KHOP students complete a busy summer session at UC Davis Law

The just-completed King Hall Outreach Program’s summer session brought 27 students to UC Davis School of Law for several days in June and July. These students have received (or will receive) bachelor’s degrees from UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Merced, UC Santa Barbara, San Jose State, San Francisco State, Sacramento State and CSU East Bay.

Established in 2001, the King Hall Outreach Program (KHOP) is a unique initiative that helps college students from underrepresented communities prepare for the law-school admissions process. The summer session kicks off a longer relationship between KHOP and the students that lasts throughout the students’ law-school application process and beyond.

The session took place on June 22, June 29, July 13 and July 19-20. The participants met and learned from many members of the King Hall community, including Assistant Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Kristen Mercado, Assistant Director of Admission Alexis Elston, and Director of Financial Aid Montré Everett.

Professor Thomas Joo taught a mock law school class, and Sammar Miqbel ’07 was the alumni speaker. Matt Hanna ’21 and Desirée Frietas ’21, alumni of the 2017 KHOP summer session, shared their stories in a panel discussion. The KHOP participants also joined Dean Kevin R. Johnson for lunch.

On July 19, the KHOP students traveled to Sacramento. Their first stop was at Sacramento Superior Court to visit the courtroom of Judge Trena Burger-Plavan. There, they observed several expungement hearings and a hearing on a motion in a criminal case. They then went to Orrick, where they had lunch and met King Hall alumni and current students.

Alex Guerra ’17 welcomed the students, and Marc Levinson ’73 offered welcome remarks. Guerra, Levinson, Katie Briscoe ’12 and Sue Chang ’16 participated in breakout sessions that allowed for more dialogue. They were joined by King Hall summer associates Matt Rowan ’20 and Kristen Khair ’21.