UCSD - University of California - San Diego
12/03/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/03/2024 04:05
Pathway to Law School Via Krinsk-Houston Law and Politics Initiative
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December 03, 2024Story by:
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Growing up in Menifee, a small city in Riverside County, Megan Chubb '22 was intrigued by the fictional lawyers she saw on TV and in the movies. As she grew older, her fascination with lawyers in pop culture crystallized into a strong interest in becoming a lawyer herself. The first in her family to attend college, she transferred to UC San Diego from San Jacinto Community College and graduated in 2022 with a degree in political science and public law. She is now pursuing her law degree at Pepperdine University.
Chubb credits her admission to law school and successful first year to the Krinsk-Houston Law and Politics Initiative, the pre-law program housed within the UC San Diego Department of Political Science. She took classes from the initiative's director Professor Maysa Nichter who introduced her to the IRAC (issue, reasoning, application and conclusion) method of legal reasoning. She gained exposure to legal writing, discussed case law, and soaked up information and inspiration from the initiative's workshops and panels featuring lawyers from the community. When she entered Pepperdine Law School in the fall of '23, she felt ready and prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.
Megan Chubb
"I feel like UC San Diego and the Law and Politics Initiative really helped me," said Chubb, who wants to become a corporate lawyer. "Professor Nichter was very encouraging, especially when we were having a hard time. She made the material so easy to understand. To this day, I remember everything she taught me. To anyone who tells me that they are interested in going into law, I tell them to go to UC San Diego."
The Krinsk-Houston Law and Politics Initiative was founded in the Department of Political Science in 2016 to provide UC San Diego students a robust and well-rounded pre-law experience. It is named after Jeffrey Krinsk, CEO and co-founder of Finkelstein & Krinsk, LLP, and a former trustee of the UC San Diego Foundation, and Alan Houston, an internationally recognized legal scholar and a professor emeritus who served the Department of Political Science for 28 years.
A student-focused program
Since she became the director of the Law and Politics Initiative in 2020, Nichter's stewardship of the program has been defined by vivid memories of her own undergraduate years at UCLA and at UC Berkeley School of Law.
Maysa Nichter
"Like so many of us who attend large undergraduate institutions, and especially for those of us who perhaps did not have someone close to confide in and gain wisdom and direction from, we suddenly enter a world where, while opportunities are endless, we seek community and connection," Nichter said. "I was eager for a challenge, yet I also felt like I was a fish out of water."
Inspired by this common sentiment, especially among those first in their families to pursue law school, Nichter was determined to equip her motivated students with the skills, mindset and sense of community to thrive in law school. In addition to its own programs, the Law and Politics Initiative also supports and partners on programming with a several UC San Diego's pre-law student organizations, including Moot Court, the Undergraduate Law Review, Kappa Alpha Pi, the Pre-Law Coalition and the Society of Hispanics in Law (SOHIL). Classes taught by Nichter and adjunct faculty enable students to experience the style and content of law school classes.
"It was a slightly different time then, but I gained so much inspiration and confidence in my own path by sitting in on UCLA law school lectures and studying at the law library while still an undergraduate at UCLA," Nichter said. "Through these law school-inspired courses, I hope we give our students valuable exposure and familiarity with essential skills before they set foot into their first law school lecture."
Opportunities for students to meet and engage with practicing lawyers from a variety of specializations including civil litigation, corporate, and intellectual property law to family, immigration, and criminal law, come through events such as Kappa Alpha Phi's Attorney Networking Night and Law School Mixer. Students also have access to workshops on LSAT prep, writing personal statements, and various other law school admission-related topics. They have opportunities to network and engage with law students and lawyers practicing at government agencies, private law firms, public interest organizations, and within corporations.
Other events throughout the academic year are designed to give students a close-up look at the profession. These include Law School Launch, a day-long event where students mingle with current law students, visit a downtown courthouse and district attorney's office to meet judges, public defenders and DAs. Beginning in 2025, the Initiative will offer a new program, Law School in Action, a day trip to USD School of Law to observe law school lectures, tour law clinics and connect with law school faculty and students.
Student groups like Society of Hispanic Students in Law (SOHIL) and Black Voices at UC San Diego have also collaborated with Nichter to host events such as "Connect and Reflect", a panel to discuss the law school experience and the legal profession, as well as SOHIL's full-day law school conference.
The Krinsk-Houston Law and Politics Initiative allowed me to connect my life and professional experience with academia. I have always been passionate about helping others and I have learned that the law and government directly impact our communities. My interest in pursuing this field has heightened as I continue to learn that using my knowledge and legal degree is a way that I can be a vessel for my family and my community. Marysol Valdez '24
Inspiring role models
One speaker that Nichter has welcomed to campus as a guest lecturer and panelist is Nabil Issa '94. Issa earned his degree in political science from the School of Social Sciences and has been a supporter of the Law and Politicsprogram since its inception. He has shown up for students as a mentor, advisor and sounding board on topics ranging from how to prepare for the LSAT to finding their niche in the legal field. He meets students one-on-one over coffees and lunches to share with them his experiences as a law student at the University of Pennsylvania and the trajectory of his career from newly minted law school grad to managing partner in the Middle East offices of the international law firm King & Spalding.
Like many students in the Law and Politics Initiative, Issa grew up in a household where there were no lawyers and he knew little about the legal field when he began applying to law school.
"There are lots of incredibly smart students at UC San Diego," he said. "They may not have a role model at home or opportunities to hear from real professionals. Rather than relying on 'I think I know what a lawyer does,' it's very impactful for students to hear from practicing lawyers - folks who work in law firms, in-house counsels, people who work in the government as public prosecutors, even 'reformed lawyers' - people who went to law school but made their careers in real estate or business."
Nabil Issa '94, pictured far right, is a managing partner in the Middle East offices of the international law firm King & Spalding. He is a guest lecturer, mentor and sounding board to UC San Diego pre-law students.
Ojas Sandhu '24, who graduated with a degree in political science from the School of Social Sciences and history from the School of Arts and Humanities, is among those who has benefited from Issa's guidance while he was a student at UC San Diego. As one of the founding members of the student-led Moot Court, a campus club dedicated to the competitive speaking sport that simulates appellate court hearings, Sandhu soughtguidance from Issa on how to grow and develop the program.
"Nabil was so generous in his willingness to give us help and support because we were such a new organization," Sandhu said. "We had really good conversations and he was extraordinarily helpful with his support to keep us going."
Growing up in Davis, Calif., Sandhu had always harbored a strong interest in a law career. When he entered UC San Diego, he found access to a range of resources under the umbrella of the Law and Politics Initiative. He is now in the process of applying to law school.
"The Law and Politics Initiative is the most helpful thing for any student who's considering getting into the field of law," Sandhu said. "I highly recommend that they check out the initiative's website or talk to one of the program leaders because it's super helpful in figuring out if law is the correct path for you. It was really instrumental in helping me figure out that this is what I want to do."
For many students, the initiative is also opening doors to law-adjacent careers like finance. Briona Chata '24, a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, is an example. Chata, who grew up in the desert city of Palmdale, Calif., graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in political science. She had the opportunity to meet and hear from practicing lawyers from various specializations speak with passion about their work. Those conversations opened her eyes to the field of finance, something she had not considered before. Now stationed in Hawaii as a second lieutenant, Chata has responsibilities for budgeting, accounting and other financial management functions.
UC San Diego Moot Court co-founder Ojas Sandhu '24, pictured second from left in the front row, says the team benefited from the mentorship and advice from Nabil Issa who took a keen interest in helping to grow the program.
Briona Chata
Chata's work requires her to read, absorb and process complex information on a daily basis. That's where her experience in the Law and Politics Intiativeis proving to be valuable, she said.
"When we read documents in our classes, we were not just glancing over them," Chata said. "We were critically thinking about it. Those skills are very valuable to my job as a finance officer reading legal forms. We have to be really methodical. That's something I learned in my major."
Marysol Valdez
Other alumni of the Law and Politics Initiative are following their passion to work in public policy. Among them is Marysol Valdez 24', a first-generation college student from Fresno who has always had an interest in helping others. She found an opportunity to make a difference as a legal intern and fellow with JusticeCorps, a California Americorps program that trains students to provide support to those representing themselves. Valdez helped litigants complete legal forms, assisted with community legal education workshops, provided referrals and listened to people's stories. Her experiences deepened her understanding of the judicial system and helped her realize how a law education could help her make a difference.
"Even today, the legal and political systems remain confusing for many families who are often unaware of the free programs available to assist them or the paid staff in political offices at the local, state, and federal levels who are ready to hear their concerns," Valdez said.
As a political science major, Valdez immersed herself in the offerings of the Law and Politics Initiative to gain a solid foundation in legal and analytical thinking. She served as co-president of the Society of the UC San Diego Hispanic Students in Law and collaborated with Nichter and other campus groups to host the first Law School Conference to demystify the law school application process for all prospective law students UC San Diego. Upon graduation from UC San Diego, Valdez was accepted into the California Capital Executive Fellowship, a one-year public policy fellowship in Sacramento that offers experiences in policymaking and development. As a Capital Fellow, Valdez will work with lawmakers on policy development and implementation across the state.
"The Krinsk-Houston Law and Politics Initiative allowed me to connect my life and professional experience with academia," Valdez said. "I have always been passionate about helping others and I have learned that the law and government directly impact our communities. My interest in pursuing this field has heightened as I continue to learn that using my knowledge and legal degree is a way that I can be a vessel for my family and my community."
The Society of Hispanic Students in Law is one of the student groups in the pre-law community that's active in supporting its members with programming such as workshops and conferences.