Prepared to Practice: Meet four members of the Class of 2025

82% of USF Law first-time examinees passed the July 2025 California Bar Exam and were sworn into the profession last December. Here, meet four alumni as they share candid reflections on their journey from law school to practice, including preparing for the bar, the professors and programs that supported them, and the skills they rely on every day.

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Maya Mercado

Associate, Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP, Labor and Employment practice group.

How did you choose USF Law for law school?

I completed my undergraduate degree at USF, so I was already familiar with the school’s values and community - continuing my legal education there felt like a natural fit.

Thoughts as you were heading into bar prep?

Going into bar prep, my biggest concern was developing effective study habits. I had systems that worked well in law school, but the bar exam is an entirely different challenge, and I wanted to be sure I was using my time as effectively as possible. ABES helped me develop and refine my study systems. Professor Moran, in particular, was a wonderful sounding board throughout bar prep and helped me assess my study schedule and optimize how I was using my time.

What skills from law school do you find yourself using most in your day-to-day work?

Time management and prioritization are the skills I developed in law school that I rely on most often. Learning how to juggle competing demands, set realistic goals, and adjust when priorities shift has been invaluable both academically and beyond law school.

How did USF faculty support you on your path to your current position?

The professors at USF are exceptional, and each played a role in setting me up for success. In particular, Professor Edith Ho was not only an outstanding professor but also someone I would often turn to for advice. I also had a wonderful experience tutoring for Professor Andrew Lah. During bar prep, Professors Moran and Chu were incredibly supportive and ensured we had access to the tools and resources necessary to succeed.

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Kyle Greenway

Associate Attorney, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, Healthcare Practice

Which part of bar exam prep did you think would challenge you the most?

My biggest concern going into bar prep was mastering the multiple-choice portion of the exam, the MBE. Throughout my studies, I had never been a strong multiple-choice test taker. However, the ABES team showed me that success on multiple-choice exams can be learned rather than being an innate skill. They helped me overcome this challenge by encouraging me to create a journal. Through journaling, I was able to track which subjects gave me the most difficulty and understand how the Bar tested those subjects. Over time, this process allowed me to recognize patterns in the MBE and gradually improve my test scores. Using this method, my scores improved each week to the point where the MBE was no longer a weakness.

What skills from law school do you find yourself using most in your day-to-day work?

The skills I use most in my day-to-day work are legal research, analytical thinking, and writing. My experiences during law school, whether through coursework or internships and externships, taught me how to use these skills and apply them to real-world situations. Law school also taught me how to stay organized and complete tasks on time.

How did USF faculty or staff support your success through law school and/or beyond?

USF’s faculty and support staff were instrumental to my success in law school and during bar prep. During my first year, I struggled with final exams because I did not know how to properly study for them, even though I felt I understood the material. The ABES team taught me that an exam should be approached the same way a baseball player trains to face a tough pitcher. You cannot expect success after one session in the batting cages and then step up to hit a 95-mile-per-hour fastball. You need consistent practice. The same mindset applies to law school exams. The more you practice essays or multiplechoice questions, the more the material becomes ingrained in your memory. This approach, which the ABES team instilled in me, helped boost my confidence during tests. By the time I took an exam, I had already practiced the same type of hypo at least five times. I could not have done it without Professors Letheule, Chu, and Moran.

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Maya Wain Hirschberg

Deputy District Attorney, Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office

Tell us about your new position.

I am currently a Deputy District Attorney for the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office. During my 1L year, I was unsure of what I wanted to do but knew I wanted to help people; a wise mentor told me I should intern with the DA's office to get court experience. After my 1L summer with the office, I came back for my 2L summer as a certified law clerk and completed my first jury trial. I returned as a post-bar law clerk and have now been a Deputy DA since December 1, 2025. Most of my days are spent in court arguing motions and conducting jury trials. My lifelong dream of helping people is served through bringing justice to victims of crimes, and I feel lucky to be able to serve the people of California.

What did you take from your USF Law preparation into your daily work at the DA’s Office?

Throughout my legal education at USF, one thing I walked away with was a new level of confidence. Through my experience in First Year Moot Court, AMC, and then going on to compete in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition and the Gold Cup Criminal Trial Competition, I learned how to think on my feet, be confident in my argument, and respond to legal questions on the spot. All of these programs taught me how to be a better written and oral advocate, and I use these skills daily in pursuing justice for victims of crimes.

How did the Academic and Bar Exam Success Program help you get ready for the bar?

My entire life I have never been that strong of an exam taker; I struggled with the SAT in high school and struggled with the LSAT in undergrad despite graduating Summa Cum Laude. I feared that regardless of the work I put into bar prep, the bar would be just yet another test that I underperformed despite having the skills and knowledge. Without ABES I would have been lost, ABES ensured not only that I had the requisite skills and knowledge for the bar exam but that I executed on exam day. I walked into the bar exam without fear but with confidence in what I knew and my ability to apply it.

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Brad Bergman

Associate Attorney, O’Hagan Meyer, Labor and Employment and Intellectual Property Groups.

You’re a litigator working across a few different practice areas. How did USF prepare you for the work you do today?

I use every skill I developed or improved upon during law school, i.e. reading comprehension, organization, IRAC (legal writing). However, a few classes stand out above the rest for me: Civil Procedure, Evidence, Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis, Legal Drafting, IP Survey, and Trademark Law. My clinic work, which involved representing actual clients (supervised representation), helped demystify the practice of law and eased my nerves when engaging with clients as a junior associate. Moreover, my two years on the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition team taught me effective teamwork, resilience, confidence under pressure, and the ability to resolve complex and novel legal issues.

What advice would you give current students about positioning themselves for post-grad success?

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and network with your classmates and the attorneys you meet. Most attorneys will meet you for coffee if you ask politely. It is also incredibly important to step outside your comfort zone and say yes to opportunities. Participate in a clinic (I loved the Intellectual Property and Internet Justice Clinic - now the CREATE Law Clinic), Moot Court (Lefkowitz is the best, though I may be biased since I competed twice), or join Law Review. When you say yes to meaningful opportunities, employers notice.

How did professors and/or staff support you?

I truly enjoyed every single professor, front-office staff member, librarian, and administrator I met throughout my time at USF. They were all incredibly supportive of the students. A few that stand out: Professor Onda (IP Survey and Trademark Law), Professor White and Judge Duryee (Civil Procedure), Professor Vu (Moot Court and Appellate Advocacy), and Professor Chu and the entire ABES team. But the list could include all my professors.