There’s something about the cross-country road trip that makes it a popular bucket-list accomplishment for many. The contiguous United States is big, varied, and has plenty of different sights, people and cultures to experience. Though third-year student Sydni Eibschutz has never made the California to New York trip via car, she’ll be completing her own version of a cross-country road trip after graduating from Iowa Law.

Eibschutz, a San Luis Obispo, CA native, grew up in California and attended UC San Diego for her undergraduate studies. Like most Californians, she raves about the California weather and close proximity to the beach. Yet as much as she loves California, that affection for her home state was one of the biggest reasons she decided to leave.

“I knew that if I stayed in California for law school, I would never leave. I wanted to explore the rest of the country, and Iowa appealed to me because it was a state I had never been to” with a well-ranked law school in Iowa Law to boot. However, the courtship got off to a rocky start: “When I landed and walked off the plane in Cedar Rapids, in mid-March and it was snowing, I remember calling my mom and telling her I was not going to Iowa Law. Twenty-four hours later, after Admitted Students day, I called her and told her I had changed my mind."

What was it about that Admitted Students Day that caused a change of heart for Southern California-native Eibschutz?

“Unlike the other law schools I had previously checked out, I felt that Iowa Law was not trying to sell me anything. I got a really genuine impression from the school that impressed me.” Today, almost three years later, Eibschutz feels right at home in Iowa City and within the walls of Boyd Law, finding success in the classroom and out.

“I went into [undergrad] thinking I wanted to become a doctor but realized about halfway through that that was not the right career path for me. On a whim, I took an intro to law class and absolutely loved it.” Eibschutz credits the intensive writing requirements from her undergraduate studies for setting her up for her academic successes in law school: “Little did I know at the time, but those five quarters of writing requirements would give me the foundational skillset to go on and get a Note published (forthcoming) with Iowa Law Review.”

What about that final leg of the cross-country road trip?

The California-native has enjoyed her time in the Midwest, and with the help of the Iowa Law alumni community accepted a 2L summer associate position with the New York office of law firm Mayer Brown. In particular, Eibschutz credits Iowa Law graduate David Alberts (’91), whom she calls “an incredible mentor to me.” “He made it his mission to have Iowa Law students working at the Mayer Brown New York office...I am certain I have him to thank.”

Although New York is different than both California and Iowa City, Eibschutz is excited for her next step and how Iowa Law helped her get there. “I ended up getting my 2L summer job [with Mayer Brown] from the Iowa Law online OCI portal. Career Services was extremely helpful with preparing me for my call-back interview and did mock interviews with me. Even with the pandemic my summer associate program was wonderful [and] I am itching to get started working.”

 Adam R. Lorenzana is a 3L at Iowa Law. A Long Island, NY native, Adam attended Georgetown University for his BS and MA, graduating in 2014 and 2017, respectively. This past summer Adam was a summer associate with the NYC office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, where he will return to practice corporate and transactional law upon graduation.