Professionals with a Kline School of Law pedigree are gradually beginning to establish a presence in the western states, especially California.

Kline alumni stretch from the North to the South of the Golden State, working in diverse arenas of practice.

Many are natives who decided to return to their roots. Others have pursued career opportunities there, including Hans Smith, ’12, who moved from Baker & Hostetler in Philadelphia to the firm’s Orange County office.

They are litigators, advocates and activists whose passion has been honed by experience and skill and who are willing to brave what is arguably the toughest bar exam in the U.S. To varying degrees, each recalls their experiences in Philadelphia as formative to their work, whether from concepts absorbed during classes or the insights that grew from co-op or clinic placements and pro bono service.

This issue of The Docket takes a fond look at California alumni who all recall their days in Philadelphia with clear nostalgia but succumbed, eventually, to the lure of the redwoods, the farmland that provides a nation’s bounty and the mighty Pacific.