�鶹����

Welcome to the second season of �鶹���� 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 Ian Seabrooks, a third-year J.D. student.

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

Ian Seabrooks (IS): I was born in LA, but grew up in Redmond, so 20 minutes east of here. I love the area and wanted to stay in the area for law school.

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

IS: Every workday, especially pre-Covid, the town would double in size because of Microsoft. So, it would go from like 60,000 people to about 120,000 every workday.

�鶹���� Law: Where did you earn your undergraduate degree?

IS: I went to Boston College and majored in poli sci and classics. I wanted to experience the east coast a little bit — my family's originally from there.

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

IS: I did. I took off about four or five years, and I did some policy work in the educational space. I also worked with some after school programs, helping students with IEPs get access to educational services.

�鶹���� Law: How many glass structures are in the courtyard?

IS: I think four. Yeah, there's four.

�鶹���� Law: What has surprised you the most about law school?

IS: Coming into law school, I was nervous about the competitiveness. But everyone here has been super collaborative. They want to help each other. When you do some of the extracurriculars, like a journal, people are trying to achieve something together. It's very collaborative.

�鶹���� Law: If you could give out one superlative to any classmate, what would it be and who would win it?

IS: Lincoln Sherwood, and most likely to argue their way out of a speeding ticket.

�鶹���� Law: What do you do when you need a break from studying?

IS: I love to cook and I love to bake. So, I like to get in the kitchen and cook some food or bake a cake for friends and family.

�鶹���� Law: Including amendments and signatures, how many total words are in the U.S. Constitution?

IS: Oh gosh, wild guess: 400,000.

�鶹���� Law: A little off: 7,591. What's one thing that every visitor to Seattle should go see or do?

IS: I think Pike Place Market. This summer, I was able to take a tour with the law firm I was working at and there's like seven or eight different levels, which even as a native, I didn't realize. So, I think spending a day to explore all the nooks and crannies there is something everyone should do.

�鶹���� Law: If you could come up with a new class at �鶹���� Law, what would it be?

IS I’ve always been interested in comparative constitutional law. My mom is English, and when I was studying abroad in England I took a class comparing the English legal system to the U.S.’s. I think something like that has been offered here in the past but isn't offered now.

�鶹���� Law: What year was the Supreme Court established?

IS: 1789.

�鶹���� Law: Correct! What was the name of �鶹���� Law's first dean? And here’s a hint: their name is written somewhere on the first floor.

IS: Clearly, I haven’t been paying attention. I have no clue.

�鶹���� Law: John T. Condon, like the John T. Condon Society near the elevators. If you could have any superpower, besides flying, what would it be?

IS: Perfect memory would be nice. Or just the ability to recall things would be cool.

�鶹���� Law: What area of law would you like to pursue after you receive your J.D.?

IS: I got my return offer from Perkins Coie, so I'll be doing corporate law, M&A and venture capital stuff with them. That's good for the short to medium term, but when I came to law school I was interested in education law. And some of the mentors I've talked to have talked about how they transitioned from big law into that and have helped students and parents with IEPs and access to educational services. That's something that really appeals to me.

�鶹���� Law: What's the biggest difference between summer employment and law school?

IS: Law school is always theoretical — you don't usually get to see how the principles act out in practice. Then when you get to summer employment, you're sitting there and you’re given a research topic or case or whatever to work on, and you realize you're pulling these little pieces of knowledge together from all these different classes and helping people.

�鶹���� Law: If you weren't pursuing a law degree, what would you be doing instead?

IS: I think either policy work or working in school districts and advocating for better support structures for students with disabilities. If I did something not law-related, not politics-related, it would probably be something with baking or cooking. Maybe something with fine dining or maybe be a chef.

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

IS: Probably the relationships I’ve built along the way. There’s not one specific moment I can point to, but I was fortunate enough to have a really good section. We’ve kept in touch and have taken classes together. So, having that support system where you can just talk to people, you can ask questions and have people you’re close to has been great. So, the relationships I’ve built are probably my favorite memory.

�鶹���� Law: Name one lawyer that inspires you, and why.

IS: Charles Hamilton Houston from the NAACP. He’s known as the father of dismantling Jim Crow, and he trained Thurgood Marshall.

My dad went to high school in the 1970s, and he was in the first integrated class in his high school's history, and that always stood out to me. So, Charles Hamilton Houston has inspired me as he was someone who used his education to fight for what's right and to bring others up with him.

�鶹���� Law: Finally, what's one interesting thing about you that people may not know?

IS: Having a father that's black and a mother from England has shaped who I am. In all, I have family in like 27 different countries from all over the world.