"Got a Minute?" with Rachel Holland, 1L

Welcome to UW Law’s “Got a Minute?” series. These are fun, short-answer interviews with 20 rapid-fire questions. We’ll find students throughout William H. Gates Hall as they study, wait for class or hangout with their classmates.

This week’s “Got a Minute?” interview is with Rachel Holland, 1L.

UW Law: What was the first case you were cold called on, and how did it go?

Rachel Holland (RH): My first cold call was not actually a case. The first day of law school we had a hypothetical in Professor Feldman’s civ pro class where we were on an island trying to set up what we thought jurisdiction between islands would look like. I didn't do horrible, but I was definitely a little confused at the start.

UW Law: Who was the first classmate you met?

RH: I went to a law student mixer over the summer and I met my friend, Sheryl Suresh.

UW Law: Which classroom is better, room 133 or 138?

RH: 133.

UW Law: Which professor would you recommend to host SNL?

RH: Feldman.

UW Law: Without looking, how many glass structures are in the courtyard?

RH: Three.

UW Law: There’s four.

RH: There’s four? Oh no!

UW Law: What's your favorite part of the library to hang out in?

RH: There's a lounge on the upper level where you can talk. So, I go there with my friends.

UW Law: What does IRAC, CRAC, or any other acronym that your LARW professor may use, mean?

RH: We're using CRAC. So, conclusion, rule, application and then conclusion.

UW Law: Name the first Latin term that comes to your mind and what it means.

RH: Prima facie case, based on the facts.

UW Law: Which class have you laughed the most in?

RH: Honestly, probably Feldman.

UW Law: Where's your favorite spot on the UW campus, excluding William H. Gates Hall?

RH: I would say maybe Red Square, because it's easy to meet people and it's kind of fun watching people.

UW Law: How many different Law & Order TV shows have there been?

RH: I've never seen Law & Order [Laughs]. I don't know, seven?

UW Law: Close, eight. Tell us something you learned in class that blew your mind.

RH: I think a lot of torts negligence cases are really interesting. I had an idea of what, for example, medical malpractice would look like before going in, but after listening to cases there's a lot of rules, there's a lot more of a logical structure, but I guess I didn't think too much about how that would apply. Like, “Oh, it's negligence. Somebody did something wrong. It caused this, and there's damages,” but there's more of a distinct structure. And I think it's really interesting to take cases that you're like, “I have no idea how to approach this,” but then you’re able to break it down using that structure.

UW Law: What's your favorite time slot for a class?

RH: Honestly, my earliest class is at 10:30 but I'm a morning person, so I almost wish I'd had the 9:30 slot. If I could just not have any afternoon classes and just have them in the morning, that would be perfect.

UW Law: Where's your favorite spot to get a bite of food?

RH: I'm still going through that, but I would say I go to H Mart and Boba Up the most.

UW Law: If you could host a fireside chat with one professor on anything, who would it be and on what?

RH: I would say Sanken. I would probably talk to her about writing outside of legal writing. I’m curious if she's ever done creative writing or anything like that.

UW Law: What was the most recent class you attended?

RH: Torts with Calo. I just got out of it.

UW Law: What was a highlight from that class?

RH: We were talking about whether a cut head trauma could cause skin cancer. So, that was a case of negligence, of a plaintiff’s cut that hadn't healed for two or three years, and then also, coincidentally, the same spot developed skin cancer. We were discussing if that negligence had caused the skin cancer.

UW Law: How old is UW?

RH: 125 years.

UW Law: Yes! Correct. Is there a figure in the local legal community that you look up to and admire?

RH: Yeah, Kitty-Ann van Doorninck. She was a judge in Tacoma for family law cases and also my neighbor. Super amazing. And she volunteers at a legal aid office in Tacoma. I worked there for a little bit, and so she’s been a bit of an inspiration for me.

UW Law: What area of law would you like to pursue after you receive your JD?

RH: I haven't really decided. There’s quite a few. I'm interested in international law. Right now, with all of the classes I'm taking, I'm thinking civil litigation would be fun. I’ve thought about IP, but I don't have a ton of technical background, so that would be something I'd have to explore more, but we'll see.