Student Q&A: Hope Weisman (She/Her)
Hope Weisman is a second-year student at UC Irvine Law and a 2021 graduate of Columbia University. She moved to California after college to pursue her lifelong love of entertainment and hopes to one day represent writers, directors, and actors. She will always cross the street to pet a dog, no matter what.
Q: Congratulations on your role as SBA President at UC Irvine Law! What are you most excited about in this role?
Thank you! I am thrilled to be able to serve the UCI Law student body this year. My friends and classmates were my sole motivation behind running — UCI Law is such a wonderful and unique community, the complete antithesis to what one might expect from a law school. I am a firm believer that everyone does their best work when they feel supported and uplifted by their community, so I am excited to plan more events to bring students of all class levels together. The more we can connect to one another outside of the classroom, the more we’re all driven to do well for ourselves and our peers. We have some exciting stuff coming down the pike!
Q: What motivated you to pursue a law degree and why did you choose UC Irvine Law?
The decision to go to law school snuck up on me. My entire life, my main passion has been entertainment, and that passion has always guided my academic and professional decisions. I studied film in college and immediately went to work at a management firm/production company after graduation, and I thought I’d end up in a writers’ room or on a television set one day. However, I witnessed both the Writers’ Guild and Screen Actors’ Guild strikes firsthand. So much of the content we love depends on lesser-known talent, and their attorneys play such a uniquely important role in them finding work and securing fair contracts. This is what drove me to pursue a law degree. UCI Law was a perfect fit: its proximity to Hollywood, clinical offerings, and extremely down-to-earth faculty and student body practically made my decision for me. Even on my most challenging days, I usually spend most of my time on campus beaming. I’ve grown so much as a writer, critical thinker, and person since I matriculated last August, and I cannot wait to see how I develop personally and professionally over my next two years here.
I am a firm believer that everyone does their best work when they feel supported and uplifted by their community, so I am excited to plan more events to bring students of all class levels together.
- Hope Weisman , 2L
Q: What has been your proudest accomplishment so far at UC Irvine Law?
Understanding the Rule Against Perpetuities. Now I just have to hold onto that understanding until July 2026. . .prospective students who are thinking about going to law school?
Q: What advice would you give to prospective students who are thinking about going to law school?
My advice to prospective students is to remember that law school is just one part of you. Whether you are just starting undergrad and have a sneaking suspicion you may want to be a lawyer, ten years out of college and working in a completely different field, or currently pulling your hair out over the LSAT, hold onto the things that make you you. No matter where you end up, you will learn the same things — Pennoyer v. Neff is ubiquitous, for better or worse. Memorizing the central holding won’t make or break your professional career, but who you are as a person could. Embrace what you love, whether it’s running marathons, playing New York Times Games, or baking hyper-realistic cakes. Your personality can and will carry you far in your professional career, whether you take the plunge and pursue law or choose a different path.