How the Law Weekly Can Help YOU Survive Existential Dread
Why do we have a law school paper anyway? That’s a great question, new reader! It’s one that every UVA Law 1L asks themselves at some point during their first weeks in these esteemed halls. Or at least I assume they must.
Thankfully, this is one law school question for which the answer is not “iT dEpEnDs.” There are many reasons to read the Law Weekly and just as many more to join its respected team of editors. Take it from me—the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, turned professional legal journalist.[1]
First off, the Law Weekly is occasionally funny. Often even intentionally so. Each year, we painstakingly search for the three or four future lawyers with a sense of humor and beg them to write for us. The end result is a paper that kicks ass. We even made Professor Stephan chuckle once.[2]
The pressure of 1L year can be immense. Reading the Law Weekly can help remind you not to take yourself too seriously. And when the world is collapsing, a little laughter can’t hurt. That goes double for Law Weekly writers. Our weekly meetings are notoriously rowdy, bringing a spot of brightness to otherwise dreary Mondays. And the free pizza doesn’t hurt either.
Moreover, writing for the Law Weekly provides a tremendous creative escape from the drudgery of 1L doctrinals. We publish just about everything, from odes to the bygone Slaughter Hall staircase, to law school restroom reviews, to mushroom foraging tips. The possibilities are endless. And for the more serious 1Ls (please relax), the Law Weekly can help you practice perhaps the single most important skill for your success as a law student and lawyer: writing! Write about whatever you want, whenever you can. It will be fun and fruitful.
In the same vein, the Law Weekly is a great resume addition. We are frequently mistaken for our lesser competitor, the Virginia Law Review, by prospective employers. After attending just three meetings, you will have the privilege of listing Law Weekly membership on your resume, giving you an early edge over your classmates, you cutthroat bastard.[3]
Even if you can’t write regularly, you can join the fun by submitting a one-off article, professor quotes, questions for Counsel’s Counsel—the sky’s the limit. The Law Weekly exists because of contributions from the whole law school community, which is what makes it so very special.
Finally, despite the silly tenor of this article, student journalism is important work. Especially now, with the immense pressure on lawyers and the rule of law generally, you can do a lot of good by contributing serious articles to the Law Weekly.
Last year, we covered the Law School’s work before the Supreme Court, the UVA Law faculty letter criticizing Trump’s actions targeting the legal profession, and the University’s unusually harsh response to a law student’s demonstration for Palestine.
With the University’s President, Jim Ryan ’92 recently resigning under pressure from the Department of Justice, controversy does not appear to be leaving Charlottesville or the UVA community any time soon. As lawyers-in-training, law students can’t always be at the forefront of these fights. But as writers, you can raise your voices in defense of the rule of law and encourage your peers to do the same.
I hope you’ll join our silly community of writers. The Law Weekly was by far my favorite part of law school. I’m already feeling a little post-graduation FOMO. But you’re still there, so don’t miss out. Read us. Write for us. You won’t regret it.
[1] Hold your applause.
[2] Allegedly.
[3] Seriously, though, when I did OGI, employers asked me about the Law Weekly but never my journal membership, soooooo…
