Why you decided to attend Santa Clara University School of Law?
Initially, it was the proximity to the San Francisco 49ers Headquarters; I was in contact with the operations department regarding employment following undergrad. However at the time of the decision, I only applied to three schools (was accepted to two) and Santa Clara made the most sense financially.

Legal field of interest: Politics, Entertainment, Criminal

Undergrad / Location / Year: University of California, San Diego, 2006 graduate in Economics and Sports Management

Ethnicity: Irish Catholic

Occupation: Manager of the rock band, The Vein

Relationship status: Single

Current Course List: Contracts, Property, LARAW, Criminal Law, and Civil Procedure

Extracurricular activities (currently/past):  Past: Varsity Football and Baseball at El Cerrito High School, 7 years of Judo, during community college I played one year of semi-pro baseball. Currently I am a first year class representative.

Your take on first year: Love it thus far. Administration tells you how stressful first year can be and you come in preparing for the worst… but I actually enjoy the challenge and have been lucky to make close friends over a short period of time. Besides, I am too blessed to be stressed.

Typical daily schedule: 

What you did last summer: Ran a 27-show tour with The Vein, stretching from San Francisco to New York City and back.

Average time studying per week: Weekdays: 6-7 hours. Weekends: 3-4 hours.

Last few social events attended: Oktoberfest in San Francisco, a couple pub nights out in Palo Alto, and a pool party in Santa Clara.

How is the life of a 1L different from life as an undergrad?
It’s different in respect to where you and your peers are at in life. Most students in undergrad are making enormous strides as human beings: for some it’s their first time away from home, first time experiencing drugs and alcohol, new experiences, etc. That development is very prevalent with undergrads, whether it is unconscious or conscious. In law school everyone is a bit more grounded, not to say that law school students don’t party, but everyone (or most) in law school has a better idea about who they are as human beings based on their experiences and are focused on developing themselves in a professional sense.

What do you miss about undergrad the most / least?
Most: The challenge of becoming the first University of California student to graduate with a Sports Management major… that experience had an everyday cloud hanging over me and it was one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, the fish tacos.

Least: Mid-terms.

What school projects are you currently working on or thinking about?
Outlines. Also, I am studying for the GMATs and will be applying to the business program early next year in hopes of pursuing the JD/MBA.

General comments about SCU: Great weather, friendly students, respected professors and administration… it’s a sample of law school but I am very pleased thus far.

Your take on study groups: Find one that contains students that are smarter than you.

Your take on outlining: I hope mine work.

What is the biggest "myth" about law school? I didn’t give much thought about going to law school so I didn’t hear a lot of myths. I guess the biggest myth is that you can’t or should not work in law school. Everyone asked me how I was going continue to manage The Vein and it’s really not that difficult for me… obviously I have to delegate a lot more responsibility than in the past and it helps that I create my own hours but if you look at my above schedule you’ll notice that there isn’t one moment of TV and cutting that out of my life has enabled me to continue to do a job I love.