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Welcome to ������Ƶ’s “Got a Minute?” series. These are fun, short-answer interviews with 20 rapid-fire questions. We’ll find students throughout William H. Gates Hall as they study, wait for class or hangout with their classmates.

This week’s “Got a Minute?” interview is with Katie Steinberg, 1L.

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

Katie Steinberg (KS): No, I'm originally from Cumberland, Maine.

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

KS: My hometown, Cumberland, has one stoplight, so it's a very small town.

������Ƶ: Where did you earn your undergraduate degree?

KS: I went to Wheaton College, which is about an hour outside of Boston.

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

KS: I did. I took two years off and worked as a paralegal for a couple firms in the Boston area, which was pretty interesting.

������Ƶ: What's the funniest or most unexpected thing a professor has said or done in class?

KS: Professor Nguyen was telling us stories about her time practicing for a large firm in New York, and she said there was one time that one of the secretaries gave birth in the bathroom.

������Ƶ: Without looking, how many glass structures are in the courtyard.

KS: Four.

������Ƶ: Correct! Most people say three. Which fictional lawyer do you think would make the best law professor?

KS: My immediate first thought is Harvey Specter from Suits. I feel like he'd be a pretty good law professor. I’d also say Annalise Keating from How to Get Away with Murder.

������Ƶ: What's one thing you're excited about for spring quarter?

KS: I'm excited to see Washington move into summer. This will be my first summer here. So, I’m looking forward to warmer weather and more sunshine.

������Ƶ: Which historical legal case would you time travel to witness in person?

KS: I just watched the Menendez brothers show that came out in the fall on Netflix. I think watching that trial live would have been very, very interesting because there was so much publicity surrounding it. And I think their attorney, Leslie Abramson, did a fantastic job defending the two men.

������Ƶ: What's an interesting legal case you've come across in your studies so far?

KS: There was one torts case I thought was really interesting. It was Whitaker v. Sandford, and it actually took place in Maine. It was about this woman who was coming over from Israel on this man's private yacht. When they arrived on the coast of Maine, the religious figure who owned the yacht wanted her to say that she was going to join his sect, and she refused. So, he wouldn't let her off the yacht or use a dingy boat to get from the yacht to the shore.

That was a case where we were looking at false imprisonment, and if you don't provide someone with a means of escape from a situation it can be deemed false imprisonment. So, I thought that was really interesting because, one, it took place in Maine, and two, because the facts were absurd.

������Ƶ: If you could give out one superlative to any professor, what would it be and who would you give it to?

KS: Most enthusiastic to Professor Calandrillo. He’s so friendly and brings so much energy to every class. It makes such a difference in terms of the excitement that students have for learning, especially contracts, which could potentially be a very boring topic to learn about.

������Ƶ: Which Professor do you think would come up with the best legal joke?

KS: Professor Monte Mills. He has some pretty good legal property puns.

������Ƶ: Did you do anything fun during spring break?

KS: I visited Bellingham for the first time, which was really nice — mostly to just relax. I also watched the Menendez show, which is really good. And caught up on sleep.

������Ƶ: If you could have any superpower related to law, what would it be?

KS: The ability to make people agree with me. That'd be a good one, make things easier.

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

KS: I'm thinking labor and employment law. I worked a little bit in that area before law school, and I think it's really interesting. I'd love to work on noncompete cases, discrimination cases, wrongful termination cases — things like that. And then maybe also entertainment law. And labor and employment within entertainment law would be really cool.

������Ƶ: Which historical lawyers, real or fictional, would make up your legal dream team?

KS: RBG and Alexander Hamilton. And then also Erin Brockovich. She's not an attorney, but I like her tenacity and feel like we would win with someone like her on my team.

������Ƶ: If you weren’t pursuing a law degree, what would you be doing?

KS: I would probably have been a marine biologist. I was really into animals and nature as a kid, and I did volunteer seal rescue all throughout high school, which was really fun. That's something I'm passionate about.

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

KS: I think collectively my favorite memories are studying with my friends, either in the library or at coffee shops nearby. We'll just sit and study, and I think that's been one of my favorite parts. Coming in, I thought law school was going to be very solitary where you push yourself and you're doing it all alone. But that's not how it's been for me at all. Having a group of friends that you can study with and learn from has been my favorite part.

������Ƶ: What advice would you give to your younger self before starting law school?

KS: I would say have confidence that you've made it this far already, and don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to other people or how other people do things.

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

KS: One of my first jobs, I was a professional strawberry picker for five years. During the summers for the five-week strawberry season, which is late June to the very end of July, we would work six, seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. just picking strawberries all day. It was a really good experience, and it was nice to be outside.