Sachin Sharma '26 Plans to Find His Path Exploring Many Areas of Law

Sachin Sharma ’26 plans to explore multiple fields of law — including civil rights and immigration — before using his degree to make a positive impact.

This story is part of a series of profiles on members of the incoming JD class of 2026 at UC Law San Francisco.

Coming from a family of scientists and engineers, Sachin Sharma ’26 was on a path to pursue a career in medicine when he discovered a subject he was far more interested in and passionate about: the law.

“I realized that through law, I could help people while seeing the practical impact of my work, whether protecting religious minorities from discrimination or ensuring people have access to adequate housing and proper health care,” he said.

An avid reader and nature lover, Sharma grew up in the East Bay city of Fremont and went to college at UC Berkeley, where he majored in molecular and cell biology. He took a political economy class in college and found himself fascinated by theories behind lawmaking, politics, and governance. It was then that he decided to trade his plans for medical school with a new goal: to attend law school. He started his first year at UC Law SF this fall.

Sharma, 23, said he chose UC Law SF for its reputation as a nationally esteemed law school, its renowned health policy and law program, and its location in the heart of San Francisco close to major law firms, businesses, nonprofits, and government institutions.

“I knew I wanted to be in a big city with a lot of opportunities to network,” Sharma said. “That’s a big part of becoming successful.”

At UC Berkeley, Sharma minored in political economy and pursued opportunities to prepare himself for law school. He interned as a legal fellow at the Hindu American Foundation, where he worked under a supervising attorney doing legal research, drafting memos, and assisting with two pieces of active litigation.

He also dedicated time and effort to social causes that are important to him. He interned with the Borgen Project, a Tacoma, Washington-based anti-poverty organization. He did outreach work, distributed flyers, and spoke to community members to promote the organization’s mission of eliminating global poverty.

Serving on the executive board of a new student organization called the Medical Reallocation Initiative, he worked with a team of UC Berkeley students to raise money and acquire soon-to-be-expired medical supplies. The supplies, which would have been discarded, were sent to communities in need around the world, including in Haiti, Chile, and Zimbabwe.

Before starting law school, Sharma spent a year working as a business immigration analyst in the San Jose office of the global law firm Fragomen. He helped the firm’s business clients hire specially skilled workers from overseas. His duties included researching requirements for different visa types, interviewing and investigating the backgrounds of immigrant workers, and preparing case files for attorneys to review.

“It was satisfying to work with foreign nationals and help them get their green cards,” he said.

In law school, Sharma said he hopes to explore a wide range of subjects, including criminal law, business law, health law, and contracts. He also looks forward to joining some of UC Law SF’s many student organizations, including the Business Law Society, Health Law Organization, and Association of Communications, Sports and Entertainment Law. Additionally, he’s eager to write and help publish original research in scholarly publications, such as the UC Law Business Journal.

Though he doesn’t know precisely where this law school journey will take him, Sharma said he’s excited about the new world of opportunities available to him at UC Law SF.

“I’m keeping my options open, but I hope to find an opportunity where I can impact the Bay Area community in some way – through immigration, civil rights, building up businesses, or policymaking,” he said.