Rowena Evangeline (LLM '25 | Malaysia)
Rowena Evangeline, a 2025 LL.M. graduate from Malaysia, is already helping shape the future of legal technology as Legal Annotator for a San Francisco-based AI startup.
Her work centers on reviewing and annotating a wide range of contracts and legal documents—from NDAs and MSAs to software licensing agreements, construction agreements, and SPAs. “I ensure alignment with legal requirements and best practices,” she explains, noting that the role requires collaboration with both legal and technical teams. “I also collaborate with legal, engineering, and product teams to interpret and refine contract terms, which indirectly support the development of our core legal contract review AI product.”
Though still early in her career at the company, Rowena has already made an impact. “I have successfully annotated and reviewed multiple contracts and legal data sets that helped develop and finetune our legal contract review AI, and our team’s effort was the driving force behind the company landing its Series E round, in which they raised $50 million.”
Prior to her arrival in the United States for her LL.M. program, Rowena didn’t expect to be working in the legal technology field, “Honestly, when I first started, I wasn’t sure which area to focus on or whether I wanted to take the bar. I would like to think that my Davis experience was a journey of self-discovery and eventually, with the support of the faculty and friendly peers, I majored in Business Law.” She credits the mentorship from UC Davis faculty, “Their mentorship and encouragement helped all LL.M. students feel valued and included as we navigated these challenges together.”
It was in courses like Contract Drafting and Development that she found the skills she would later rely on in job interviews. “I talked a lot about what I did in that class during the interview and related it to the job requirements, which was reviewing contract terms,” she recalls.
For Rowena, UC Davis stood out because of its welcoming atmosphere. “People genuinely wanted to help you succeed.” Even so, her transition to the U.S. academic style came with challenges. Having studied law in the United Kingdom and passed the UK bar as a Barrister at Law at the Honourable Society of Middle Temple, she was accustomed to short lectures and a self-study model. At UC Davis, the teaching style was different: "you are expected to participate and sometimes get ‘cold called’ in front of the whole lecture hall. I found it very intimidating, but it pushes you to do the reading beforehand which can be a good thing for the exams.”
Outside the classroom, Rowena found community and connections in extracurricular clubs and society within King Hall. She served as the LL.M. student representative for her cohort and joined the Business Law Society. She was also paired with a supportive JD student mentor through the “Little/Big sibling” program. “These opportunities fostered meaningful connections and opened doors for networking with other aspiring legal professionals across the United States. I highly recommend getting involved in student organizations, as they provide invaluable support, guidance, and professional growth outside the classroom.”
Rowena leaves current and future LL.M. students with this advice: “Although it might feel daunting at first, actively participating in student organizations beyond the LL.M. program can make a significant difference… The best thing about the U.S. is its diversity, so take full advantage of that—make friends with people from other countries, have fun and build meaningful connections.”