Honna Li
2L; Admissions Ambassador Executive Board - Communications, Tours & Information Sessions Committee
Hometown:
Portland, OR
Professional Interests:
Startups and Emerging Companies; Fund Formation (Venture Capital)
Student Organizations:
Business Law Society (Social Outreach Chair); Student Bar Association (AGS Representative); Asian Pacific American Law Student Association; OutLaw
Extracurricular:
Journal of International, Transnational, and Comparative Law; Moot Court
UCI Law Clinic:
Community and Economic Development Clinic
Pro Bono:
Expungement Clinic of Orange County; Saturday Academy of Law
Housing:
UCI Graduate Housing (Ask me about living on campus!)
Meet Honna:
I’ve always had a passion for emerging companies and venture capital work. Since college, I’ve been interested in cryptocurrency and generative AI regulatory issues that arise with the SEC, CFTC, and Congress. I never thought I could have a legal career that aligned with my personal passions, but I quickly discovered at UCI that there lies a breadth of specialized practice areas beyond general transactional work. One thing that helped me determine the area of law I was interested in pursuing was viewing legal work as a spectrum. There are areas of law that have clear regulations and plenty of precedent derived from decades of legal decisions, and there are other areas that are less settled with court opinions just beginning to surface. The latter is the case for startups and law surrounding new technology. For me, the idea of being a collaborator and leader in such a novel area of the law is thrilling. That is why I encourage incoming law students to consider, what thrills you? What keeps you engaged and passionate about your work?
Not only will you gain expertise and knowledge at UCI, but you will also be inspired by the passion of others to find your own meaning in your work. Going into law school, I had reservations about working in the private sector at a large law firm because of institutional barriers for women and hiring discrepancies for diverse attorneys. At UCI, I grew confident in my ability to succeed in a white, male-dominated industry through conversations with brilliant professors and diverse attorneys who persevered through sexist and discriminatory presumptions of incompetence. I had trouble seeing the power that one individual could have in the EC/VC field and reconciled with whether or not I would truly be opening doors for other women of color. I know now that having a voice is only the first step toward accomplishing greater strides for diverse attorneys in big law. Your voice is only valuable if it is a space that is willing to hear it and being vocal about supporting that kind of environment is of utmost importance in making change. You never know who you might inspire. There are attorneys who inspire me every day just because of their presence in the workplace and classroom, though they might not even be aware of their impact on young, impressionable, and aspiring attorneys. Keeping all of this in perspective encourages me to continue to be passionate about the work that I will be doing one day for startups and venture investors, and work that will also ultimately affect the greater community and legal professional.
My final takeaway for incoming and admitted law students is to stay curious. Be willing to pull the thread that takes you from simply closing a deal to inquiring about the impact that the deal may have on the business, the law firm, and future clients. Additionally, everyone has their own path and grows in their own way during law school – embrace the change!