"Got a Minute?" with Jazzlynn Woods, 1L

Welcome to the second season of UW Law’s “Got a Minute?” series. Like last year, we’ll find students throughout William H. Gates Hall and ask them 20 questions about their law school experience, a bit about themselves and occasionally drop in a pop quiz or two.

This week, we’re featuring Jazzlynn Woods, a first-year J.D. student.

UW Law: Are you originally from Seattle, and if not, where?

Jazzlynn Woods (JW): I'm from Burlington, Washington, about an hour north of Seattle.

UW Law: What's one interesting fact about where you're from?

JW: Well, not Burlington, but Mount Vernon, which is the neighboring town. I spent several years there, and they have the Tulip Festival every year. And people come from Canada and all throughout the state to see the tulips.

UW Law: Where did you earn your undergraduate degree?

JW: UW.

UW Law: Did you take time off between undergrad and law school?

JW: Yes, I took almost three years off working at the Racial Restrictive Covenants Project here in Seattle in the history department and then as a legal assistant downtown.

UW Law: Why did you decide to go to law school?

JW: I saw my family experience a lot of interactions with the criminal justice system, and I saw the ways in which people didn't believe in the legal system and didn't think that it could advocate for them. When I was working at the Racial Restrictive Covenants Project, we publicized the existence of racial restrictive covenants and the lasting legacy those covenants have on people of color in King County and Washington more broadly. I was able to see that through advocating for this cause and through doing this work, we could make people believe in the legal system again, because ultimately, we were able to present research to help pass legislation that provides people who were victims of these covenants, or their families, with down payment assistance to buy homes, which was a really big deal.

UW Law: Which state has produced the most Supreme Court justices?

JW: California?

UW Law: Good guess, but it’s New York with 15. What’s one thing you wish you had known before your first day of law school?

JW: Before I started, I was worried that I wouldn't like the material itself — that it would be too hard and I couldn't grasp it. But I think the hardest thing about law school is the sheer amount of time that's required of you. You spend so much time preparing for class, preparing for finals, preparing for job applications, for job interviews, going to networking events, going to RSO events, etc. And so it's just very demanding of your time.

So, I wish I had spent less time thinking I wasn’t able to grasp the material and more time preparing my schedule or making good time management habits.

UW Law: Which professor would you pick to join you for trivia night?

JW: Professor Feldman. He's my favorite.

UW Law: Do you have any big plans for summer?

JW: I'll be working at Carney Badley Spellman in downtown, which I'm excited about because I’ll be doing all different kinds of work — appellate, transactional and civil litigation. It’ll help me get a better sense of things.

UW Law: What's one thing you think every visitor to Seattle should go see or do?

JW: People love downtown, but I love Fremont. I think Fremont is very cute. There are lots of different kinds of foods and beverages you can have down there, and you can still see the water. Or the Ballard Locks because I love the water and you can see the seals sometimes.

UW Law: In 30 seconds, list as many UW Law professors as you can. Go!

JW: Feldman, Calo, Calandrillo, Nguyen, Fan, Lombardi, Manheim, Porter, Sanford, Owens.

UW Law: 10! Nicely done. What's been your favorite case to read so far?

JW: I really liked the civ pro cases Iqbal and Twombly that heightened the pleading standards and how a lot of cases don't survive summary judgment. They weren't the most factually interesting ones, but the ones I think about the most.

UW Law: What's the most unexpected thing you've learned about yourself while being a law student?

JW: I can go with the flow more than I thought I could. These last two quarters, I've been pretty good when things don't go as planned — like adjusting to or making a new plan on the fly, rather than being bummed my first plan didn’t work out.

UW Law: What advice would you give incoming 1L students?

JW: Prepare to be overwhelmed with so much stuff to do when there's not enough time in the day to do it. Start making your routine. Start planning your days. Start thinking about what time management looks like for you.

UW Law: Do you have a favorite law-related TV show or movie, and if so, which one?

JW: I really like Lincoln Lawyer. I've heard lawyers say they don't like it because it's super unrealistic, but I think it's fun.

UW Law: Is there a particular clinic, journal or student organization that you're looking forward to joining?

JW: I'm really trying for the Washington Law Review. And I’m not in any clinics, but I'll be applying my 3L year, and I'm hoping to get into either the Civil Rights and Justice Clinic with Professor Owens or the Appellate Advocacy Clinic with Professor Feldman and Professor Porter. There are also others, but those are my top two that I'm really trying to get into.

UW Law: What's your favorite memory from law school so far?

JW: The most fun I've had is when I’ve gone and done stuff with my law school classmates, whether that's a game night or going out together. My friends Sophia and Olivia had a joint birthday party in January, which was really fun to get out of the U-District and go somewhere else.

UW Law: Name one lawyer who inspires you and why?

JW: Bryan Stevenson, the founder of Equal Justice Initiative. They do a lot of death row cases in the South. I read his book Just Mercy here at UW in law, societies and justice, and I thought it was really powerful and moving and was really, really important work that I'm glad he and others are doing.

UW Law: Is there anyone you would like to give a shout out to?

JW: I'll give a shout out to my friend, Sarah Wang. She is the first friend I made at law school, and she's still my friend. And so shout out to Sarah. I appreciate you.

UW Law: What's one interesting thing about you that people may not know?

JW: I really like to float on Lake Washington. I can swim, but I much prefer to float on my back. So much so that for my birthday my friends got me a gift card to this place in Green Lake called Float. It's like a little pod of water just for floating. It’s supposed to be very, very relaxing. I haven't used it yet because I'm saving it for the right time, but I'm excited to float in such a controlled environment.