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be bold
making his
CASE
Matthew Stein ’00, Law & Stein, LLP
F
or Matthew Stein, senior partner and lead trial attorney at Law & Stein, LLP, the courtroom is a classroom. A 2000 graduate from UCI, the successful lawyer treats each trial as an opportunity to educate jurors as if he were a teacher in their classroom. The better they understand the case he makes, the more apt they are to side with his client. The firm bearing Stein’s namesake - which he cofounded after earning his J.D. at Southwestern University School of Law - now boasts eight attorneys who specialize in complex estate planning, estate litigation, and
outlive
business law. And when he’s not in the courtroom, Stein can be found training for triathlons and marathons, and volunteering with his alma mater as part of UCI soc sci’s Dean’s Leadership Society. When asked for some words of wisdom for Anteaters just starting out, Stein said, “Get out of your comfort zone and try different electives. For example, on a whim, I took an introduction to law class at UCI and it was such an awesome class that here I am now, a trial attorney running a law firm in Orange County.” •
DESIGN
Law & Stein, LLP senior partner Matthew Stein
Alumna Mariam Ejaz helps clients crowd fund their interior design dreams
M
ariam Ejaz, international studies ’07, has created a service that merges gift giving with expert design services. Her startup, Outlive Design, helps party-hosting clients design their dream room or home, then invite friends and family to contribute to their design project in lieu of another gift. According to Ejaz, the service is perfect for expecting parents, new homeowners, and anyone with a reason to celebrate and an interior design project on their mind.
First, clients meet with a designer to create a plan. Then, using Outlive Design’s customizable invitation, they share their vision with party guests who can contribute to the design fund. Afterwards, the client can continue the project on their own with the gifted funds, or they can continue to work with the designer to make their dream a reality. Either way, she says clients are getting a gift they will treasure, and it takes the guesswork out of gift-buying for guests. •