles is world famous for its talent, and our office in the city is no exception.

During an unprecedented virtual summer program, the LA office found a creative way to bridge the Covid-19 divide and bring the office together for an afternoon of fun and fellowship. The online event showcased the diverse and, in many cases, hidden talents of the entire office, including partners, associates, summer associates, practice assistants, members of the word processing team and more.

West Coast Attorney Recruiting Manager Lorie Ball, who planned the event and played MC, explains: “One of the main reasons we ran the show was to give our summer associates the chance to bond with the office as a whole – something they didn’t have much of a chance to do because of the pandemic.

“I think everyone was amazed by the depth and breadth of the talent our people have, from musicianship to furniture design.”

Associate Patrick Nutter, who was voted the winner by his colleagues, wowed them by playing the cello.

He says: “It was so much fun to bring members of the office together with music, but the best part was to see all the hidden talents of the people I work with every day.”

Patrick began playing cello when he was 12, joined his school orchestra and went on to major in music as an undergraduate.

“I also studied with a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic,” he says, “and, while I’ve not been able to perform publicly during the pandemic, I hope to continue playing for fun and to support the arts in general.

“What I love most about the cello is the incredible range; they say it goes just as high and as low as the human voice, and that’s probably why it has such an intimate sound for the listener.”

Another contestant to impress colleagues with their musical talents was Executive Assistant Diane Siston, who took second place for her performance on the harp.

Diane says: “I’d always dreamed of playing harp as a child, but only began playing as an adult.

“A friend told me about a local harp store that was offering introductory classes so I thought I’d try it out.

“I enjoy playing all types of music, including my own arrangements, as well as performing with family and friends.”

Tied for third in the talent show was Summer Associate Nick Ream, who is currently studying at UC Berkeley Law School.

He shared an original song about the Covid-19 pandemic, which revealed his songwriting, singing and guitar skills.

Nick says: “Participating gave me the chance to get to know my White & Case colleagues, not just as skilled professionals but on a personal level.

“The song I sang is about the boredom and bizarreness of being quarantined and I hope it reminded everyone of the good times we’ve had and of the good times we’ll have in the future.”

Fittingly, Nick shared third place with his mentor during the summer, Litigation Partner Matt Lewis, who separately showcased his own skills on piano.

Matt says: “I started having piano lessons in first grade. What I particularly love about it is that it’s a great stress reliever and release.

“Being part of the talent show was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed seeing and experiencing people’s talents and creativity, but my favorite parts were the small-group break-out sessions where we could reconnect with our office mates and the accompanying Zoom chat, which was almost as entertaining as the show itself.”

Other participants to share their talents included opera singing Word Processing Operator Arthur Freeman, Office Administrative Coordinator Kelly Vidales, who baked banana bread in a banana costume while telling jokes, and Associate Taylor Akerblom, who designs and builds his own furniture.

Taylor says: “I love woodworking and it’s a great stress reliever. My wife and I moved into a new house recently, so it’s been great to put the furniture I’ve built to good use. Being involved in the talent show was great and I’ve received a few bids from colleagues for the patio table I built.”

Arthur, who has performed in more than 25 leading roles over the years, comments: “I sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, which I thought was particularly fitting during these days of remote working.

“There is so much talent at White & Case and it was great to get together and share with each other.”

Kelly adds: “The virtual talent show was brilliant. It was a great opportunity for me and my family to do something together and be silly about it.

“We enjoyed putting the video together and it was even more fun to watch with the rest of the office from home. We have so many talented people in the office and it was honestly the most fun event we’ve held all summer. I hope we can make this a yearly tradition.”

Lorie says: “We host several all-office summer events every year and, while this year posed some interesting challenges on how to really highlight and showcase the camaraderie that is so special to White & Case, the talent show proved to be the perfect way to do just that.

“Special thanks go to Associate Nicole Rodger for coming up with the idea, the show’s audio visual supervisor Andres Onate, Events Specialist Brandy Lopez and video editor Darryl Stith.”