U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, the first Asian-American to fill the post of Northern District judge of California, spoke at the Upper School this morning about her inspiration and journey into government law.

Koh, who is currently presiding over the Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. case, was invited to speak by the Upper School Law Club. She began with the life story of Herbert Choy, her inspiration and the first Korean American federal judge and then answered student questions about her own journey.

“We have nine judges in our courthouse, and I’m the only woman of the nine,” Koh said, adding that the increase in diversity promotes the country’s image as a land of opportunity.

Koh fielded questions ranging from court procedure to memorable cases and her experiences as a student. She was one of the Griswold 9, a group of Harvard Law School students who sued the college’s president for race inequality on the school’s faculty.

“The fact that I was not going the path that made the most sense to my parents was an issue,” Koh said, eliciting laughs from the audience. “I wanted to work with real issues. I had grown up in Mississippi from 1972 to 1981, and I just saw a tremendous amount of poverty.”

The club found Koh through a family friend, Yabo Lin, whose two children attend Harker. Koh and Lin are both members of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley.

“When you go really far from your home place, the ethnic background is a really important base to build upon the foundation,” Lin said. “It gives you support and a chance for mentorship.”

The Law Club’s president, senior Kevin Duraiswamy, saw the event as a success, with the number and quality of student questions surpassing his expectations.

“Overall, what was really interesting was how and why she got interested in the law, and particularly into public service,” said Kevin, who is currently researching the Roman influence on the Constitution. “You couldn’t get her perspective from any other judge.”

Sophia Shatas (11), a member of the club, sees the club’s progression over the last two years. Before the assembly today, she researched Koh and her cases.

“I definitely delved more into the people in the law, not just the words,” Sophia said. “The law touches all of us, even though it seems really far-off.”

When asked about the best path for potential lawyers at the Upper School, Koh suggested accumulating knowledge in the subject relevant to the specific part of the law that they hope to purse.

“Also, whatever you can do in undergrad to really improve your writing is really helpful,” she said. “Basically, we’re called upon to be able to explain things.”

The club hosts bi-weekly discussions on ethics and policy and will feature other guest attorneys. It hopes to visit a law office and attend the National High School Moot Court Competition in Washington D.C. in the spring.