Why you decided to attend Santa Clara University?
I was really interested in the both the high-tech and international law programs.

Legal field of interest: Corporate Transactions

Undergrad / Location / Year: UCLA, graduated in 2002 with a B.S. in Biology.

Ethnicity: Vietnamese

Occupation: I was a legal assistant for a sole practitioner in Santa Monica for a year before I started law school.

Relationship status: Single

Fall 2005 Course List: Venture Capital, Advanced Corporations, El Salvador Legal Systems, International Human Rights, Wills and Trusts.

Extracurricular activities (currently/past):

• Comments Editor, Santa Clara Law Review
• Competitor, Honors Moot Court
• Contracts Course Leader, Academic Success Program
• Mentor, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association
• Social Committee, Student Bar Association
• Coach, Silver Creek High School Mock Trial Team
• Facilitator, Dartmouth Middle School Fresh Lifelines for Youth
• Auto Fraud Workshop Presenter, KGA Community Law Center

Your take on first year: My main motivation during my first-year was to do well in school. I knew that all the employers during the on-campus interview process looked primarily at first-year grades when they chose who they wanted to interview. Therefore, I knew that if I really focused and worked hard my first year that it would really pay off in the long run – and it truly did. I also felt like my first-year was not competitive because I was willing to help people, and in turn, I felt that people were willing to help me.

Typical daily schedule: It varies so much day to day, but usually at a minimum I go to my classes, study, work out, and have dinner with friends or family.

What you did last summer: I had a great experience as a summer associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. I did a mixture of corporate, intellectual property and litigation work, and by the end of the summer I decided that I really wanted to practice corporate transactional law.

Average time studying per week: This has drastically been reduced this year – perhaps 15 hours.

Last few social events attended: Partied on a houseboat on Lake Shasta, went skydiving, and went to a few clubs and bars in Chicago during the World Series.

How is the life of a 3L different from the life of a 2L or 1L? Is it any easier? The third year of law school is by far the least stressful year. I worked so hard the past two years that the last thing I wanted to do was over-extend myself during my last year. Also, during the summer the attorneys I worked with all emphasized that I should make the most of this last year and enjoy it for all that its worth because I eventually have to bill 2,300 hours once I start working.

What school projects are you currently working on or thinking about? I am currently a law review comments editor and I working right now to get my comment published for the Santa Clara Law Review. I am also really excited because I am set to go on the SCU law El Salvador immersion trip, which will be an awesome experience.

General comments about SCU: SCU is such a great, nurturing school. I came from UCLA where all my classes had 300 people, and so it was so refreshing to come to SCU and have such a tight-knit community, with professors and administrators who are all there to assist you.

Your advice on school work / life balance: I believe it is so important to have a work-life balance. I firmly believe in playing and working hard. However, it is all a matter of priority. I know for me that if focused throughout the week, I would be able to afford to go out onFriday and Saturday nights. Also, my family and friends are really important to me so I always try to set aside time for them. Although the people you love will always be there for you, it is nice to be able to be there for them as well.

Your take on study groups: I found them invaluable my first year of law school. I was in a group with seven other students, all ranging in ages, races, and interests – yet we all got along well. It was a great group because everyone was always on top of things and we had really productive meetings. The most valuable part of study groups for me was when we each did practice tests, then got together to discuss our answers. Each of us would always get different answers – but it was interesting because in some ways we were all right because we were just arguing different sides of the issue. Then, when we could not figure something out, we would go to our professors and they resolved our questions.

Your take on outlining: I found that although outlining is really time consuming, it is a great way to grasp the big picture. Also, although having other people’s outlines are useful, it is not the most effective way to study. It is so much better for your own personal understanding that you work through the material yourself and create an outline – that way you get to wrestle with the legal issues and you also are reviewing the materials as you go.

Your take on professors: For exams it is really important that you understand how your professors test. A lot of professors have different takes on what they want. Some professors like to see policy in their essays, whereas other professors prefer the black letter law. You just have to figure out what techniques they like to see through their posted model answers, and duplicate those techniques when you write your exam answers.