Student & Alumni Profiles

Poorvi Chothani

Hometown:

Mumbai, India

Class Year:

LL.M. 2003

Prior Education:

B.A. in English Literature, University of Madras - Emerald Heights College, Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, India
LL.B., University of Mumbai - The Government Law College, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

What I Did Before Law School:

I worked as an in house corporate lawyer in Mumbai.

Why I Chose Penn Law:

The University of Pennsylvania is a well recognized institution in India. In addition to this the Penn Law permits its students to take some courses at Wharton, the business school at the University of Pennsylvania. Penn Law is part of an Ivy League institution on the East Coast. All these reasons made me choose Penn Law.

My Best Experience at Penn Law:

The whole year at Penn Law has been a fantastic experience. The best part of the LL.M. program is the interaction between the international students - 87 from 24 countries this year. This is in addition to the interaction with the J.D. students - also a diverse student body.

My Favorite Course:

My favorite course was the Small Business Clinic which is a clinical course that gives you hands on experience with real clients. This and the fact that it was a small group of students working closely with the faculty made the learning very pleasant. It did feel like a small law firm where everyone was friendly. This course needs a lot of commitment and you end up working more than you would for other courses for four credits - but it is worth it.

What I'm Most Proud Of:

I am proud of getting into an Ivy League Law School. I am also proud of my family that supported me through this year.

My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law:

I was involved in the following:
The Student Counseling Group - newly introduced. We worked with two of the Assistant Deans and formed a network to help fellow students
The ABA Student Association at Penn Law - We helped send teams to the national competitions organized by the ABA
The LL.M. Association Committee - I organized the International Afternoon with help from some of the other students.

My Favorite Place or Activity on the University Campus:

I like sitting at Buck's County Coffee directly across the street from Penn Law with my friends, having coffee and chatting about our various countries, cultures and families. I also like sitting in the court yard in the summer and watching the squirrels!