Andrea Santos

I am from Brazil and graduated from a Brazilian Law School in 2001. I had been working in Brazil in employment law and I really desired to expand my knowledge in the international area. In 2006 I had the opportunity to apply to the LL.M. programs in the United States. 

I focused on California and I applied to three universities: Santa Clara University, University of San Francisco and University of California, Hastings College of the Law. To my surprise, I was accepted to all three universities. I visited them all, talked to staff and faculty and sat in some classes. Based on my analysis and the school’s reputation, I decided to do my LL.M. at Hastings. 

In my opinion, classes at Hastings are very interesting. Professors are well prepared and have practical experience in the field that they teach. Besides, they provide an open environment to exchange opinions and experiences with American and foreign students. This creates the opportunity to discuss diverse legal systems and learn about their different aspects, their overlapping characteristics and the differences, particularly with the United States legal system. 

I have been focusing my studies on International Law, and the possibility to exchange information with other students is great! Also, the fact that Hastings provides a wide variety of courses makes it easy for me to pick courses that fit with my interests. 

The staff at Hastings is very helpful. People from the library, career office, bookstore, academic records, health service and the LL.M. Program are often ready to listen and offer assistance. 

I believe that my experience in Hastings will open many doors in the future. If I come back to Brazil I will have great acceptance to work in law firms or even corporations with my LL.M. in U.S. Legal Studies focusing on International Law. If I decide to stay in the United States I will be able to leverage the great assistance provided by Hastings’ career office to find a job in the US and directly apply the knowledge acquired during the LL.M.