Our students are bright, intellectually curious, and remarkably collegial. They come to Berkeley to experience a rich curriculum and a supportive learning environment, and to learn the law under a grading system that encourages them to compete with themselves, rather than against one another. We don’t give traditional letter grades, we don’t calculate GPAs, and we don’t rank students numerically. Miss a class, and by the end of the day, several sets of notes will probably arrive by email. Our students aren’t here to prove things, they’re here to learn things. And they’re great about sharing what they know.
Outside of the classroom, our students are extremely engaged and involved in many activities, from our Student-Initiated Law Service Projects (SLPs) and clinics, to our award-winning advocacy competition teams and student-run journals. In addition, we have more than 50 student organizations— focused on everything from entrepreneurship and privacy law to diversity and faith. Browse our student organizations list for more information. We invite you to read about the work our students are doing, below.
Student Ambassadors
Do you want to connect with a current student? Our admissions ambassadors are current 2Ls and 3Ls and are happy to talk about their experience at Berkeley Law and their journey to law school. Feel free to email them directly if you have any questions.
Admissions Ambassadors
Marah Ajilat, 3L (she/her)
Hometown: Madaba, Jordan
Prior Education: Oberlin College '21, BA in Politics
Areas of Interest: Business/Start Up, International/Comparative, Technology/ IP
Ask Me About:
1) Startup Law Initiative
2) Being an international J.D.
3) Practicing in the Bay Area
Email: lawambassador1@berkeley.edu
Noa Bronicki, 2L (she/her)
Hometown: Los Altos, CA
Prior Education: Georgetown University '23, BA in Government and Economics
Areas of Interest: Constitutional/Regulatory, Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) Public interest law, particularly education, youth, or civil rights law
2) Going straight to law school
3) Berkeley Law organizations like the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law or the Foster Education and Disability Rights Project SLPs
Email: lawambassador2@berkeley.edu
Thomas Chafin, 3L (he/him)
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Prior Education: Davidson College '18, BA in Political Science
Areas of Interest: Criminal Justice, Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) Moving here from the East Coast (particularly the South!)
2) Taking time between college and law school
3) Balancing one's interest in a public interest career and a career with a private law firm
Email: lawambassador3@berkeley.edu
Kennedy Edwards, 3L (she/her)
Hometown: Houston, TX
Prior Education: Howard University '22, BA in Political Science
Areas of Interest: Constitutional/Regulatory, Environmental and Energy, Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) The Law Students of African Descent (LSAD)
2) The Contra Costa Reentry Project (CORE)
3) Being a Henderson Center for Social Justice Scholar
Email: lawambassador4@berkeley.edu
Tim Dabrowski, 3L (he/him)
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Prior Education: University of Arizona '20, BS in Physiology
Areas of Interest: Business/Start Up, Technology/ IP
Ask Me About:
1) Biotechnology law
2) Moving from Arizona to Berkeley
3) Being the first in your family to attend law school
Email: lawambassador5@berkeley.edu
Rebecca Goren, 2L (she/her)
Hometown: Carmel, CA
Prior Education: Cal Poly, SLO '21, BA in Sociology & Comparative Ethnic Studies
Areas of Interest: Criminal Justice, Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) Trial Team
2) Finding your footing in law school
3) Postconviction work
Email: lawambassador6@berkeley.edu
Davanna Howell-McFarlane, 2L (she/her)
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Prior Education: UCSB '18, BA in Political Science and Sociology, minor in Japanese
Areas of Interest: Business/Start Up, Constitutional/Regulatory, Criminal Justice, Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) Student-Initiated Legal Service Projects (SLPs) and Journals
2) Taking time off before law school (I took 5 years off)
3) Being the first lawyer in my family
Email: lawambassador7@berkeley.edu
Shiwani Joshi, 2L (she/her)
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Prior Education: UC Berkeley '21, BA in Political Science and Minor in Public Policy
Areas of Interest: Business/Start Up
Ask Me About:
1) Moving to the Bay Area
2) Pro Bono work, like Student-Initiated Legal Service Projects (SLPs)
3) Affinity Groups, particularly APALSA (AAPI), SALSA (South Asian), and Queer Caucus
Email: lawambassador8@berkeley.edu
Edlene Miguel, 3L (she/her)
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Prior Education: University of Virginia '18, Master of Computer Science
Mary Baldwin University '16, BS in Applied Mathematics, minor in Music
Areas of Interest: Business/Start Up, Technology/ IP
Ask Me About:
1) Going to graduate school and working before law school
2) Being part of the vibrant technology law community (Berkeley Technology Law Journal; IP Law Society; Women in Technology Law; Board of Advocates Tech & IP Team; Legal Automation Workshop SLP; Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic; being a BCLT Scholar)
3) Getting integrated into the SF Bay Area legal market
Email: lawambassador9@berkeley.edu
Tommy Jung, 2L (he/him)
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Prior Education: UC San Diego '21, BS in Political Science: Data Analytics
Areas of Interest: Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) Pro bono work
2) Real Estate/Land Use/Housing
3) Arts and culture in the Bay Area
Email: lawambassador10@berkeley.edu
Abby Neal, 2L (she/her)
Hometown: Kansas City, KS
Prior Education: University of Kansas '21, BS in Environmental Science, BGS in Political Science
Areas of Interest: Environmental and Energy, Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) Public interest environmental law
2) Immigrants' rights and climate pro bono projects
3) Coming from the Midwest
Email: lawambassador11@berkeley.edu
Pablo Orozco, 3L (he/him)
Hometown: Riverside, CA
Prior Education: UCLA '22, BA in Political Science and Chicano/a Studies, Minor in Spanish
Areas of Interest: Business/Start Up
Ask Me About:
1) Affinity Group Involvement, like La Alianza Law Students of Latin America
2) Being involved in clinics
3) My MABA Judicial Externship with Honorable Judge Jesus Bernal, Federal District Court for the Central District of California
Email: lawambassador12@berkeley.edu
Ryan Pinch, 2L (he/him)
Hometown: Wakefield, RI
Prior Education: United States Naval Academy '18, BS in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Areas of Interest: Constitutional/Regulatory, Criminal Justice, International/Comparative
Ask Me About:
1) Ask me about Student-Initiated Legal Service Projects (SLPs)
2) Adjusting back to school after five years of work experience
3) Adjusting to the Bay Area as someone from New England
Email: lawambassador13@berkeley.edu
Filmore Thomas, IV, 2L (he/him)
Hometown: Macon, Georgia
Prior Education: Fort Valley State University '19 Math/Computer Science
Areas of Interest: Constitutional/Regulatory, Criminal Justice, Social Justice/Public Interest
Ask Me About:
1) Creating your own opportunities via SLPs and BLASTs
2) Transitioning to law school from a non-traditional background
3) Pursuing legal opportunities in the South
Email: lawambassador14@berkeley.edu
Nina Zhang, 3L (she/her)
Hometown: Shenyang, China
Prior Education: Wellesley College '21, BA in Economics
Areas of Interest: Technology/ IP
Ask Me About:
1) Journey of navigating a "major" (interest), and then convincing people of my interest in patent litigation without having a technical background (EASIER than I thought!)
2) Deciding what to put on my plate, choosing from all the orgs, clinics, externships, journals, etc. opportunities available since 1L year, AND trying to manage a spilling plate
3) Enjoying the Berkeley weather (including the one month rain!), coming from essentially the East Coast
Email: lawambassador15@berkeley.edu
Student Spotlights
Berkeley Law’s student body is a community of young professionals whose passions and talents make this an incredibly vibrant place to learn the practice, purpose, and power of law for the public good. Get to know some of them below, and more here.
