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Post LLM: What’s next?

Amongst the people I have encountered in my LLM year, I have learned that everyone had different reasons why they had decided to pursue an LLM. Some just wanted a year of being in a new country/city and an opportunity for personal growth, others wanted to establish themselves in the legal field in the US or relocate here for personal reasons, others to pivot into a new field of law or enter academia, and others to give themselves more leverage in the field back in their home countries. For whatever reason you decide to pursue an LLM, find comfort in knowing that everyone enters the program for a variety of reasons, one not being more valid than the other. 

As for me, I pursued an LLM for a combination of all those reasons. I knew that I wanted to try my best to secure employment in the US at the end of the program, but also had the comfort of knowing that having the degree under my belt would still be beneficial for my career in the event that I would return to my home country. I also wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone, and after having gone through the year, I can attest that it has been an incredibly fulfilling experience on a personal level and a great catalyst for growth. 

I am happy to share that I was able to secure an OPT opportunity in a boutique firm in Los Angeles and will be starting with them after I sit for the California Bar at the end of this month. For those who are pursuing an LLM to potentially seek employment in the US, I will have to admit that it is a difficult feat, but not impossible. My tip would be to network as much as you can and cast your net far and wide. A good number of my classmates were able to secure employment here in the US (in varying areas: LA, San Jose, SF, Sacramento, Miami, NY, Texas, and Washington D.C., to name a few) but it took a lot of dedication; networking with professors and building on connections from our home-countries, leveraging internships during the school year, working with career services, and sending multiple applications per day, to make it happen. 

As for my other classmates, many got amazing offers from firms back home or in new countries, or got promoted from their previous posts. While it was definitely sad to say goodbye to people I have grown so close to over the past year, It makes me so happy to know that they have such a great career and prospects ahead of them! Also, I now have friends to go and visit all over the world! 

I am extremely grateful that the LLM program Ied me to meet such amazing people, also for the lessons it taught me, academically and personally, and the doors it opened for me. I cant wait to enter into this new chapter! It has been great sharing my experience with all of you, and I hoped it helped at least one person out there. To the incoming LLM’s, I wish you luck on your personal journey and your year ahead!

Signing off!

Jillian UCLA LLM Class of 2022

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A year of exploring!

While LA on its own had multiple neighborhoods to discover and never ending activities to do around the city, I really took the opportunity to explore outside of LA during my LLM year. Although I was consumed with my classes and school work, there was still a lot of time for fun and travel. Aside from the program itself, these trips with my classmates, family, and friends, contributed to such a memorable year! I highly encourage incoming LLMs, who are moving away from home for the year, to enjoy your new country or city to the fullest and explore as much as you can (while balancing school work of course). Think of it also as opportunity to learn and grow, but in a different way!

Allow me to share some photos from the spots I got to visit over the past year which will hopefully give you some ideas of places to travel to! Santa Barbara

Washington D.C. 

Virginia

New York City

Oceanside

Nevada

Joshua Tree

Palm Springs/Coachella Valley

Sequoia National Park

Cheers to a year of exploring!

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Graduation day!

On May 13th, the UCLA School of Law celebrated its 71st commencement.

It was a beautiful bright and sunny day (as it usually is in Los Angeles) and all the graduates gathered in front of the iconic law school steps where we congratulated each other and took a bunch of photos to commemorate the day. It was so great seeing everyone in my cohort in their togas and in the best spirits! 

Take a look at the LLM Class of 2022:

We then lined up for a procession to make our way to the commencement, which was held in the Dickson North Court. We were so fortunate to have an in-person ceremony as this has been the first in-person live commencement held at UCLA since 2019.

President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Janai Nelson ’96 was the event’s keynote speaker. We also got to hear from Dean Mnookin and representatives from the S.J.D, J.D., and LL.M. class.

After the wonderful speeches, we were excitingly conferred our degrees. Here is a photo of me receiving my diploma from Dean Mnookin:

When the commencement officially closed, we proceeded to the Dickson South Court where UCLA held a reception for all the graduates and their guests and were treated to Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments.

It was such a beautiful and magical day and was a great culmination to the year. It’s crazy how the past few months flew by so quickly. Around this time last year, I was preparing to move to the complete other side of the world and one year later I officially have an LLM degree under my belt and so many fond memories to look back on.

Forever and always a Bruin!

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Spring 2022 Course Recap

Hey there! Just like I did for the fall semester, I am going to write about the courses I took for the spring semester at UCLA, completing all the units to receive my LLM degree and my Business Law specialization. I thought the fall semester flew by so quickly but the spring semester proved me wrong and flew by even faster! The semester had an interesting start as we had to start remotely due to the omicron surge. Fortunately, we were only kept away from in person classes for roughly 2 weeks and then it was back to regular programming. Intellectual Property

This class was a 4-unit survey course encompassing the major areas of Intellectual Property Law: Copyright, Trademark, Patents and Trade Secret Law. It was a lot of topics to cover in just one subject, but Professor Dough Lichtman managed to provide enough information on each topic to serve as a launching-pad for our own follow-on and subject specific thinking and also prepared us to be capable to spot intellectual property issues if faced in practice. The classes were primarily held as lecture style, guided by powerpoints. Professor Lichtman encouraged participation in the class, but cold-calls were very rare. The classes were held two times a week at 8 in the morning, so Professor Lichtman’s excitement and passion for the subject really got us through those early mornings. Throughout the course, we discussed very interesting cases involving A-list actors, companies, and creators; which made the course all the more exciting. The final exam was an 18 question short essay exam which fairly tested our own personal understanding of the concepts discussed in the class. Securities Regulation Securities was a 4-unit course which offered an introduction to Federal Securities Laws, covering the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as well as the regulations enacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Topics that we covered include: the definition of security, the registration requirement for public offerings, gun-jumping rules governing initial public offerings, rules governing seasoned issuers, exemptions from the registration requirement, secondary offerings, periodic disclosure obligations for public corporations, antifraud liability, and broker-dealer regulation. Securities Regulation in general is a very technical subject and I will have to admit that this course was quite challenging for me to follow. However, Professor James Park did a tremendous job in explaining the concepts to us in the simplest form so that we could follow and understand. In the class, Professor Park used a lot of real life securities cases and examples involving companies that we were familiar with such as Snapchat, Tesla, Facebook, Twitter, AirBnb and more, making our discussions more interesting. Professor Park held our classes through lectures guided by powerpoints, and we were divided into 3 groups that rotated being on-call every meeting. The final exam was an in-person two question long essay exam, the fact patters on which revolved around Rivian and Ethereum. It a challenging exam but really interesting to answer! Information Privacy and Data Protection

This course was a 4-unit introduction to information privacy and data protection law and policy. We covered the constitutional, statutory, and common law rules of privacy, as well as federal and state enforcement activity. We studied and examined the major privacy and data protection laws such as the CA Consumer Privacy Act, EU GDPR, COPPA, HIPAA, FTC act, and did a deep dive into jurisprudence on the matter. The course was taught by Professor Andrew Selbst trough lectures guided by powerpoints and cold-calls for participation during the class. Like the other two subjects I had this semester, Professor Selbst made sure to discuss the concepts using real life issues involving parties and companies that we were familiar with, to make the course more understandable and exciting. One of my favorite classes we had was when we were tasked to read and dissect the Amazon privacy policy. I found that the activities we had in class geared us to have a practical approach to the daily problems a privacy lawyer might face. We wrapped up the semester with a take home essay final exam, testing our comprehensive knowledge on all the laws and case law that we discussed throughout the course.  My classes this last semester were definitely a lot more challenging than my Fall courses, but were more interesting due to its real life application. I have learned a lot from all my professors at UCLA and am truly honored to have learned under some giants in the field of law.  Next up: a graduation blog! Til next time!

[uclallm21]

Barrister’s Ball!

What is the Barrister’s Ball? It is an annual formal event hosted by most U.S. Law Schools to celebrate the law community. It’s basically a law prom where you and all your classmates get dressed up, dance and drink the night away! Never did I think I would be attending a prom again after high school but I guess you’re never too old for prom!

The UCLA Law Barrister’s Ball was held on April 1, 2022 at the beautiful Majestic Downtown in DTLA. At the venue there was an open bar, small food, a photobooth and a DJ playing all night long.

Here are some photos of the LLM Class of 2022 at the event:

A big thank you to the UCLA Student Bar Association for putting together this event for the J.D.s and LL.M.s! Until next time!

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The Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam

One of the requirements before admission as a lawyer in the US (except for the jurisdictions of WI and PR) is to take the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). The MPRE is a two-hour, 60 question multiple choice exam covering the rules of professional conduct for lawyers. The exam is offered three times a year, typically in March, August, and November. I decided to give the March exam a try, last March 23rd, 2022. The exam costs $125 and you typically have to register a couple of months before you want to take it. I recommend applying early so that you can get a testing center nearest to you. More information on the test can be found on: https://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/registration/

I didn’t take a Professional Responsibility course in my LLM curriculum so I knew that I had to do some extra prep work for the exam. California has the highest required score and applicants must achieve a minimum score of 86 to be considered to have passed. To prepare, I dedicated roughly a week of full-time review for the test. The MPRE fell on my spring break week so I was lucky to have the time to fully dive in to review. I used BarBri’s free MPRE prep course which I found extremely helpful. I covered all the materials: the reviewer book/outlines, video lectures and handouts, sample exam questions and last-minute reviewers.

[Photo from outside my testing center in Culver City, CA]

I found the exam itself quite difficult, and left the testing site feeling slightly defeated despite putting in a lot of work to review. Lo and behold, four weeks later I got my score back and scored a 118 making me eligible for all jurisdictions! My biggest tip for the exam is to do as much sample exams and questions as you can. Also, don’t feel discouraged if you find it difficult as they scale the scores from all the exam takers. Passing the MPRE was just the confidence boost I needed for finals coming up and my next big hurdle, the CA bar exam. Wish me luck on my next exams and until next time!

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UCLA Law students stand with Ukraine

As you may know, LLM programs are mostly comprised of international students. Being exposed to people from all over the world has been eye-opening and a learning experience for me. You get to know people from other backgrounds and cultures and also learn their country’s successes and struggles.

In my cohort, there are a couple of students that are Ukrainian. Given what is going on currently, they decided to take initiative to organize a lunch fundraiser for those affected by the war.

The event was held at the UCLA Law Shapiro Courtyard last March 17th. We had the option to make a donation to a non-profit of our choosing by scanning a provided QR code and had the opportunity to learn about the war in Ukraine.

As lawyers, it is incredibly important to be aware of what is going on in the world. I am thankful that I had this opportunity to learn more and support the cause. I owe a big thank you to my classmates who organized this successful event. I am also so proud of the community of students that showed up to support that afternoon.

Let it be known that UCLA Law students #StandwithUkraine

Til next time!

[uclallm21]

Women of UCLA Law

In a once predominantly male dominated profession, Women have fought for their place in the industry and have made great waves in the field of law. It was incredibly important to me that I attended a school that supported and promoted women in the profession, and I’m glad to report that UCLA has been great on that front.

For this blog, I’d like to talk about three women-centered organizations and events that I had attended under them. I thought this would be perfect as we celebrate Women's History Month this march!

UCLA Law Women LEAD

“UCLA Law Women LEAD is a diverse, inclusive, intergenerational community of UCLA Law women who help one another advance professional goals and foster personally fulfilling careers, both linear and non-linear, and at all stages of life and career. We are intersectional on purpose, fostering a space where all members of LEAD are seen and heard as their authentic selves and intentionally addressing the specific challenges that may be imposed due to identity and lived experience.” (Excerpt from the LEAD LinkedIn)

Basically, UCLA Law Women LEAD functions as a community which connects women who are current students and alumna/practicing lawyers from UCLA School of Law. LEAD offers networking events, social events, professional mentorship, and general support to the members of the group. LEAD has been a great sense of support as an LLM student and we were fortunate to have been invited by the founder of LEAD, Nancy Abell, for a dinner at her home last October 8, 2021.

At the event, we had an opportunity to meet practicing lawyers and get some insight or advice from them over a sumptuous dinner and drinks. The event was held fairly early into the start of the program so it was an extremely warm welcome for all of us. The invited alumni were more than welcome to give tips on managing our classes and job-hunting in the US. After the event, I had remained in touch with the lawyers that I had met that night who have been more than willing to answer any queries that I have or keep me informed of opportunities or provide me with advice.

At the moment the UCLA Law Women LEAD has 3,402 members and counting.

Law Women of UCLA x Womxn of Color Collective

Law Women of UCLA

“Law Women of UCLA aims to support students, particularly women, in successfully launching and cultivating their legal careers. Law Women seeks to provide community, social events, professional mentoring and networking, and substantive discussions about the issues that women in the law face. Our mission is to bring awareness to issues and challenges facing female law students and lawyers, and to prepare law students to meet these challenges.” (Excerpt from https://law.ucla.edu/life-ucla-law/student-organizations/law-women-ucla)

Womxn of Color Collective

“We are dedicated to creating a safe space and a community within the UCLA School of Law where the unique experiences, opinions, challenges and successes of womxn and womxn of color are shared, discussed and developed. We are a collective of individuals who identify as womxn, womxn of color or allies. We are open to all people ready to engage in an open and honest dialogue about race, gender and the law. Our mission is to promote the empowerment, inspiration, and personal and professional development of womyn and people of color in the legal field.​” (Excerpt from https://law.ucla.edu/life-ucla-law/student-organizations/womxn-color-collective)

Last February 17th, the two organizations teamed up to throw the inaugural Galentines Gala to celebrate women in the legal profession. It was held in the outdoor courtyard of the Luskin Conference Center, close to UCLA campus. The event was a great networking and social gathering for members of the organization, where we could mingle over hors d’oeuvres and drinks under a starry night sky. There was a great turnout of current students, alumni, practicing lawyers, prominent Judges and their guests.

During the program, Judge Karen Ackerson Gauff of the Los Angeles Superior Court, was honored for her impactful work and representation as an outstanding woman of the law. Judge Gauff gave a beautiful key-note speech where she had briefed us on her journey into the field coming from a difficult childhood, sharing her trials and tribulations along the way. I was in awe of her perseverance to get where she is now and her dedication to the community she came from. Aside from honoring amazing women with awards that night, the organizations also threw a silent auction which go towards scholarships for members who are in financial need. Overall, it was a great evening and it was incredible to be part of this inaugural event and I hope that it continues for many years to come.

Until next time!

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The UCLA Law Library

Formally known as the Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library, the UCLA Law Library is where you’ll find most J.D. and LL.M. students like myself with our faces buried in books and preparing for classes or exams.

The law library has four spacious floors with over 600,000 books on hand. The library has a multitude of resources, printing and photocopying rooms, and an extremely helpful service staff. Due to Covid, the law library is only open for UCLA law students and cannot be accessed by other UCLA students or visitors so I wanted to share these photos with you to show you how beautiful it is inside!

The library has communal tables, couches, and individual desks, so you have plenty of seating options depending on your studying style.

If you like to work in groups or need a private room to discuss with your classmates, the law library also offers conference rooms which you can reserve for a couple of hours.

Isn't it absolutely stunning? Hope you enjoyed that mini sneak peak of our library!

Until next time!

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A Day in the Life

Hey there! For this blog post, I thought I’d take you along with me to see what my day looks like as a UCLA LL.M. Student. We currently have classes online so my school day is looking a little different, but when we do return in person instruction, I’ll do another one of these to share with you more of the “real” experience.

January 21, 2022, Thursday.

Morning

I’m usually a morning person so I wake up fairly early most days. I got up at 7 am to do my mourning routine, make myself a nice breakfast, and a cup of coffee. At 8:25 I hopped on Zoom for my Intellectual Property Class. My IP class is being taught by Professor Douglas Lichtman, who so far has been amazing! Professor Lichtman makes it really easy to have classes at 8 in the morning because he’s a great lecturer and is really great at keeping us engaged. I was actually cold-called in this class session, my first cold-call for the semester, and I’m happy to report that I think I did pretty well! Luckily I spent some time the night before reviewing the assigned reading and case for that morning.

Noon

IP Class ended at 10:25 and I got off zoom and did some household chores. At 11:30, I had an appointment at a clinic nearby to get a Live Fingerprint Scan. A fingerprint scan is one of the requirements for an Application for Moral Character Determination with the State Bar of California, if you wish to take the bar exam and eventually be admitted. The scan took around 20 minutes and depending on the provider you decide to go to, will cost you around $20-50. Tip: don’t forget to refer to the State Bar of California’s list of accredited service providers.

After my appointment, I returned home to prepare my lunch and study for my next class. I hopped back on Zoom at 1:35 for Securities Regulation with Professor James Park, another really great lecturer! We spent this class day introducing ourselves to the concept of Securities and analyzing its basic elements using case law.

Afternoon

Class ended at 3:00 and by then I was tired of mostly sitting around on my desk all day. I decided to go to the Westwood Farmers Market, which happens every Thursday from 12-5pm. There you can support many local business and farmers (mostly from the central valley) and spot a lot of UCLA students and staff doing some shopping or just strolling around. One of my favorite stalls at the farmers market is this stall called Pastries by Edie – the almond croissant and the walnut cinnamon cake are my go-to’s!

Night

During sunset hour, I took a walk around my neighborhood in West LA. With classes being online, I am consciously making an effort to keep my body moving and spend some time outdoors. I believe that having that balance is really important to be functional and keep my mental and physical health in check. I luckily have no classes on Fridays so Thursday night is when I get to shut my brain off for a bit and have a relaxing evening. The rest of the night, I made myself dinner and put on a TV show to wind down from my first week back to school.

I hope you enjoyed going through my day with me! Until next time!

[uclallm21]

Omicron and the State of Spring 22'

Hi dear reader! I hope that you are reading this blog post in good health. Unfortunately, the new strain of Covid-19 has hit Los Angeles county pretty hard. As the cases started to rise over the winter break, us students were starting to wonder whether classes will resume in person like they did in the fall. As early as December 20, the UCLA School of Law Dean had informed us that all J-Term (winter break two-week class period) courses will proceed online. By January 07, the Dean had decided to proceed with the Spring semester remotely. Return to in person instruction will now be delayed until January 31st across all campuses in UCLA, subject to an extension depending on the continuing conditions.

For our protection for when we do resume classes, UCLA has implemented the following policies: - Booster Requirement by January 18th - New testing protocol, no more than 72-hours prior to returning, we must take a PCR Test through the campus provided facilities - Stricter mask requirements, preferably KN95 While I'm on the topic, let me show you the Covid-19 Self-Test Kit vending machines that UCLA has all over campus. I am extremely thankful that we have immediate and free access to testing as UCLA students, definitely a big perk during this time.

All you need to do is swipe your bruin card and you have your kit! Instructions are fairly easy to follow and we get the results in a day or two, depending on the influx of tests being ran. I will say it does take a little longer now, but thats understandable given the surge in testing and cases. Overall, I have been very happy with the way that UCLA has handled the pandemic over the past few months and how they communicate the new policies in the midst of all the uncertainty. I am saddened by the news of going remote as I was looking forward to reuniting with my classmates by next week. I also do think I learn and study better in an in-person setting. It will be a challenge to navigate this new way of learning but I take on the challenge as I understand that it is for the best and for the safety of the school and the community. Hopefully we will be seeing brighter days soon! Take care and until next time!

[uclallm21]

Fall 2021 Course Recap

Hey there! For this blog post, I thought would write on how my Fall 2021 courses were administered as to give my readers a sense of how classes are like at UCLA School of Law as an LL.M. student.

Business Associations

Business Associations is a 4-unit course that provides a survey of the legal rules and concepts applicable to the basic forms of business associations. BA was probably my heaviest class last semester, rightfully so as it is one of the subjects that is tested in the bar exam. The class was taught by Professor Sung Hui Kim and classes met Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:25 am to 10:25. Not gonna lie, it was sort of difficult to be fully functional for class at 8 in the morning, three times a week, but I made it through! Professor Kim would normally conduct the class through a lecture guided by a Powerpoint. For this class, we were assigned a specific week wherein we would be part of a panel that can be “cold called” on the coverage assigned for that week. I would say that the panel system made going to class less scary as you would generally know when you have to be completely prepared and on the top of your game when it comes to the class material. However, even on the days that you were not on the panel, Professor Kim was open to participation when she posed questions to the class. The grading for this course was based on our performance on an open-book multiple choice final examination, however Professor Kim reserved the right to adjust our grades based on our class participation and attendance.

Federal Income Taxation

This course was a 3 unit survey of the federal income tax system, and an intensive version of the normal Introduction to Federal Income Taxation course, offered exclusively to LLM students. The course was taught by Professor Steven Bank who conducted the class primarily though lectures guided by writing important notes on the classroom whiteboard. Professor Bank was a really great lecturer and had a great sense of humor that got us through the course! The grade for this course was based on an open-book take-home final examination, with 3 major essay questions covering multiple topics we studied over the semester. We had no “cold calls” for this class, but Professor Bank was very open to participation from the class.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and Acquisitions is a 3-unit survey course that examines the basic legal aspects of corporate mergers and acquisitions. The class was a purely lecture and PowerPoint based class taught by THE Professor Stephen Bainbridge. This class had no participation component and 100% of the class grade was from a multiple choice open-book take-home final exam. M&A was the class that I had gotten into with the least amount of prior knowledge about the subject from my J.D. degree and prior work experience, which I was nervous about, but I had left learning the most important concepts and getting a good grasp of the practice. Professor Bainbridge was excellent in making sure that we were not only learning the concepts but how it would be applied in practice and how to become familiar with coordinating legal and business considerations to achieve optimal client outcomes in a transactional setting.

International Business Transactions

IBT is a 3-unit course that analyzes aspects of public international economic law, the legal framework of private international business transactions, and observes the changes in law governing international business transactions. The class was taught by Professor Richard Steinberg through a mix of lectures and supplemental problems which we would either solve together as a class, or a small team of 3-4 of us would be assigned to a specific problem and would be primarily responsible for its analysis. This class was my only class this semester that had a relatively smaller class size, with a good ratio of both J.D and LL.M. students. Professor Steinberg really encouraged participation in class discussions and because of the smaller class size, this was the class where I felt the most pressure to come into class fully prepared. We were graded based on our performance on the final examination (90%) and class participation (10%).

Hope that run down gave you a good sense of how my classes went. Overall it was a challenging but fulfilling semester and I can’t believe how quickly it flew by! On to Spring 2022!

[uclallm21]

Thanksgiving Weekend

Let me begin by greeting you a very happy holiday season! As you might know, Thanksgiving is a very special holiday in the United States. It is an annual holiday that celebrates the harvest and blessings the past year. It came as surprise to me how heavily celebrated thanksgiving was out here, as we don’t have the same holiday back in the Philippines and primarily devote the “ber” months to awaiting and celebrating Christmas.

In light of the holiday spirit, UCLA warmly invited the LL.M. and S.J.D. students for drinks and Thanksgiving themed hors d’oeuvres. The Thanksgiving Reception was held last November 22nd, at the beautiful Shapiro Courtyard.

The event was a really nice way for the cohort to get together and take a breather away from our classes. We were extremely thankful to the law school for holding the event to celebrate and have us participate in the Thanksgiving tradition.

From November 25th until the weekend, the school had closed for Thanksgiving break. Typically, the holiday is spent spending time with family and friends and indulging in quintessential Thanksgiving food and I did just that! I spent the rest of my Thanksgiving weekend with a few of my relatives by the beautiful shores of Oceanside California!

It was definitely a memorable first Thanksgiving for me. To you dear reader, I hope you have much to be thankful for this year! Til next time!

[uclallm21]

The First Final

To be completely honest, I was nervous leading up to my very first exam at UCLA Law. For this particular subject, the final exam constitutes 95% of our grade. Knowing that my entire grade pretty much depended on this exam placed a lot of pressure to prepare. In my law school in the Philippines, most of our subjects would administer a midterm and a final exam which would give you a second chance to pull up your grade. In addition to that, it was my first time to encounter a law exam that was purely in MCQ format. I was used to essay exams, given that the Philippine bar exam is administered in an essay format, my law school professors mirrored that for our law school exams. Although I was skeptical about this new format, it did make sense that the test was MCQ, to accustom ourselves on how the U.S. bar exam would be administered.

I began preparing for the exam a week before the test. I first went through my own personal outline/notes from the class and cross referenced my notes with a passed down outline from upperclassmen. I then reviewed the powerpoints from the class and then did sample questions from past exams to gauge how prepared I was. From there, I made a little “quick sheet” of the most important things to know for the exam, as it can take some time to go through your book or outline during an open notes exam. I found my little “quick sheet” particularly helpful when I was taking it. After going through all the materials, I quickly skimmed through them again for a second time. (I’m usually a 2-3 reads kind of student, before I feel adequately prepared)

When you enter your designated exam room, the proctors provide you with the questionnaire and a few sheets of scratch paper. The test was administered electronically so you would refer to the questions on your questionnaire and then input your answers on the Examplify software. Prior to the exam, we were sent an email with instructions on how to install the software required. I found the Examplify software incredibly easy to navigate and had no issues with it while taking the exam.

We were given 2 hours and 45 minutes for a 60 point exam and it was open notes and open book. If your first law degree was not administered in the English language, you are given an extra 55 minutes to take the exam. While almost 3 hours is a decent amount of time, I felt challenged to manage my time while taking the test, as it was tempting to look through my notes to validate my answers. Further, a good number of the questions on the test had a long and detailed set of facts which took some time to go through. The questions were a mix of purely direct and objective questions, to legal theory, and questions that required more factual and legal analysis. It was definitely not an “easy” test, but I thought it was challenging yet fair.

While I have yet to find out how I did on the exam, I was extremely proud of myself to get through my first exam at UCLA! Wish me luck on the results and the rest of my exams! Jillian

[uclallm21]

Law School Cross-Over: UVA

A couple weekends ago, I paid a visit to my brother who is pursuing his MBA at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, CA. For the benefit of those looking into the LL.M. Program offered at UVA School of Law, I quickly swung by to capture some pictures of the campus!

UVA is ranked as the Top 8th law school by the U.S. News, and offers a General LL.M. Program. If you’re looking for a smaller class size and peaceful environment, I would say the UVA LL.M. Program would be a great fit for you. Another benefit would be the proximity to Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and New York, if you wish to take the bar exam or seek employment in those areas after the program. I was unable to finesse my way inside the campus (due to covid restrictions) but the façade was beautiful, especially during this fall season!

I was able to roam the campus at night as well and it was breathtaking!

Here are some extra photos of the main “grounds”. Fun fact: Thomas Jefferson founded UVA and the campus is well known for its Jeffersonian architecture.

Til next time!

[uclallm21]

UCLA New Graduate Student Welcome

On Tuesday, September 23, 2021, the UCLA Department of Graduate Education held a welcome festival for all incoming first and second year graduate and professional school students. The welcome festival was held from 4:00-7:00 pm (perfect golden hour!) at the UCLA Wilson Plaza.

At the event, we were formally welcomed by the Dean of Graduate Education, Susan L. Ettner, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Monroe Gorden, and the President of the Graduate Students Association, Francis Jimoh.

UCLA has a number of graduate departments such as the UCLA Law School, Anderson School of Business, David Geffen School of Medicine, Fielding School of Public Health, Herb Alpert School of Music, UCLA Dentistry, UCLA Arts and Architecture, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, UCLA Humanities, UCLA International Studies, and many others that cover multiple fields of study!

We were treated to an unlimited supply of sandwiches, grain bowls, salad bowls, chips, ice cream, kettle corn, a variety of juices, and I even got to sneak in some cookies in my bag to go! Aside from indulging in the food, there was also a raffle, photobooths, game booths, and a DJ to make the event extra lively!

Overall it was a great event and was amazing seeing all the UCLA graduate students come together! Go bruins!

[uclallm21]

My first two weeks at UCLA!

August 11th, 2021, my first day at the UCLA School of Law! Before our classes "formally" began, the Office of Graduate Studies crafted a week and a half long orientation program to help us transition into our year at UCLA.

Our morning started at the beautiful Shapiro Courtyard where we picked up our orientation packets and were treated to a spread of coffee, tea, pastries and fruits.

We were then formally welcomed by the Vice Dean for Graduate and Professional Education and UCLA Law professor, Russel Korobkin, who promised us an amazing year ahead! Vice Dean Korobkin informed us that our cohort comprised of 233 students from 39 different countries and it felt amazing to know that I was part of such a diverse group of professionals.

After the welcome remarks, we broke out into three sections and had our first session of Law 470 – American Law in a Global Context. Law 470 is a two-unit mandatory class for all LL.M. students with a first law degree conferred outside of the United States.

Once it hit noon, we were treated to a picnic lunch in the scenic Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. The graduate staff provided us with picnic blankets, a delicious packed lunch and refreshments. It was the perfect venue to sit down, enjoy our food, and get to know our peers whom we will be spending the next year with!

After lunch we were led on a tour of campus! Fun fact: many Hollywood movies were filmed on the UCLA campus, including one of my personal favorites, Legally Blonde (of course!)

Ironically, on our first day, there was a row of trailers parked outside the law school for the filming of an upcoming Hulu series: “The Dropout”. Talk about a true LA welcome!

From August 12th-15th, we continued to have sessions of Law 470 from 9 to 12 AM. I found that the class was particularly helpful in easing us through the U.S. legal system and covered sufficient introductory principles. Aside from the sessions during orientation, we are scheduled to meet up for 3 class sessions within the fall semester.

On the afternoon of the 13th, the graduate studies staff set up a beach party for all the LL.M.’s to get together. It was a lovely afternoon in Santa Monica and was a great opportunity to get to know our classmates further and bond through playing games by the beach. When the sun started to set, most of the LL.M’s stayed in the area to grab dinner and drinks and explore downtown Santa Monica!

From August 16th to the 19th, we shifted venues from the law school to the Korn Convocation Hall found in the Anderson School of Business.

At Korn hall they held multiple sessions covering the following:

- Introduction to U.S. Legal Research and Legal Research Training

- Tips and Resources for Academic Success

- Meet-up Session with Current UCLA Students

- Bar Exam Information, Advice and Q&A

- Diversity Debrief

- Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention Training

- Specialization Sessions

- Introduction to the Law Library and Lawnet Information Technology

To close out the orientation program, all the LL.M. and incoming 1L J.D. students assembled at the south entrance of the law school and were led to a procession to the Dickson Courtyard for a Convocation Ceremony.

At the Ceremony, Dean Jennifer Mnookin and distinguished guest speakers shared beautiful anecdotes and gave us a very warm welcome to the UCLA Law community!

We closed out the ceremony by taking our Oath of Professionalism, which was the perfect way to end the week and officially signal ourselves as law students! Until next time!