Pierce Burch   Florida State Law Ambassador 3L Zionsville, Indiana Purdue University, 2007 E-mail Pierce

Legal areas of interest: I am interested in business law and tax law. I have an undergrad background in accounting and management, which draws me toward both business and tax law.

Clubs and organizations: I am currently a member of the Elections Commission with the SGA on main campus. I also am a part of the Law School Golf Association and the Federalist Society.

Favorite part of Florida State Law: My favorite part of Florida State Law is the people. I really enjoy the students, the professors and all the staff of the law school. Everyone gets along very well and is incredibly helpful. I appreciate this fact greatly and it is far and away my favorite part.

Best memory as a law student: My best memory of the law school would the first time I came to visit. I had just visited another school and was impressed by its numbers, but the people seemed very unfriendly and unhelpful. However, at Florida State Law, my experience was much different. I had a great tour, met with a variety of people and found the students to be helpful and enthusiastic in helping me.

Best advice for a prospective student: My best advice for a prospective student is to understand why he or she is coming and to relax. Plenty of people survive the first year in law school. As stressful and hard as it may seem, there are plenty of people to help you here at Florida State. If you utilize your resources, you will succeed.

What do you like to do when you are not studying? I like to play sports of any kind, run, play video games and cheer for my undergrad, Purdue.

Interests outside of law: I work with the Guardian ad Litem program here in Tallahassee. I'm also very involved in following current business news, which is due to my interest in business and economics.

First thought of Florida State Law when you were an incoming student: My first thought of Florida State Law as an incoming student was being totally overwhelmed. However, this thought went away quickly as everyone here worked to help me adjust to law school and I began to succeed as a student and individual.

Why did you choose Florida State Law? I chose Florida State Law because of the people. The people here are great. Once you leave law school, most degrees will be the same no matter where you come from. However, the people will always be there, and thus I made my decision based on the people here at Florida State Law.

Undergraduate organizations and activities: In undergrad, I was involved in a variety of activities. I worked with an engineering student group to get funding and managed its books. I was the lay leader of the church I attended, in charge of financial and policy decisions. I coached a little league baseball team and was a tour guide for Purdue.