Ray Liaw, Class of 2008
Hometown: Edmonds, WA
Education: BA University of Washington
Why I chose UWLS:
- One of the few law schools that offer a Masters in Public Administration/JD concurrent degree program
- A top ranked school
- Phenomenal resources located in the heart of a top ranked research university
My sights were definitely focused on the UW. Number one, their reputation in the whole west coast, the northwest region is outstanding, it is what I consider to be number one, so it was my number one choice if I chose to stay in this area, which I ultimately did.
And then the program that the UW had to offer – I specifically was looking for a joint degree program with either a masters degree in public affairs, masters in public policy focused, and the UW was one of the few schools actually, in the nation that offers a joint program that's established and so when I was accepted at the UW, the fates aligned and it was perfect because I could stay in my home community, I could go to the top ranked school within the area, and I could get that program that I was looking for.
The summer after my 1L year I was very fortunate to receive a diversity fellowship to work at a large law firm. I worked at the firm of Dorsey and Whitney. That was an absolute incredible experience. I really got to refine the skills at that first summer that I built up over the first year that, frankly, I didn't even know I had. I came in expecting to be the summer associate who, you know, would need a lot of mentoring because I had just gone through one year and all of my colleagues had gone through two years of law school. But I was really impressed at how much I was able to accomplish in that summer. My writing skills were well commended and my ability to provide legal analysis that, you know, a year ago I would have had no idea what I was talking about. It was even surprising to me. And so that was a great feeling.
I would say that the UW offers I think a really perfect blend of high quality, high caliber education in a public institution where I think the resources are just absolutely phenomenal. The university itself, outside of just Gates Hall here is outstanding. We're a major research university. There are incredible opportunities to take classes off campus with dozens of amazing graduate departments.
And that's not to mention the law school which in and of itself, we have an incredible research facility, we have outstanding professors who really not only know what they're talking about, but who actually feel absolutely passionate about it and finally, I've talk a lot about the support of the community. I think this is an incredibly supportive law school with regards to the students and I think that's something that continues from year to year and that's probably the number one reason to come to the UW.