“Got a Minute?” with Taylor Dumaine, 3L

Taylor Dumaine

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 Taylor Dumaine, 3L.


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

Taylor Dumaine: I’m not from Seattle. I'm originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Ƶ: Can you tell us an interesting fact about where you’re from?

TD: Pittsburgh has the second most bridges in the world to Venice.

Ƶ: Where did you earn your undergraduate degree?

TD: George Washington University in Washington, DC.

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

TD: Yeah, about three years. I worked in international democracy development in that time. I had no intention of going to law school. But then, lo and behold, here we are.

Ƶ: What has surprised you the most about law school?

TD: I think the most surprising thing has been the lack of discussion of the practical implications of law in classes that are not practical law classes. Like, what does tort law look like in practice? It's more just like, “What is a tort?” So, I think I was expecting my doctrinal classes to be a bit more practical-law focused.

Ƶ: Have you had any experiential learning opportunities while at Ƶ?

TD: Yeah, absolutely. I externed for the Federal Trade Commission my 2L year. My summer internship my first year was at Salesforce and second year was at Fenwick & West, which I'm going to be returning to post-grad. And then this year, I've been in the Civil Rights and Justice Clinic, and that has been an incredible learning opportunity about what civil litigation looks like. I worked on cases that were in Ohio and Hawaii and Washington — so kind of across the board

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

TD: Least Likely to Keep a Plant Alive would go to Professor Owens.

Ƶ: What do you do when you need a break from studying?

TD: I mountain bike.

Ƶ: Who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

TD: I was just reading something about this. Was it John Adams? No. John Quincy Adams? No. John Jay?

Ƶ: Yes!

TD: I knew it was John.

Ƶ: Which professor do you think could have a second career as a stand-up comedian?

TD: Professor Schnapper. He's so funny.

Ƶ: Which legal term would make the best name for a band?

TD: Respondeat superior. I think it could be a good metal band.

Ƶ: Name one professor that should give a TED talk and on what topic.

TD: I would be really interested in Professor Fan giving a TED talk on the intersection of her work with epidemiology and the law as it relates to gun violence.

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

TD: I would love the superpower to type in a search query and have the first answer help me.

Ƶ: What would your opening statement be in favor of, or against, double-dipping a chip in salsa?

TD: Life is too short to care that much about whether or not someone double dips. We all want more salsa.

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

TD: I would like to pursue civil rights law or public defense.

Ƶ: What's the biggest difference between summer employment and law school?

TD: I think it's the self-guided nature of your learning. There are all these learning opportunities in summer employment, but you need to be a self-starter in seeking out those opportunities and learning beyond what's presented to you. You have to be self-motivated, whereas in law school there are assignments that are tailored to the topic you’re learning.

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

TD: I'm really interested in urban planning — the way cities and towns are designed — and how decisions we make impact our lives.

I’ll shout out my friend Riley. They wrote an awesome article for The Washington Law Review about racism in urban planning, specifically around transportation design. In Washington, we have underground and aboveground light rails in the downtown area and in North Seattle. And then if you get to South Seattle, you see it running along MLK Boulevard. It creates a risk to pedestrians in that area. I also have an interest in public transit, generally.

Ƶ: Which Professor do you think would have the best chance of winning Survivor?

TD: I might say Professor Ambrose. I know she does a lot of mountain biking and a lot of outdoorsy things. And she's also so personable and friendly.

Ƶ: What are your plans for summer?

TD: Bar Prep. But also, my best friend is getting married. I'm really excited about that. And before starting work, I'm going on a sailing/mountain biking trip in Croatia. So, my partner and I will be on a sailboat for eight days and then we'll take a dinghy over to the different Adriatic islands, and mountain bike on them.

Ƶ: What’s one interesting fact about you that people may not know?

TD: I have 12 tattoos, and nine of them were planned less than 24 hours in advance. My first tattoo, which is really poorly done, is on my wrist. I was a camp counselor and let someone at camp give me a tattoo at 16, and I hid it from my mom for two years by wearing a watch every single day.