采编｜张畔溪  UCB LL.M.
组稿&翻译｜张旭东 UCB LL.M.
编辑｜Caramel 西北LL.M.
Greetings from Fernholz
近日，伯克利法学院名师Fernholz在其社交账号上宣布其合著的新书Fundamentals of U.S. Law （文末附新书简介链接及社交账号官宣），中美法律评论编辑部专程对Fernholz老师进行了采访，并与大家分享他的观点：
采访提要
1. 对申请伯克利法学院学生的寄语
2. 对2022新生的寄语
3. 对职业发展的一点建议
4. 分享伯克利法学院对中国法研究的动向
5. 对广大校友的寄语及Fernholz老师的最新计划
1. Do you have any advice to the new applicants for Berkeley Law? Besides excellent academic performance, what qualities do Berkeley Law School consider as essential elements? Or, what is Berkeley Law’s expectation towards students?
您对新申请伯克利法学院的学生有什么建议吗？除了优秀的学习成绩，伯克利法学院认为哪些素质是必不可少的因素？或者说，伯克利法学院对学生的期望是什么？
I do have some advice! My advice, however, is a personal opinion, not an official position of the law school.
我确实有一些建议! 不过，我的建议是个人意见，不是法学院的官方立场。
As you’ve noted, applicants to the LLM program at Berkeley Law usually have a history of excellent academic performance. As a result, Berkeley Law has the luxury of looking beyond an applicant’s grades to determine whether our school would be a good fit for the applicant. I would encourage all applicants to think about two things. First, why do they want to attend Berkeley Law, rather than other (perhaps equally selective) law schools? Second, what makes them unique among applicants? If an applicant can answer those two questions in their application, I think they will not only increase their chances of acceptance, but also help ensure that they have a very rewarding experience while here at Berkeley.
正如你所关注到的，申请伯克利法学院法学硕士项目的人通常都有优秀的学术表现。因此，伯克利法学院会超越申请人的成绩来确定我们的学校是否适合申请人。我鼓励所有申请人考虑两件事。第一，他们为什么想上伯克利法学院，而不是其他（也许同样具有选择性的）法学院？第二，是什么使他们在申请人中独树一帜？如果申请人能够在他们的申请中回答这两个问题，我认为他们不仅会增加他们被录取的机会，而且还有助于确保他们在伯克利有一个非常有益的经历。
Remember that there are many other applicants who are interested in IP law or Corporate Law. Please do say that you are interested in those areas (assuming that you are), but also talk about something unique to you, whether that is a legal experience or otherwise.
请记住，有许多其他申请人对知识产权法或公司法感兴趣。请说你对这些领域感兴趣（假设你是），但也要谈一谈你的独特之处，不管是法律经验还是其他。
2. The 2022 Admission season has come. Many New Chinese LL.M. students will study in Berkeley Law, they may be looking forward to your wishes. Can you say something to them? Chinese LLM/JD students may worry about their study of American law because Chinese legal system is quite different from U.S. legal system. Is there any books or articles proper for Chinese students to do some preparation previously?
2022年的录取季即将到来。许多新的中国法学研究生将在伯克利法学院学习，他们可能正在期待着你的祝愿。你能对他们说些什么吗？中国的法学硕士/博士生可能会顾虑他们对美国法律的学习，因为中国的法律体系与美国的法律体系相当不同。是否有任何书籍或文章适合中国学生在之前做一些准备？
What great questions! I know that every student feels anxiety about studying in an LLM program in the US. You all should know that I love teaching Chinese students, and they do well in my class, and they are ready for my course, even though the Chinese legal system is quite different from the U.S. legal system.
非常棒的问题! 我知道，每个学生都对在美国学习法学硕士课程感到焦虑。你们都应该知道，我喜欢教中国学生，他们在我的课上表现得很好，而且他们已经为我的课程做好了准备，尽管中国的法律体系与美国的法律体系有很大的不同。
If you come to Berkeley Law, you will discover that every one of your peers is very smart. You will all do fine! If you want to maximize your chances of success, I suggest you focus as much on your life as your studies. So, if you can, arrive in Berkeley at least a week or two before classes start, find housing, find the nearest grocery store, and do everything else to make your life more convenient. Even more importantly, make some good acquaintances/friends. It’s sometimes lonely and hard to be so far away from your family and friends, so make your time in the U.S. as full of friendship as you can! If you stay happy and healthy, you can perform at your best academically. Plus, you’ll be happy and healthy, which is surely more important than a top grade in my class!
如果你来到伯克利法学院，你会发现，你的每一个同龄人都非常聪明。你们都会做得很好! 如果你想最大限度地提高你的成功机会，我建议你把注意力放在你的生活和学习上。因此，如果可以的话，建议你至少在开课前一两个星期到达伯克利，找到住房，找到最近的便利店，并做其他一切事情来使你的生活更方便。更重要的是，结交一些不错的熟人/朋友。离你的家人和朋友这么远，有时会很孤独和难受，所以要让你在美国的时间尽可能地充满友谊。如果你保持快乐和健康，你就能在学业上表现得最好。另外，你会很快乐和健康，这肯定比在我班上取得最高成绩更重要！
3. Many Chinese LL.M. students may be confused about career path in the future. Would you mind introducing your career path and advising us？
许多中国法学研究生可能对未来的职业道路感到困惑。您能否介绍一下您的职业道路并给我们一些建议呢？
My career path is very instructive! I came out of law school not knowing what I wanted to do and not having a lot of options to choose from. It’s very important for students to know that they are not alone if they are struggling to find a good first (or second or third) job! I ended up practicing, as I wanted to, in civil rights and poverty law. By pure chance, I was able to work on some interesting and high-profile cases, which reassured my parents (who were worried about my career). That work allowed me to apply for a job at Berkeley Law. I discovered then that my life’s work would be in education, rather than in the courtroom, though I do continue to litigate appeals with a small group of JD students.
我的职业道路非常具有指导意义! 我从法学院出来后，不知道自己想做什么，也没有很多选择。对于学生来说，如果他们正在努力寻找一份好的第一份（或第二份或第三份）工作，他们并不孤单！这一点非常重要。我最终如愿以偿地从事了民权和济贫法方面的工作。由于纯属偶然，我能够处理一些有趣和知名度高的案件，这让我的父母（他们担心我的职业）感到放心。这些工作使我能够申请到伯克利法学院的工作。那时我发现，我一生的工作将是在教育领域，而不是在法庭上，尽管我确实继续在和一小群法律博士生办理一些上诉案件。
If you are in your twenties or early thirties and are confused about your career path, that means you probably are doing fine! It’s just a confusing time in most people’s lives. It’s also an exciting time. I think it’s best to consider your next one or two steps, rather than trying to plan your entire career. It’s too hard to predict twenty years in the future. If you know what you want to accomplish in the next one to two years, that’s good enough!
如果你在二十多岁或三十出头的时候，对你的职业道路感到困惑，这意味着你可能做得很好！这只是大多数人生活中的一个困惑时期。这也是一个令人兴奋的时期。我认为最好是考虑你的下一步或下两步，而不是试图规划你的整个职业生涯。要预测二十年后的未来太难了。如果你知道你想在未来一到两年内完成什么，那就足够了!
4. Is there any branch or institution researching Chinese law in Berkeley Law School? Are there courses or seminars regarding Chinese Law or Comparative Law study?
伯克利法学院是否有研究中国法律的部门或机构？是否有关于中国法或比较法研究的课程或研讨会？
Professor Rachel Stern, who holds a joint appointment in Political Science and Law, is our expert on Chinese law. She has a fascinating long-term project studying the written decisions which the Chinese judiciary released in the recent past. I talk with Professor Stern infrequently, but every time I do, I learn something new!
Rachel Stern教授是我们的中国法律专家，她是政治学和法律专业的联合讲师。她有一个极吸引人的长期项目，研究中国司法机关在近期发布的书面裁决。虽然我不经常与斯特恩教授交谈，但每次交谈，我都会学到一些新的东西。
5. What would you like to say to Berkeley Law alumni in China? What are your latest plans that you would like to share with us?
您有什么想对校友们说的？您有什么最新计划想和大家分享的？
I would love to see LLM alumni soon! Let’s hope that the age of coronavirus ends!
我很想尽快见到LLM的校友们! 让我们希望新冠病毒的时代结束吧!
I also plan to record a series of videos about the U.S. Constitution. That will take some time, but it’s my next big project.
我还计划录制一个关于美国宪法的系列视频。这将需要一些时间，但这是我的下一个大项目。
Finally, Jodi Collova and I have published a textbook for Fundamentals of U.S. Law. It’s very expensive, like all textbooks in the U.S. I mention this only because I’m proud of the effort Professor Collova and I put into this long-term project, not because I think alumni should purchase it.
最后，Jodi Collova和我已经出版了一本《美国法律基础》的教科书。它非常昂贵，就像美国所有的教科书一样。我提到这一点只是因为我为Collova教授和我在这个长期项目中付出的努力感到骄傲，而不是因为我认为校友们应该购买它。
新书简介链接：
https://www.law.berkeley.edu/spotlight/textbook-fundamentals-fernholz-collova/ 
社交账号官宣：https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6900468175167983616/
在此鸣谢李远(UCB LL.M.)提供新书消息
注：欢迎在评论区向嘉宾提问
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