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Matthew Scammahorn

Hometown:
Cerritos, CA

Professional Interests:
Labor and Employment Law; Impact Litigation

Student Organizations:
Labor & Work Law Society; Public Interest Law Fund; UCI Pre-Law Society Mentor; Asian Pacific American Law Students Association

Extracurricular:
Moot Court

UCI Law Clinic:
Workers, Law, and Organizing Clinic

Pro Bono:
Worker's Rights Clinic; Saturday Academy of Law

Housing:
UCI Graduate Housing (Ask me about living on campus!)

Meet Matthew:
Thank you for checking out UC Irvine School of Law! I hope you are excited to explore UCI Law and the comprehensive academic programs, career resources, and real-world opportunities the school offers to its students. I’ve had a great first year here in Irvine, and I’m looking forward to helping incoming and prospective students learn more about UCI Law and what makes UCI Law special and practical.

My academic experience at UC San Diego and my extracurricular political activities pushed me in the direction of law school, and after taking some very interesting law related courses at UCSD, I ultimately decided to apply to law school. More specifically, however, I applied to law school because I wanted to help people, and I thought that my skills and perspective would enable me to contribute the most with a law degree.

I chose to attend UC Irvine because of the school’s emphasis on public service and the real-world opportunities that students can participate in. Less than two months into the start of my 1L year, I was able to help people in the real world through the Workers Rights Clinic pro bono project. Over the span of the academic year, I conducted dozens of interviews for clients who were victimized at their workplace. Many of these clients were able to file claims with state agencies, and some were even able to acquire legal representation through the clinic.

I also chose to attend UC Irvine because of the esteemed faculty and the wide range of classes that are offered to students. Even though the classwork is no joke, the cutting-edge scholarship of our professors makes class interesting and particularly relevant.

The resources and opportunities provided to law students at UC Irvine uniquely prepared me to pursue my interest in union-side labor law for my first summer legal job. I was lucky enough to extern for the Writers Guild of America, West, during the 2023 writers’ strike, where I earned academic credit for my work. I can safely say that without the pro bono opportunities, academic support, and career resources that UCI offers to its students, externing for the Writers Guild of America would not have even been on my radar.

While the academic and career resources that UCI Law offers are some of the best aspects of the school, the social environment and the students make it that much more special. Regular bar reviews at locations around Orange County allow students to meet one another outside of an academic environment. Events hosted by student organizations help break up the monotony of constant studying that many students, at some point in their 1L year, suffer through. Consistent emails to students include networking opportunities and bar association events where students can meet attorneys working in the fields they are interested in.

All in all, I’ve had a great time at UCI Law, and I’m looking forward to continuing my legal education at UCI and to begin my career in Southern California!