Sai Kulkarni ‘23
Production Editor
Here’s a quick peek into the writer’s room of the Law Weekly: when I originally conceived of this idea, it was an off-the-cuff suggestion since I knew journal tryouts were coming up soon. I had no idea what the point of the article would be or any of the content. I am not fond of 1Ls at all, due to my experience last year.[1] The Class of 2024 has gotten many of the traditions that were straight up denied to the rest of us. So, writing an article giving them legitimate advice is certainly out of the ordinary for me. But with the departure of my fellow agent of chaos from the newspaper,[2] it might be time for me to change up my content.[3] So without further ado, here is this week’s hook: dear 1Ls, journal tryouts are not life-changing.
I know, it’s hard to believe. Your fellow 1Ls are telling you that you can’t get a job without them. Here’s the thing: Isn’t that ridiculous to say? You are listening to people who also haven’t gone through the process making assertive statements about the outcomes that won’t come until late summer for Big Law students and even later for Public Interest students. But the thing is, I also listened to advice like that from people in my class. We are all prone to getting stressed out of our minds at the slightest indication of pressure, and journals are no different. You hear about the prestige of Law Review, how the other journals are “ranked” reputation-wise and think that you have to burn yourself out over this—like everything else in law school.
There are three major pitfalls in making the decision to be stressed over this, however.[4] The first is that you can get a job in your 1L year without journals. It’s that simple. The coveted 1L summer associateships that everyone fanboys/girls over are all achieved before the results of journal tryouts are even declared. This is the point that got me to take writing this article seriously. A 1L spoke to me this week about their anxiety surrounding tryouts despite having a callback at a firm and awaiting the firm’s decision. The cultural hype around journals is so intense that even someone who is a step away from getting something half this school (or more) would be psyched for still feels like they have to go through tryouts.
Second, the announcements for Law Review were not make-or-break for OGI for the class of 2023. For us, the announcement of who made Law Review came after the deadline to submit resumes into the Symplicity system. So, in determining who to short-list as pre-selects, firms did not rely (for the most part) on whether a student made Law Review. While I make no commentary on the effects of Law Review admission on any potential SCOTUS clerkships, I have to imagine that if you are one of those students, you are probably too busy gunning to read this article.
Finally, the specialty journal you are on is going to have given you, at most, two cite checks between you joining the journal and your interviews, whether OGI or Public Interest interviews. That is not enough for you to make any commentary about it in your interviews. In all of my screeners and callbacks, I only had two people ask about my experience on the Journal of Social Policy and the Law, and I was very frank with them that I had nothing to say yet. In sum, you won’t even have much to talk about in your interviews if you get on a journal.
But despite all of this, I am not trying to argue that you shouldn’t join a journal. They are excellent ways to hone your skills at using the Bluebook, and more so are sources of contact with legal scholarship. There are plenty of reasons to join, and you should absolutely reach out to more members of the specialty journal you are interested in to hear more about them. All I am trying to say is that your life will not end if you do not get on a journal in the first or second round. Getting a job, a clerkship, and future opportunities depends more on how you present your accolades and memberships than the ones you have. If, despite all your accomplishments, you cannot present yourself well, then you won’t make good on those achievements.[5] So, join a journal—only if you want. Don’t do it because of the social pressure from those around you.
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omk6cg@virginia.edu
[1] Trauma, folks. The 2020-21 academic year is one all of us will look back on with annoyance.
[2] I will miss writing with Phil. Look, we can be nice to each other; it’s rare though.
[3] Don’t worry, you will still be getting party-focused content from me. No escape from that, dear readers.
[4] Oh yeah, I’m doing full academic essays folks. New publishing year, new format, new everything.
[5] Highly recommend interview practice with OPP or with the Public Interest Office. That is the real deal-maker in getting jobs.