Is Your Browser Too Short?

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Caleb Stephens ‘24
Staff Editor

So, what is an extension? Also known as an add-on (in Firefox), an extension is essentially an extra function which can be added to your browser. Most popular extensions are provided through the Chrome web store. Despite the name, most common browsers will accept these extensions directly through the Chrome store and run them without any problem. 

The most essential extension in my arsenal of extensions is doubtless OneTab. OneTab does one thing, and does it really well: tab management. If you’re anything like me, you always have at least seven tabs open in your browser, if not many more. Anytime I start doing legal research, I find myself opening case after case, leaving each one open in a new tab for when I inevitably need it (why yes, I do prefer Lexis over Westlaw, in part because Lexis allows you to open cases in different tabs and won’t lose all your tabs when you log back in). The problem with this research method occurs when you have left for the day, shutting down your computer for security reasons (seriously, if you’re working for a court for the summer, they really care about that). Note that I said shutting down, not shutting the lid, not putting the computer to sleep, but actually logging out and powering off the machine. But what about my tabs, you’re doubtless thinking. Well, they’re probably gone. And that’s where OneTab comes in. 

OneTab can be added to Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Vivaldi, and it simplifies your routine like this: when you’re done researching for the day (or hour, or whatever), just click on the OneTab icon in the top right corner of your browser. This will collapse all your tabs and open a single browser page, which will display a list of links to the pages you had open. If you click any of these links, they open back up in a new tab. When you reopen your browser after closing it, this OneTab page will be the first thing to greet you, inviting you to begin where you left off, either by clicking each link you want, or just hitting “restore all” to go right back to where you were. And that’s not all. You can also sort the links on this page into different headings, renaming each browsing session however you want. OneTab automatically titles each collection with the date and time, but it also gives you the option to title the collection with whatever title you want.  

Browsing Amazon for the perfect water bottle and opening each bottle in a new tab for comparison? Collapse all your tabs into OneTab and title it “Quest for the Holy Grail,” returning to it when you’ve slept on your extremely important decision (you’ll know you chose…wisely when you don’t shrivel up and turn to dust on your first sip). More pertinently, if you’re researching a legal topic–say, employment law–for your LRW paper, and have to go to class, collapse all your tabs into a collection called “I blame LRW for my mental health issues”. You can also export each collection. Say you have a group project, and want your friends to read the research you did. Just collapse the tabs into a collection, title it, and hit export. You’ll get a single link that will open up that collection on your friend’s device. All that said, I find OneTab to be an indispensable part of my research process, and it’s well worth trying. I’ve introduced it to two workplaces and continue to spread it around like a COVID-19 carrier in early 2020. 

There are a lot of extensions out there.  Another extremely useful one in the legal arena is the DarkReader extension. All this extension does, by default, is convert the webpage you are looking at from black text on a white background to white text on a black background. It also allows you to adjust the brightness and contrast of pages in either dark or light mode, if you want your browser to be less bright without having to squint to watch the Christopher Nolan movie you’re watching on your second monitor. While you may not always want to read in dark mode (white text on a black background, as I was explaining before, for those who are wondering), an occasional break from the wall of white screens can be nice, and this extension is not very demanding and is easy to toggle on and off by simply hitting the extension’s symbol in your browser. 

            One more that can be helpful is the DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials extension. This extension does one thing: grades websites as they’re tracking you. It displays a letter grade for each website you visit and tells you what they’re tracking about you. The letter grade varies (of course, no grading on a B+ curve here) by how much the website is tracking you, and the extension does block some of these trackers. It’s probably an extension to use before you try to find that textbook free online somewhere, or when you simply can’t find the pdf you’re looking for. Privacy is really important in the legal world, especially when you’re working with information for a client and making sure that you don’t inadvertently expose your computer to malicious actors is a core responsibility. 

All of that said, there is some danger in installing and running extensions. Too many extensions can slow down your browser, so you want to be careful in your selection of extensions. In my experience, you won’t notice any difference from adding all of the options I listed above (although, thanks to OneTab, I rarely have more than around 15 tabs open at one time, which definitely makes a major difference in browsing speed). Do be smart about what extensions you install, check ratings, look at who the developer is, and make sure you aren’t downloading something that is from a country infamous for hacking attempts, poorly reviewed, and potentially dangerous for your information. All three that I listed are safe; I’ve vetted them, at least 2 million other users have added them, and I’ve had some pretty serious information security people vet them and confirm that they’re safe. I’ve even made it easy for those of you on Vivaldi or Chrome: all you have to do to access the correct links for these three extensions is to scan the QR code I’ve attached. 

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cs8ws@virginia.edu  

BLSA Seventies Night

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Anne Reyna ‘23
Staff Writer

What it is, UVA Law! Last Tuesday, the club was definitely going up. Feb Club was back in full swing just a few days after Barrister’s, as the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) threw the grooviest, most far out party this month. Students came dressed in their funky threads and boogied all night long at Crozet. This party was the ’70s personified, with everything from multi-colored lights and a slammin’ playlist, to a polaroid camera and enough pizza to go around. The people wanted the ’70s to be brought back, and BLSA delivered in a big way. So, everyone bring out your flare pants, v-necks, and nifty patterns, because it is all back in style.

A specific thank you goes out to BLSA members and event organizers, Marley Peters and Genesis Moore. Peters, BLSA’s social chair, discussed how her “favorite part was the Soul Train line dance.” For those who don’t know, Soul Train was an American musical variety show which aired all the way from 1971-2006, with over 1,100 episodes recorded. BLSA definitely did the show justice and provided a unique law school party experience unlike any other. “We picked the ’70s because we wanted to dance to good music, see some creative outfits and have a good time with our classmates. We are so happy with the turn out, and thanks to everyone who came!” said Peters. 

Photo Courtesy of Anne Reyna '23

One of the standouts of the night was the immaculately curated playlist for the event. “The playlist was fire,” confirmed 1L Briana Woody. Everybody was getting down to Donna Summer, The Supremes, Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder, Kool & The Gang, and so many more incredible musical talents. Whether you were boogying to “Love Train,” “September,” or belting out “Boogie Wonderland,” BLSA brought the whole house down (or at least the upstairs of Crozet). “This party reminds me of the best part of the ’70s,” said 2L Peter Lee Hamilton mid-groove, and with the good music, off-the-hook dance moves, and even better company, it’s hard to dispute his claim. “BLSA’s Feb Club party was a great place to catch up with old friends and make new friends while dancing. Literally no other Law School party had music and moves like them. 10/10,” said confirmed party attender Payal Sampat ’23. So the reviews are officially out, and we’re all left wondering when BLSA’s next event is happening.

The other standout of the night was some of the jammin’ ’70s outfits. “The best outfits were the Black Panther outfits, hands down,” said law student Mustapha Yoosuf-Akinlaja ’23. One of BLSA’s members,  Matthew Lyskawa ’23, came dressed as a Black Panther, one of several at the party. The Black Panthers were a political organization formed to challenge police brutality against African Americans. When asked about his inspiration for the outfit, Lyskawa offered some thought-provoking comments. 

Photo Courtesy of Anne Reyna '23

“When wearing my Black Panther outfit, I was provoked to remember. As Rambert, who was also dressed as a Black Panther, and I were walking to the party, almost everyone we walked passed stared at us with looks of both fear and curiosity. Such reactions to the perception of black folks is commonplace in our lives. Our presence often invokes fear and curiosity: I will never forget the fear in the cop’s eyes, with his gun drawn, as he pulled me over for a broken tail light or when one of my academic advisors, with the curiosity of a child, touched my hair when I grew it out. What made these perceptions different was the militancy with which Rambert and I showed up in the world: we were not only black, but black and militant. That perception of black people has proven to be dangerous. Dressed as a black panther provoked me to remember my militant ancestors, their resolve, their audacity, and their hope. I remembered the black and brown subaltern communities around the world who have employed militant tactics to contest their subjugation. I remembered my enslaved ancestors who toiled under the threat of gratuitous violence when they built UVA,” said Lyskawa.

Hopefully everyone was able to make it out to a few Feb Club events, as by the time this article comes out, we will have sprung into March. “I thought it was a great turnout, this was the only Feb Club party I came to, and it was the only party I needed to come to” said certified party attendee Effie Kisger ’23. So lastly, I personally want to thank everyone who made each event possible. This month brought a lot of us together and truly made the Law School live up to its reputation as being a fun and collegial environment for all. 

Until next time Feb Club, peace out.

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agr5ag@virginia.edu 

Go with the FloRecruit: A Summary of DC Day

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Monica Sandu ‘24
Staff Editor

Last Tuesday, I had the opportunity to attend OPP’s D.C. Day, an hour-and-a-half-long networking event to rub (virtual) elbows with representatives from firms in the nation’s capital. D.C. Day, along with its twin event, New York Day, is part of a series of networking events put on by OPP to connect students with potential employers and build key connections for our upcoming job searches.

            The event was scheduled to start on FloRecruit at 4:00pm. My last class on Tuesdays ends at 3:30pm. It takes me ten minutes to drive home.[1] I booked it back to my house, threw on my professional blouse and blazer,[2] and was able to log in with five minutes to spare. FloRecruit doesn’t let you log into the meeting until two minutes before the scheduled start time, so I got treated to a minute of awkwardly staring at myself in the test call window, adjusting my lamp, and trying to not look out of breath from my mad dash home.

            Each session in the rotation had two participating attorneys and six students. Beware: nobody ever tells you how much your face cramps up when you keep a smile on for twenty minutes straight. Nevertheless, I took the time to observe how I felt during our interactions. Though the virtual nature made this more difficult, I found it most helpful to see what features the attorney’s emphasized first when answering questions. Some talked about how much they enjoy their colleagues, others talked about how satisfying the subject matter of their work was, and others still talked about their diverse client base and active lifestyle.

            D.C. is a vibrant city, full of transplants from across the country who come together to create the capital’s unique character. Attorneys emphasized the fun of working in such a unique environment, which contributes to the collaborative nature of their firms as well as the social network they build outside of work.

The best moment of the evening came from the first firm I was paired up with, in which one of the representatives spent five minutes trying to figure out how to get the audio on FloRecruit to work so that he could hear all of us. It was a nice little reminder that yes, attorneys are people too.

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ms7mn@virginia.edu

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[1] Insert the “This is Fine” meme. 

[2] As it turns out, “student nice” is equivalent to “business formal” in law student terms.

A 1L Goes to the Barrister's Ball (With Mixed Results)

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Julia D’Rozario ‘24
New Media Editor

Barrister’s Ball may be the single most hyped event in the academic calendar. My desire to attend a Barrister’s Ball actually pre-dated my desire to be a law student… As someone who didn’t grow up in the US, I have been fetishizing the concept of the traditional American Prom for as long as I can remember. Specifically, I have spent the last twenty-four years manifesting the scenes from She’s All That[1]. I want an absurd promposal. I want to slow dance to ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’ by The Smiths. I want to cry in the bathroom.[2] I want to be crowned prom queen. All of this to say — I am deeply delusional, and my expectations of Barrister’s Ball were extremely high, and also heavily skewed in favor of rom-com clichés.

Ultimately, Barrister’s Ball was not quite the movie-prom moment I envisioned — BUT — it didn’t end up mattering! It was a wonderful event in its own right. I spent time with my friends. I danced (just a little). I played the big piano in the hallway. I took approximately 50,000 photos. I spilled tequila sunrise on my camera. I visited the open bar just frequently enough that my high heels stopped hurting. Also, I got to wear a gown, and I will gladly accept any and every gown opportunity that presents itself. I wouldn’t change the experience. I sincerely look forward to another night to remember next year![3]

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jkd2dd@virginia.edu

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[1] Other notable movies that feed my prom delusions include but are not limited to: Never Been Kissed, 10 Things I Hate About You, Napoleon Dynamite, Twilight, Mean Girls

[2] Manifest with caution!

[3] If you’re reading this, prom-pose to me.

Why Journal Tryouts Won't Change Your Life

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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

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[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.

A (Sober) 1L's Account of Barrister's

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Monica Sandu ‘24
Co-Executive Editor

My gown was ready. My makeup was flawless. My spirits were high. I was ready for Barrister’s. The only thing missing? The alcohol.

I’d been looking forward to Barrister’s ever since I heard the words “law school prom.” Who doesn’t love getting dolled up, going to fancy resorts, and dancing the night away like we’re at the end of a teen rom-com? But I was driving to and from the Law School that night, so I saved a few bucks and went for the non-drinking ticket.[1]

My stint as the “mom friend” of the night began before we’d even gotten on the bus. In classic Virginia fashion, “spring weather” was more of a suggestion. Though ball gowns are lovely, they’re not intended to brave the arctic chill, so I had to run to my car and grab the spare sweater I keep there for a friend who’d forgotten hers. Pulling up in the bus, the excitement was palpable as a sea of satin, suits, and sparkles descended upon Boar’s Head.

Once we arrived, my group made our way, of course, to the bar. Though the Shirley Temple I’d asked for ended up being a tequila-less sunrise, I still felt incredibly fancy as my friends and I took a turn about the room, marveling at how nice everything looked and stuffing our purses with free law firm goodies.[2] I have no clue how to play roulette, but seeing everyone line up around the tables and placing chips on numbers was like being in a real-life James Bond movie. Seemingly everywhere I looked, there was another person I knew dressed to the nines, each dress more beautiful than the last. Compliments flowed, and everyone felt beautiful.

My best decision of the night was keeping a pair of flats in my purse for when my heels inevitably hurt my feet. After my initial glamor shots, I broke off from my group to put my heels at the coat check. This turned out to be the worst decision of the night. I spent the next hour hopelessly lost as my friends had disappeared into the masses of students, leaving me alone to do the most daunting thing imaginable for a 1L–socialize with people outside of my section.

I must have walked around the entire space at least three times, but it wasn’t all bad. I was in the front of the line when they finally brought the food out. I’ve never seen piranhas feed before, but I imagine it must come close to being with people who, upon spotting the tray of hors d’oeuvres come out, congealed into a crushing mass following the food. Trying to grab a plate was like fighting an upstream current in a storm, but I made it out alive–with a raw carrot and two shrimp to show for it.

By 9:00 p.m., I came to realize that the sober friend has another very important function: taking pictures. It was a privilege to be told that the photos I’d snapped at the request of a nearby couple were the best ones they’d gotten all night, because nobody else was able to keep the camera straight.

Just when I had nearly lost all hope that I’d actually get a chance to dance with my friends, our eyes reunited from across the floor. The DJ came through with a classic Cupid Shuffle,[3] and there were smiles and off-key singing all around as I tried, and failed, to avoid bumping shoulders with everyone around me. The energy and pure joy emanating from the room as the DJ followed up with a set of great songs was unparalleled, and for the first time in years, I let loose and got to party.

Though I ended the night soon after, the beautiful memories I made are ones that I will always carry with me, and I look forward to what adventures—sober or otherwise—next year will bring.

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ms7mn@virginia.edu

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[1] Not that it mattered; once we got in, I’m pretty sure everyone was given the same purple wristband. I blended right in with the cool kids. Besides, I consume alcohol the healthy way: alone in my room.

[2] Who doesn’t need a Sidley charging bank and a White & Case tote bag?

[3] Supplementing the instructions with clarifications of when to go “to the right” and “to the left” during all the musical interludes.

Saving Lives: Narcan Training

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Naloxone, better known by the brand name Narcan, can save the life of someone overdosing on opioid drugs such as morphine, fentanyl, or heroin. It can be applied intramuscularly or via a nasal spray. The spray especially can be used with very little training, and instructions are usually written on the packaging.

Narcan works pretty fast, usually taking effect within a few minutes. It only blocks the effects of the opioid for about an hour, so multiple applications may be required depending on how deep the overdose is. An overdose can manifest in many different ways, but the most common symptoms are shallow breathing and unconsciousness.

Once you apply Narcan, it’s important to move a short distance away from the applicant. This can be counterintuitive because you are trying to save their life. The reason for this is that medication kills their “high” very suddenly, and it can momentarily cause them to lash out. Once their “high” is gone, it is usually safe to approach them and monitor their vitals. If the Narcan is working, the recipient will be breathing steadily and look sober. If they are willing, it’s important to then take them to a hospital or have them checked by a medical professional.

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dsa7st@virginia.edu

The Thunderdome Closes its Doors

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Phil Tonseth ‘22
Editor-in-Chief

I’m not going to lie to y’all. When an article idea comes to mind for my intermittent ramblings, it’s a relatively easy task for me to pump out 800 plus words on jokes that I find funny, puns my editors sigh and roll their eyes at, and stories that I share that nobody reallyyyy cares to know about. However, today’s article has sat in my draft folder for a solid week, blank. I’d compare trying to find the words to describe this last year as the Law Weekly’s Editor in Chief to understanding Pennoyer or Erie on the first day of CivPro: almost impossible. There’s a deadline to meet though, so we’re going to do this live.

There was one goal on my mind when I opened the doors to the Thunderdome last February when I became Editor in Chief: use the Law Weekly to show what UVA Law is really all about, COVID or not. We, as a student body (and school, for all of the teachers, administrators, and staff reading this), were still in a weird stage of the pandemic. Some classes were back in person, there were a smattering of events held in the Law School, and the protocols to snitch on other law students for gathering in groups larger than 5 had been lifted.[1] I didn’t want the Law Weekly to just remain the same, to be a summarization of events and the news, barely attracting the attention of a small splattering of students. My goal was simply to show the UVA Law has a lot to offer, whether it be the return of all in-person classes, Dandelion, softball, cool events and guest speakers, or letters to the editor from concerned students. Anything and everything was on the table.

Was this strategy effective? Debatable. Did my strategy of showing off the social and cultural aspects of the school and community result in fewer articles on “important” topics and organization events around the school? Definitely. Was I accused of using the Law Weekly to simply share my social life to the wider UVA Law community, whether through making our front page a collage of pictures of my friends and me multiple times, or writing about how I spent more time on the golf course than in class? Seven times total, if we’re being specific. Do I regret it? Not one bit.

I came into this role with zero journalism experience. I couldn’t then nor now tell you when to use an em dash, or why it’s grammatically correct to spell out numbers below 100. All I knew was that tapping into humor, empathy, and a sense of belonging would hopefully keep the Law Weekly readership numbers afloat and bring the community together again after a rough first two years of my UVA Law experience. That’s the reason I did everything from reaching out to every class’ GroupMes multiple times asking for pictures from different events, to soliciting letters to the editor, to running contests for Halloween. An increasingly involved student body will care more, will help rebuild the culture of UVA Law, and will make it a better experience for everyone involved.

I would be remiss to not thank my amazing team for supporting me along the way. From every staff editor on the Law Weekly, to the editorial board who had to stay late and listen to my wine and Domino’s-induced ramblings, thank you. Also, thank you to all of those who were willing to be interviewed and who contributed to our paper.

In summation, my favorite part of this paper and my time at UVA Law has been the ability to make and capture memories. Although Andy Bernard may have longingly said “I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them,” I think that’s exactly the point of the Law Weekly. This paper captures what it is to be a student, from the good and the bad, to the funny and the frustrating. Take advantage of the time we have now and cherish those you’ll spend it with. These three years have gone by too quick. It’s been my pleasure to help shepherd the Class of 2022 through their 3L year doing such, and I’ll happily watch future EICs do the same.

-Mamba Out

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pjt5hm@virginia.edu

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[1] Thank god. And for those people who filed a FOIA request to see who ratted you out, only to find out it was a good friend, I hope y’all have patched that up.

Raising Your Browsers

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Caleb Stephens ‘24
Staff Editor

We all spend so much time on our devices, but how much do we actually think about how we’re accessing the internet? No, this isn’t a VPN ad, I’m talking about your internet browser. I know you’ve all seen Internet Explorer, and immediately used it to download another browser, but have you even considered using something other than Chrome? In light of this, the Law Weekly proudly presents a rambling guide to your favorite browsers.

Chrome: The standard browser most of you probably use. Chrome is a solid option, providing the base level for basically all browsers. Chrome allows you to link to your Google account, providing seamless access to the myriad services provided by Google (all hail the Google overlords). The only major drawback to this beauteous vision of the future is that Chrome takes up a lot of your CPU when it’s running. For those of us who don’t speak the language of the coming robotic/AI/artificially augmented humans/virtual reality revolution, your computer is more likely to overheat if you have a lot of tabs open in Chrome versus the same amount open in some other browsers. Or it is more likely to overheat and freeze if you’re using something that makes your computer work really hard at the same time as your browser (like playing the latest, greatest version of Skyrim that allows fishing while on a Zoom call in your browser, your Spotify app, messages, and your timesheet for your summer job). Chrome does allow extensions and bookmarks, some of which can completely change your browsing experience (for the uninitiated, extensions allow you to add features to your browser, such as a text to speech translator, a VPN, a translator, or basically anything else you can think of).

Safari: Ah, all Ye Apple snobs. Probably the people most likely to be reading this and thinking, oh this definitely doesn’t apply to “me.” But, while Safari is definitely the best “default” browser, it’s far from perfect. It offers great basic functionality, getting the job done, but it has a serious lack of customization options. Admittedly, that is Apple’s entire M.O.—oversimplification for ease of use—but it does come at the expense of features that could be desirable, such as hotkeys or the vast library of Chrome-based extensions.

Internet Explorer: Do I even need to say anything? All of you have had to use Internet Explorer, and all of you have hated it.

Microsoft Edge: A newer, better version of Internet Explorer. It’s a much better basic browser, but it will occasionally break internet pages. Decent, but probably not a great choice for your full-time browser.

Firefox: The second best, really. Probably the best option for plugins. Firefox is the classic open-source browser, allowing those of you who really know what you’re doing to change what you want, but for the rest of us, Firefox just remains a solid option. It has good modification choices, but its bookmark feature leaves something to be desired. 

Brave: Brave is more of a niche browser, but it provides a more secure experience than most of the other options on this list. Brave is basically a re-skinned version of Firefox that’s slightly more secure, but a little bit less elegant. It’s worth trying, but it’s probably not the best option for everyday use.

Opera: Opera is an elegant vision of a different sort of browser, one that uses mouse gestures instead of keys, like conducting an orchestra through your tabs. Opera runs well, and it’s fairly light, adding more custom options than most of the basic browsers, including a free VPN. The main catch is that it was recently purchased by a group of Chinese investors, which has raised concerns among some privacy groups. Opera also offers a gaming version, Opera GX, which basically is a dark mode Opera (unless you want to go in and customize how much RAM, CPU, and network bandwidth you want to use, in which case, this is a great option).

Vivaldi: My personal favorite, Vivaldi, offers a ridiculous amount of customization. Do you want the address bar on the bottom of the screen instead of at the top? You can do that. Do you want to make elegant mouse gestures like Opera? That’s an option too (mainly because the developer team from Opera left and started Vivaldi when Opera was purchased). Do you want a custom color scheme, set up in literally whatever colors you want? You can do that too. Do you want to open the link you have open on your computer on your phone? Just hit the QR code button, and it’ll generate a QR code for your phone to scan. Vivaldi is the home of any new innovative features in browsers, as well as being more secure, based in Norway, which has pretty strong privacy laws. It even offers a quick setup with default options for those of you who don’t want to choose which options you want.

Bonus round: mobile

Safari: Really, I’m just waiting for Vivaldi to make a mobile version for iOS, but while we’re all waiting for that to happen, Safari is probably the best browser for mobile use for iPhones. If you’re on an Android, you can compensate for the pain of having to use the UVA Guest Wi-Fi network by having access to Vivaldi on mobile. Unfortunately, there is not yet an iOS version available, so I have no idea how good it is. Reach out and let me know any of your thoughts, harsh criticisms, or alternative solutions on browsers, and, until then, good luck with the UVA Wi-Fi.

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cs8ws@virginia.edu

True Gunners Throughout History

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Jack Brown ‘23
Staff Editor

We all have made our share of gunner accusations in our time in Law School. From mocking the person doing the reading with their firm offer in hand, to impersonating 1L study groups working through doctrinal classes together, we’ve all had a laugh at what we think gunning is.

            But none of that is real gunning. Sure, at a lowly T-8 school, memorizing your professor’s hornbook before the start of 1L might be seen as out of the ordinary, but it pales in comparison to the true gunners that have left their mark on the legal profession. This article will take you through some true examples of excellence that we should all aspire to live up to.

Louis Brandeis

            To start, yes, by default, anyone who reaches the Supreme Court qualifies as a gunner. No matter how often they talk about not being the smartest person in their class, how many social events they were involved in Law School, or how suspect their understanding of legal issues seem to be, they are, as a rule, gunners. But not all Supreme Court gunning is made equal.

            Enter Louis Brandeis, the only Supreme Court Justice your NLG friend says wasn’t a spawn of Satan.[1] After spending his teenage years traveling Europe, he decided that the law was calling to him. To say he became a little unhinged is an understatement; at one point he referred to the law as his "mistress," holding a grip on him that he could not break.[2]

            His obsession with reading law books got so intense that it began to have physical consequences. Worn out from overuse, his eyes began to deteriorate to the point that doctors suggested that Brandeis give up school to preserve what little vision he had left.[3] Unable to imagine a world where he didn’t spend countless hours reading about how judges solved simple scenarios, Louis instead paid other students to read out legal principles to him which he then memorized.[4]

            This expensive form of outlining paid off, as Brandeis graduated first in his class at Harvard with a record-setting GPA that remained unmatched for almost eighty years. Brandeis said of that period: "Those years were among the happiest of my life. I worked! For me, the world's center was Cambridge."[5] The kid in your class who spends twenty minutes asking the professor bombastic questions after each lecture has nothing on Gunner Brandeis.

Gregory Watson

            While Mr. Watson never was on the Supreme Court, at the top of his class, or even in law school, no one can deny his gunner credentials because to win an argument, he changed the Constitution of the United States. That’s right, the kid who brings up the comments when the professor says they’re wrong isn’t even in the same dimension as the great Gregory Watson.

            His story begins in 1982. Gregory was a student at the University of Texas at Austin who wrote a paper for a political science course that argued an amendment proposed along with the Bill of Rights was still “live” and could be ratified by the states at any time. This amendment prevented Congress from enacting pay raises that would take effect before the next election. The professor gave this paper a C, which inspired Gregory to begin a letter writer campaign to state legislators.[6]

            Over the next decade, one by one state legislatures began to ratify the amendment. Although he had already graduated and changing the grade wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else, Gregory continued relentlessly lobbying for this amendment’s passage. His goal wasn’t just to get the Amendment passed; he wanted all fifty states to spend time ratifying it even though he just needed thirty eight states to prove his paper right.

            Roughly a decade after getting his paper back, Gregory had actually done it. He had permanently changed possibly the most important legal document in human history to show the professor that he was right, and they were wrong. And you think someone visiting a professor's office hours three times to argue they deserve an A-triple plus is over the top?

            While outside of this one obsession, Gregory Watson’s life lacked the consistent gunnerness of many famous judges, lawyers, professors, and crossword puzzle editors that come out of law school, it is the absurd scale of the one moment that earns him a spot in this article. One moment of sufficient exception from norms of humility can forever label you a blue-blooded gunner.

The Person Reading This Article

            Ya, that’s right, you, the person reading this, you’re a gunner too. We all are here in a million different ways. Some of us really take well to the exam system and to the production of legal papers as a whole and channel our energy into developing that skill. Others gun by staying healthy, by staying present in their friend’s lives, by just getting through the day even when it's really hard to even get out of bed.

Every one of us works really hard every day, and it’s okay to be tired sometimes. Always remember that and never lose sight of how amazing you are.

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jwb4bb@virginia.edu

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[1] This may change if there is a group of NLG students who might compete to see who can be the most woke; in that situation, Brandeis might be labeled as no better than Scalia. 

[2] Thomas K. McCraw, Prophets of Regulation (1984).

[3] John R. Vile, Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia (2003).

[4] Diana Klebanow, & Franklin L. Jonas, People's Lawyers: Crusaders for Justice in American History (2003).

[5] Thomas A. Mason, Brandeis: A Free Man's Life (1946).

[6] John W. Dean, The Telling Tale of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment. FindLaw, (Sept. 27, 2002), https://supreme.findlaw.com/legal-commentary/the-telling-tale-of-the-twenty-seventh-amendment.html.

Does Men's Equality Require..?

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Michael Pruitt ‘24
Guest Writer

Before diving into the content of Friday’s panel on reproductive health, the events leading up to it deserve their own column inches. From the panel’s title to the slogans used in advertising, it stood unambiguously in response to the Federalist Society’s conversation with Erika Bachiochi. Members of If/When/How and Lambda Law Alliance jointly developed the panel over the course of three short days in response to Bachiochi’s opposition to both reproductive healthcare access and to legal protections for trans, nonbinary, and intersex people. Both If/When/How and a group of trans and nonbinary law students published open letters that put their lived experiences, Bachiochi’s record, and the national political moment—with Roe under scrutiny by the Supreme Court and a wave of states proposing anti-trans legislation—in conversation.[1] Chloe Fife ’22 touched on this background in a brief introduction for the forty-some-odd in-person attendees and the larger Zoom audience before turning the event over to Professor Coughlin, who moderated.

Professor Coughlin began by interrogating the title of the Federalist Society’s event, including the intended meaning of key terms like “women” and “equality.” With these questions in mind, the conversation turned to introducing each panelist and allowing them to discuss their work.

Dr. Chris Barcelos, a social scientist teaching gender and sexuality studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, noted that the theme of the panel linked to their own scholarly work, where they have found that efforts at regulating abortion and regulating trans bodies are fundamentally intertwined. “Both,” Dr. Barcelos said, “are attempts to deny bodily autonomy and attempts to define the futures of others.”

Ting Ting Cheng, the current director of the Equal Rights Amendment Project at Columbia Law School, spoke next, beginning by providing a short history on the 100-year effort[2] to pass the ERA, the attendant thorny legal issues of the ERA’s current status, and the history of unfortunate decisions on “which voices to include and which to exclude.” She noted that ERA activists pushing for ratification in the ’70s claimed that the amendment wouldn’t provide special legal protections for abortions. Cheng stated that these claims were false then, and remain false now, but they presented a salient reminder of the importance of focusing on issues of equity while working for equality. “We care about winning,” she said, “but also how we win.”

Tannis Fuller, who runs the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund, a grassroots organization that provides financial and logistical assistance to support abortions, spoke last. A poster in the background of Fuller’s office read, in block capitals, “Funding abortion is a radical act of resistance and community care.” She engaged directly with Professor Coughlin’s question on the meaning of “women’s equality” in relation to abortion. “If we’re all down in the mud together, well, I don’t want to be in the mud,” she said. According to Fuller, people should aim for liberation rather than equality, and “access to reproductive health, the whole spectrum of fertility care, is central to liberation.” Abortion and other reproductive care, she continued, should be seen as tied to family and community so that by improving access to care, people are able to “unify different streams of their life and become whole” rather than dividing their lives “into separate buckets.”

Each speaker echoed the themes of their introductions in answering questions from the audience. When asked about the role of lawyers in addressing legal barriers to trans folks’ access to reproductive healthcare, Dr. Barcelos stated that “the law isn’t going to totally save us,” referring to the frequent gap between legal protections on paper and realities on the ground. By example, they noted how the Affordable Care Act’s ban on gender identity discrimination hasn’t kept many insurers from denying coverage for gender-affirming treatment.

Cheng considered the possibility that the ERA could be used in an anti-classification argument to block laws designed to help women and trans people. She noted that unlike the Fourteenth Amendment, the language of the ERA doesn’t require intent, making this interpretation weaker.

Fuller spoke about the possible externalities of increased restrictions on abortion. With increased scrutiny of abortions, she claimed, we also get increased scrutiny and criminalization of pregnancy outcomes like miscarriages, which disproportionately impacts people of color, trans people, and poor people.

When asked how to combat the stigma associated with abortion, sex, and gender, Fuller said that the solution was talking with our children early about sex and gender. “When we’re comfortable in our identities,” she said, “we can more easily talk about sexual health, and when we’re comfortable with that we can more easily talk about abortion.”

Both Dr. Barcelos and Fuller addressed Bachiochi’s belief that abortion denigrates the role of mothers in society. Dr. Barcelos noted the cognitive dissonance in the fact that over half of all abortions were obtained by people who already had one birth, while Fuller rejected the framing of abortion and parenthood as binary opposites rather than paired concepts.

To close the event, each speaker offered their advice to the audience on ways to create change. Dr. Barcelos encouraged listeners to work with their pocketbook by donating to their local abortion funds, which create vital infrastructure connecting patients to limited care resources. Cheng emphasized the importance of democracy’s roots, stating that listeners should look into meaningful local work and ballot initiatives. Fuller echoed the value of local grassroots organizing, stating that something as simple as putting a can of green beans in the local community fridge “can feel good even when everything else feels like crap.” Professor Coughlin joined the audience after for discussion, coffee, and the best canelé in Central Virginia.

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jhu5ey@virginia.edu

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[1] If/When/How’s letter and the trans and nonbinary students’ letter can be found at bit.ly/uvaletter_iwh and bit.ly/uvaletter_tnb respectively.

[2] Well, more like 98.5 years, but that doesn’t have the same ring.

Introducing Professor Joy Milligan (A Semester Early)

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Jacob Smith ‘23
Professor Liaison Editor

As the semester starts, Jack Brown and I  had the chance to sit down (virtually) with one of the Law School’s newest professors, Professor Joy Milligan. Professor Milligan (together with her husband, Professor Bertrall Ross) agreed to come to UVA from Berkeley last semester, adding to the already-stacked ranks of brilliant UVA constitutional scholars. But don’t be surprised if you have not heard much about either of them yet. Professors Milligan and Ross are currently in Germany, and will make their UVA debuts this fall.

But let’s start at the beginning. In undergrad, Professor Milligan started out at Harvard as a Physics major before switching to Social Studies. After spending some time working in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, she went back to school for a Masters of Public Administration. Then came law school. At that point, Professor Milligan said, she thought academia was definitely her goal. But, as with many law students, plans changed: Professor Milligan ended up getting “pulled into” public interest and civil rights law, working on civil rights and discrimination litigation at the NAACP after law school. Still, all along, academia seemed like it would be a good move eventually. While working at the NAACP was a good experience that Professor Milligan still misses sometimes, after a few years it was time to move toward academia.

But Professor Milligan thought she was not quite ready to be a law school professor: she wanted more training, more time to think about big questions. In particular, she found herself wondering why there was still such inequality despite all the effort and progress that had been made in civil rights. So a PhD in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at Berkeley was the next stop. Professor Milligan thought her focus would likely be law and economics, but she found herself more drawn to legal history, which allowed for a broader and more holistic approach to scholarship. Getting a PhD sounds pretty challenging, but Professor Milligan described it as an enjoyable experience: “I love law. I think it’s endlessly fascinating.” She also described a PhD as a “luxury item,” the opportunity to be dedicated to your own research for years at a time. (We didn’t get the chance to talk much about that research, but Professor Milligan’s dissertation examined resistance to Brown v. Board of Education in the administrative state.)

  By the time her PhD wrapped up in 2018, Professor Milligan had already jumped into teaching at Berkeley. She described the transition as a “big shift.” Despite its perks, a PhD doesn’t really teach you how to teach, so it was necessary to learn on the job. But Professor Milligan has found teaching “really gratifying,” and she especially enjoys teaching 1Ls, meeting public interest students, and “liv[ing] vicariously” through them. One unique course that she taught at Berkeley, and hopes to teach at UVA, is called “Civil Rights & Anti-Discrimination Law” and studies the substance of statutory civil rights protections.

What prompted the move to UVA? While UVA’s oft-cited “collegiality” definitely contributed—and it helped that UVA also wanted to hire her husband—location was undoubtedly also an element. Professor Milligan thought Charlottesville was beautiful during a visit last spring. (She was surprised to learn that Charlottesville is even more beautiful in the fall!) And she is also glad to be moving to a more affordable and less congested part of the country after spending many years in the Bay Area.

But, as mentioned, Professor Milligan isn’t here yet. Currently she and her husband are working in Germany at the American Academy of Berlin with a multidisciplinary group that includes novelists, a public health expert, historians, journalists, and even a cartoonist, as well as other specialists. In the spring she will work on some other academic projects before making the long-awaited move to Charlottesville in time for the fall semester. The short days have left Professor Milligan “really excited” for spring, and COVID worries have limited the opportunities to have fun, but we were told that it’s still been a nice change of pace to live in such a “cosmopolitan” city, catch some “football” games, and avoid driving for a year.

Professor Milligan has also appreciated getting the chance to visit other parts of Europe. Travel and “family adventures” rank high on the list of things she likes to do in her spare time. Other hobbies include hiking and going to her fourteen-year-old son’s soccer games. (She and her family are already planning for tryouts in Charlottesville for the fall.) While Professor Milligan worried this list of hobbies sounded “boring,” we would heartily disagree. Charlottesville is the perfect place for a sophisticated legal scholar who also appreciates the  joys of family and the outdoors, and we are excited to welcome Professor Milligan to her new home!

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js3hp@virginia.edu

Feb Club Kickoff and Feeling Euphoric

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Sai Kulkarni ‘23
Culture Editor

Recently, it has come to my attention that this esteemed newspaper has started to garner criticism with our writing choices. Some say that this has become a form of media even worse than grocery store tabloids: a personal blog. I have heard some critiques from many people in the last two weeks that our fearless leader Phil and I have made this newspaper about our personal lives, partying, and content unappealing to the general public. To those critics I say . . . you are correct. That’s right, I agree with you. I think the two of us write about ourselves every week. And to that, my only response is, at least we aren’t turning this into some sort of Gossip Girl-style toe-rag that insults people.[1] As a newspaper, the Law Weekly exists to both issue commentary and make you laugh. I enjoy writing about the partying culture at the law school; it’s my actual title.[2] So if you read through all of that and decided to keep going, then clearly you want to hear about the kickoff to Feb Club.

Having never experienced the original event, my only experience leading up to Feb Club was the Summer Series this past June. Suffice it to say, I had a ton of fun then. I even wrote an entire article about it last semester. So, despite not knowing what Feb Club was actually supposed to look like, I was psyched for the series of events. I think in these times, we have to party as hard as we can. We have anywhere between 2.5 to merely 0.5 years left to enjoy ourselves and be young before either BigLaw or public interest work drains whatever remains of our souls, leaving mere husks working in the legal field. Therefore, it is simply “go big or go home.”

The hosts of the first party[3] clearly took that phrase to heart. Feb Club is meant to be a series of parties that have their own themes. The men of the Thomson House chose their theme to be “drinking.” While some may declare the theme lazy, I choose instead to label it appropriate. Simple and to the point. For a group that hosts people more often than the average house in law school, they really know how to prepare for a large amount of patrons. Over the course of the night, there were likely over a hundred people walking through those doors, coming in waves from their own pre-games. With multiple boxes of . . . medium quality libations, everyone seemed to be provided for.

In my humble opinion, the party was exactly what everyone needed to set the tone for the upcoming month. There were people from all three classes mixing and mingling and actually talking to one another.[4] There were no expectations of dressing up, only *gasp* socializing. The freezing[5] temperature did not seem to dissuade  people from spreading out and occupying the large deck and all areas of the house. The music was prime 2018 fraternity basement vibes—the exact energy needed for such a party. Much like most college parties, everyone came and went in waves. While I have no idea what time everyone finally called it a night, I can safely say that it was exactly what we all needed. Having already experienced one themed party, there is no doubt that this month will be full of good vibes and interesting ideas. But this simple house party was a perfect launch for Feb Club. At the end of the day, this month is intended to bring us all together and connect disparate student groups. I cannot imagine a more equalizing experience than simply partying together like we are back in college. Hopefully everyone had a good time and will continue to do so in the month going forward.

Anne Reyna ‘23
Staff Writer

If you weren’t at Lambda’s Euphoria party, you might have been the only one. This party had everything you could’ve wanted, with colorful lighting, loud music, a taco bar, and a wicked hangover in the morning. Like every good journalist, I took it upon myself to make this a night to remember by literally going around and getting quotes on the record from my ~totally in the right state of mind~ peers. Interestingly enough, some of my peers elected to only talk off the record or had no comment, for which I applaud them because they are already better attorneys than those individuals who did agree to speak with me. With that being said, I do have to disclaim that the views and opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the official policy or position of The Law Weekly. With all the legal talk out of the way, let’s dive right into all the pressing questions you guys want answered, like “how do I get this glitter off my face?” or “do I have a black eye or is this just purple eyeshadow?” Hopefully I can answer all of these questions and more.

Now, while the theme of the party was the popular HBO show Euphoria, after talking to a number of people, it’s safe to say only about 10% of the partygoers had actually seen the iconic show. Being The Law Weekly’s unofficial pop culture correspondent and an available-for-hire ‘new age’ media expert witness,[6] I was not thrilled to discover this. Euphoria is an expansive and immersive cinematic experience that is often a comfort show for many people. This is because they are able to sit down after watching an episode and think “well, at least this isn’t my life,” and this makes people[7] feel a little bit better about their own lives. With that being said, most people did have some idea of what the show looked like or was about from Twitter or TikTok, so as a huge fan of the show, the Lambda party was a huge success in my eyes and very on theme. I felt as though I had been transported to Euphoria, U.S.A. and I was indeed feeling euphoric.

While most of the esteemed women at this party understood the assignment and came dressed to the nines, some of the men were clearly struggling with the theme and looked like they were auditioning for Oklahoma.[8] Regular reader and even more regular contributor Jon Peterson ’23 was thrilled to be at the party despite his outfit being inspired by a single Google search. “I got to see all my friends, I got to push through a bunch of 1Ls that I don’t know, and I got pushed around by some of them too,” claimed Jon.

I really couldn’t have said it better myself, Jon, there was a great mix of classes there, ranging from the class of 2024 all the way to the class of 2022. It really was a party for all ages: even known older and wiser 3Ls Stanley Birch and Phil Tonseth made their way out on Saturday and were, and I quote, “vibing.” And they weren’t the only ones. Many people I spoke to that night commented that the “vibes were immaculate” or that the party “[was] a whole vibe.” It’s really great how nights like this bring some of the brightest legal minds of our generation all together by reducing our vocabulary to only a few singular phrases.

I believe veteran 3L Ian Clemens summarized it well: “Feb Club represents the best of UVA, the entire point is to [have as much fun] as you can, and those who organize this for us have made sure that’s possible, and we should all thank them for that.” Truer words have never been spoken. So, thank you and a shoutout to Lambda and everyone who made the Euphoria party possible. Certainly everyone I spoke to was having a great night and it was one hell of an opening weekend for Feb Club. I personally cannot wait to see what the rest of the month has in store for us, and I highly encourage everyone to make it out to some of these awesome events. In closing, I’d like to leave you all with a bit of wisdom from the underrated 2007 film Hot Rod starring Andy Samberg: “Let’s party.”

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omk6cg@virginia.edu
agr5ag@virginia.edu

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[1] I recently found out who Gossip Girl actually is and let me say, the showrunners were really lazy on that one. And honestly it makes no sense.

[2] Culture Editor is such a refined title that I even put it on my resume.

[3] Alex Albert, Bennett Robinson, Sam Mirzai, Sean Hickey, and Woody Nimoityn, all of the Class of 2022.

[4] I actually spoke to some 1Ls. Apparently, they are normal people. Who could have known?

[5] In this Florida Man’s opinion, everything below 40 is freezing.

[6] My fees are very reasonable, future trial attorneys.

[7] Me.

[8] Oklahoma is a popular school play being produced by the high school drama department in Euphoria; when said men were asked if they were auditioning for Oklahoma, they all maintained they were not. This claim was not investigated further.

UVA Basketball Nears End of Season

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Dana Lake ‘23
Production Editor

Out of respect for the Law Weekly’s actual Sports Editor, I won’t pretend to give you a match report for the February 1 men’s basketball game that is filled with things like “stats” and “knowledge.” You can check out Jeff White at VirginiaSports.com for a great summary of that game and the overall season. This article has a more critical goal than pointing out career bests (Number 21 Kadin Shedrick, scoring thirteen points) and team highlights (UVA made twenty-six out of twenty-nine free throws). This writing is purely to encourage you to get to a game while you can.

            Spring semester is the worst, no matter what year you’re in. 1Ls are looking for jobs and applying to journals, 2Ls are taking as many credits as they can so they can do 12-and-12 their last year, and 3Ls are so mentally checked out they might as well be Big Law drones already. It’s cold, it’s wet, and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner to disrupt the last of your emotional equilibrium. We are all Rose, looking for our bit of driftwood to cling to without regard for the Jacks we drown along the way. Some people grab onto Feb Club, others throw themselves into Libel. But for you folks who don’t want to drink and don’t want to sing, there is UVA Men’s basketball.

Photo Courtesy of Dana Lake '23.

            The student section is on its feet for the whole game, interrupted often enough with breaks and timeouts to be bearable for even the most sedentary law student. There’s also a pressure-free section on the side for those who can’t or don’t want to stand but still want the hype of being surrounded by heckling undergrads. And boy, do they heckle. UVA fans know how to demoralize opposing teams and referees alike, with coordinated arm movements and chanting to drive the point home. There are a few traditions that are easy to pick up over the course of the first half, but there is plenty of room for ad-libbing your own jeers and cheers.

            The energy in John Paul Jones Arena is hard to resist. Fitted with industrial-strength subwoofers and filled with cheerleaders and dance teams anytime the players aren’t sprinting back and forth across the court, there are enough flashing lights and activity to take your mind off even the most pressing deadline. For two hours you can let go of the law and embrace the epic highs and lows of college basketball.

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dl9uh@virginia.edu

OPP’s 2L Job Search Advice for 1Ls

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Monica Sandu ‘24
Staff Editor

The 2L private practice job search has begun—and that’s terrifying. Like many of my fellow 1Ls, I have yet to secure a position for this upcoming summer. Thinking about next summer and, ultimately, post-graduation employment, can be overwhelming. For those of us interested in private practice, the time to start is now, and the Office of Private Practice (OPP) offers resources and advice to help make the process as effective—and as painless—as possible.

            First and foremost, you will be fine. If you don’t have a 1L summer job yet, it’s not all over. The 1L and 2L job search run concurrently. Keep working with your counselor, no matter what office they’re in. If you’re interested in private practice and do not currently have an OPP counselor, request a referral as soon as you can. If your summer job plan isn’t moving forward, talk with your counselor about a backup. People get job offers as late as April. However, the main 2L recruiting season runs from now until September.

            Relying solely on OGI is no longer the name of the game. For the sixth straight year, UVA Law students found more jobs outside of OGI than through it. According to OPP, the current market for people looking to go into private practice is one of the best in years. Across cities and practice groups, hiring has been robust. Further, strong preparation will serve you well, regardless of how conditions may change.

            Many firms recruit in the preseason, but most start when second-semester grades come out around the middle of June. At that point, you will need to have your documents updated, be prepared to interview at the drop of a hat, and formulate and carry out a networking strategy. Dedicate yourself to a few extracurricular activities—whether through the Law School or not—which you’re passionate about.  Overloading yourself for the sake of a beefy resume is counterproductive. Focusing primarily on classes, and then the job search, will help maximize your chances of landing that 2L summer associate position. However, even knowing where to begin can seem daunting.

            Networking is key. OPP describes it as a “non-negotiable” part of the 2L firm search, and the earlier you form a networking strategy and engage with employers, the better. There is no such thing as a law firm “soulmate.” Many excellent firms would likely be a good fit for you. The purpose of networking is to form a relationship with employers while learning about where you want to work and what kind of environment you see yourself in. With most events now being virtual, it may be harder to get a personal sense of the firm. Luckily, virtual events are easy to attend. Review the SBA newsletter, look at regional affinity group emails, and regularly check for events as they are posted on Symplicity.[1] There will be several city days throughout the semester, which are the best way to learn about specific markets if you are at all interested in them.

            When it comes to grades, it’s important to remember that they are, as is often repeated, just one piece of a larger puzzle. A particular firm’s grade sensitivity simply tells you how that firm has chosen to recruit its summer associates. The goal is to find a firm that’s good at the things you want to do, regardless of how they use grades. If you have concerns about how your first semester grades may impact your job search, talk to your OPP counselor.

            Lastly, a little practical advice: Avoid missing important information by making sure you read OPP’s emails. And practice. Practice your interview answers. Practice giving your elevator pitch about yourself. Many virtual recruiters, including for Winter OGI, use FloRecruit. Make sure that you have all your technology set up prior to your interview time. Center the image of your interviewer right underneath the camera so that it appears like you are making eye contact. And, if anything goes wrong, remain calm. There’s perhaps no better way of showing a prospective employer that you are professional and work well under pressure.  It’s extremely important to develop healthy coping mechanisms for stress and be self-aware when you start to burn out. Your health and well-being are of the utmost importance.

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ms7mn@virginia.edu

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[1] OPP’s website even has a video on networking for introverts.

Meet Me at Feb Club: It's Going Down

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Kathryn Querner ‘22
Features Editor

Jessie Goodman ‘22
Guest Writer

February…

It’s a month of simp behavior (some people use the term “love,” but I’m not one to believe in unicorns) • Age of Aquarius • Start of Pisces season (let’s gooooo) • And for others, it is simply 28 days of bitter cold (much like my heart). 

And maybe if you weren’t at the 8th BeSt LaW sChOoL iN tHe NaTiOn, then you may find one of the above descriptions applicable. But, as a LawHoo, you have waived any right to a “normal” February. Rather, as a student of this renowned institution, you have subjected yourself to a full month of debauchery fused with degeneracy. Put differently, February at UVA Law means Feb Club, and the only way out is to rage your way into the month of March. 

So, aside from what Ian Clemens ’22, describes as a “celebration and worsening of UVA Law’s collective drinking problem by hosting organized themed parties every night of February,” what is Feb Club? 

Historically, Feb Club is a series of 28 (or, on a leap year, 29) parties, one every night for the entire month of February. This February, to be consistent with UVA Law’s protocol that Law School events be online or outdoors until February 4, Feb Club Feeling 2022 will kick off on February 4 and run through the 28th. 

The NGSL-sponsored event is open to all Law students, and everyone is encouraged to show up. It’s a great opportunity to get to know new LawHoos. And, if you don’t believe me, then maybe you’ll believe it if it is explained by someone much cooler than me. J. Carr Gamble ’22 explains that Feb Club is “a time to make new friends and meet more of the upper classes, and for 2Ls and 3Ls it’s a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make some memories together before graduation.” But aside from ~making memzzz~, “participation from student organizations is always a big plus.” 

Frances Asbury ’22 and Caroline Spadaro ’22 were tasked with coordinating the event dates, and sent around a schedule containing all of the information about the parties. If you didn’t receive the schedule by email, it was also posted in each of the class GroupMes. Feb Club events are hosted by a number of student organizations as well as some being private parties at various Law students’ houses. This year, 12 of the parties are hosted by student organizations. The hosts are in charge of planning the event, choosing the theme, and picking a location for their designated night. The event-planners encourage students to continue to check the spreadsheet as events and locations are updated frequently. 

And for those events that are RSVP only, they are typically for smaller houses that just want to ensure they are not overcrowded. It’s not meant to be any sort of deterrent, just send over an email to the address listed on the spreadsheet for those events.

This heavy emphasis on student organization participation lends encouragement to law students being more involved. So much so that if you attend all Feb Club events, you are deemed to have successfully completed an “Ironman.” After an unimpressive attendance record his 1L year, and a canceled season his 2L year (like, actually, why do we have pandemics?), Trace Larabee ’22, has committed to bringing his A-game this year. He explains that this year's Feb Club “might be my first and only chance to compete in an Ironman. I’m taking the training seriously.”

Now, if you find yourself wanting to participate in the month-long shenanigans, but know that a completed Ironman is not within your purview, then how do you decide which events to attend? Well, __[insert naive 1L or uninformed 2L’s name here]__, I’m glad that you asked. Simply put, all the events are awesome, and I encourage everyone to shoot for an Ironman. If you do want to limit your raging quota, but also want to get the most out of the month, it would behoove you to attend, what I like to call, the “big 3” of Feb Club events – LAMBDA RAGERRRRR, Barrister’s Ball, and Das Klüb. And, since Frances and Caroline are event-planning superstars, the Big 3 are appropriately spread out throughout the month to give you recovery time between events. 

Gamble further shared that he is “personally looking forward to Lambda’s annual rager. I think everyone appreciates the event in their own way, but I couldn’t imagine Law School without it” (we! love! supportive! allies!). The man doesn’t lie, but I encourage you to check out what the hype is about for yourself. 

Barrister’s Ball typically falls right in the middle of Feb Club. This year it is scheduled for February 19, and is Vegas themed (so whatever happens, stays ;) ). As an iconic night filled with formal attire, live music, excessive amounts of hors d’oeuvre (pinky up), and sticky dance floors (you guys really need to learn to stop spilling your drinks), it’s no wonder that Barrister’s tends to be a Feb Club highlight for many of your fellow colleagues, peers, and degenerates. 

Das Klüb is THE finale of finales. Except I, much like half of the 3L class, only know how celebrated this event is through second-hand storytelling (shoutout first weekend of journal tryouts during Das Klüb…). After hearing everything I had missed that night, I implemented a ban on any Das Klüb discussion due to the devastating FOMO I kept experiencing. But today, that ban is lifted, because I, much like my other classmates who also drowned in FOMO, can confidently say that we will be at Das Klüb this year. We can finally experience (and will likely forget), the night-long dance party fueled by strobe lights and hype house music in a ~Klüb~ venue dedicated to just us hooligans of UVA Law. And if you do it right, you’ll wake up the next morning with a hangover to last you all the way through March.

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kmq8vf@virginia.edu
jbg4nd@virginia.edu

Spring 2022 TV and Movie Guide

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Anne Reyna ‘23
Staff Editor

Now, if you’re like me you’re counting down to your next hit of dopamine or something that will aid in your procrastination from doing your Antitrust readings. If you can relate to this, you’re in the right place. This semester is just getting started, and I’m already scrolling through my streaming services wondering when the next big thing is going to help me forget about all my responsibilities and keep me up until 4 a.m. While I’m not looking for anything life altering, it would be nice to be so encapsulated by a movie or TV show that I forget to check my email for a few hours. The bar is low. With that being said, I have compiled an extensive and all-inclusive list of shows and movies that should be worth your attention this semester.

So, let’s start fresh, 2022. While we’re already at the end of January, so much good content has premiered, and I cannot overlook it. This month brought a little bit of everything from drug-addicted high-schoolers in Euphoria, the resurrection of feared bounty hunter Boba Fett, and dark comedic superheroes in Peacemaker. All of which deserve your undivided attention. If you’re looking for something a little more unique and has Dave Franco in it, then I’ve also got something for you. The Afterparty just premiered on Apple Tv+, and it has my full endorsement after displaying all my favorite TV tropes with a little bit of dark humor, a little bit of mystery, a little bit of unreliable narration, and of course a little bit of murder. Now as for things coming out on the big screen, January was of course a letdown. Everyone knows that if your movie was actually good it would’ve just come out in December.

Now let’s talk about the imminent future, February. This month starts out with a bang and ends with, of course, more unimaginative remakes. Starting with back-to-back bangers with the star-studded cast in both Pam & Tommy and Murderville. While Sebastian Stan and Lily James are sure to deliver in their highly anticipated re-telling, the one show I’m specifically looking forward to is the latter of the two. Murderville stars Will Arnett playing a homicide detective, and in each episode he is joined by a different celebrity guest who must improvise until they solve their murder case. As for the latter half of the month, we have a lot of remakes coming our way including Bel-Air, Reacher, The Proud Family, and Vikings Valhalla. Whether these specific remakes are worth our attention remains to be seen. Turning to the big screen, there may be a few hidden gems if you like Tom Holland, Channing Tatum, Megan Fox, or another space disaster film, but don’t be on the lookout for any blockbusters just yet in the year.

Now we come to March. This is where things start getting serious. Not only do we get the long awaited third season of Atlanta, Oscar Isaac making his MCU debut in Moon Knight, and Adam McKay (director of Succession) bringing The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty to our screens, but we also get possibly the movie of the year. Of course, I am talking about the one and only Caped Crusader, Defender of Gotham, the World’s Greatest Detective, the Dark Knight himself, The Batman. With all that being said, I take back everything I said about remakes. Remake it all. Inject this movie into my veins and then make more. On March 4, we get Robert Pattinson portraying a younger and darker Bruce Wayne solving riddles for three hours while simultaneously teaming up with Zoë Kravitz playing Selina Kyle. What more could someone want?

Including all the content previously mentioned, we are also getting some major blockbuster television series towards the end of 2022. Streaming services are pouring absurd amounts of money into content that we can consume in less than a day, and personally, I love this for us. If you’ve been waiting around to see what shows everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to be talking about this year, your time has come. Some people might be wanting to hear about the new Stranger Things season, The Boys season 3, The Walking Dead final season, or the new Star Trek shows, but I’m not here for small talk like that. I’m here to talk about possible generation defining content that we could see premiere in a few short months. I’m talking Game of Thrones redemption in House of Dragon. I’m talking Obi-Wan Kenobi himself gracing our screen again to take on his former padawan, Darth Vader. And I’m especially talking about the most expensive television show ever made, and the most anticipated prequel series possibly in history; the famous mythology of Middle Earth is coming to Amazon Prime this September in a brand-new Lord of the Rings project titled The Rings of Power. Strap in, because we are in for a hell of a year.

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agr5ag@virginia.edu

Florida Man Does Ski Trip

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Sai Kulkarni ‘23
Culture Editor

Florida Man wrestles alligator.[1] Florida Man uses bath salts to attempt cannibalism. Florida Man voluntarily enters a Hardy’s Jr. These are all headlines that would be common in a newspaper within my wonderful state. And you should be thankful for these headlines. They are a function of the one good trailblazing law that my home boasts: the Sunshine laws.[2] It is easy to find such stories because the law has allowed much easier access to arrest and incident records than other states. So, in the vein of my countrymen and women, I provide you with the same content. I am a Florida Man who made a bad decision, and it is your right, under the Law School’s sunshine laws used by this esteemed “newspaper,” to hear about this. As a Florida Man, I am accustomed to three things: (1) Making fun of tourists, (2) the aforementioned innate lack of decision-making skills, and (3) warm weather. It is a surprise, I am sure, to hear that not only did I choose to go to a cold place for college and law school, I also chose to spend part of my break in cold, bitter, freezing Colorado rather than stay at home with my parents in Melbourne, Florida.[3]

Picture courtesy of Sai Kulkarni '23.

 The trip began with a drive to the home of my best friend Parker Kelly ’23 in Steamboat Springs, CO.[4] The snow was stacked above my admittedly short body. Now I had previously lived in areas that get snow, but this was different. Snow was the nature. Snow was the road. Snow was the homes. It was all snow. I was (appropriately) terrified of what the trip would be. The next morning, we woke to even more snow. And then my genius of a best friend decided to get everyone into his hot tub. Outside. In the cold. And, although I am sure you know, that involved being in freezing temperatures in my shorts. Getting in was horrible. Staying in was paradise. Getting out was my worst nightmare. Wet and cold is the worst combination known to humankind. To quote my other closest friend, Sarah Walsh ’23, humans were not intended to live in such a place.

The next day we went skiing. To start with, it was fun. I was incredibly privileged to get such an experience, something most people will never get to do in their entire lives. However, I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life. I am a Florida Man. I know how to swim. I can play basketball. Outdoor sports are my jam—in the warm weather. To anyone who knows what skiing is, all I can say is that my embarrassment stemmed from the fact that I could not get down Preview without falling on my ass at least ten times. To those of you without experience, it is like getting lapped by a six-year-old repeatedly—a thing that actually happened. But despite all the embarrassment, it is safe to say that it brought me and my wonderful teacher, Parker, closer together, as all trauma does. However, I (wisely) chose not to make the same mistake twice and stayed at the house on the second day with a few other sensible souls rather than make the same bad decision twice in a row. That, however, was not the end of the experience.

In addition to the usual debauchery and partying that ensues when a group of law school friends decides to take a trip together, on my last full day in Colorado, we decided to go to some hot springs. Now I am sure, dear reader, that you must be thinking, wow, what a warm activity, that can’t possibly be a bad decision. Nope, wrong again. First, we all worked out[5] at a high elevation and tired ourselves. Then, to my horror, we did indeed go into the hot springs. Outside. Did I mention it was snowing that day? Because it was. Once again, getting in was easy. Staying in was fantastic. Getting out made me literally see the ancestors.[6] Once I returned to earth, we all changed, went to an amazing candy shop, and had a very fancy dinner.

In sum, I had a good time. But also, it was a series of bad decisions in the eyes of my fellow Florida Men. Letting children embarrass me. Almost dying of the cold. Almost certainly breaking my tailbone. This Florida Man did a ski trip and faced the consequences. It’s really no wonder I ran away a day early.

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omk6cg@virginia.edu

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[1] Throughout this article I refer to Florida Man. Of course, there is a Florida Woman as well. And one can hope that headlines will adapt to Florida Person to include our nonbinary brethren. This phrase is used as a shorthand in my article due to the famous meme.

[2] Laws that shed sunshine on incidents. Clever naming, right? Hard to think that a Florida Man came up with that.

[3] Yes. My hometown has a name akin to the famous city in Australia. Other than proximity to the beach, the two places have nothing in common. My dad is fond of the name thing and took us to the other city. It is better.

[4] What we learned on this trip, as a group, was that while Parker was an excellent host, his younger brother Griffin is objectively cooler.

[5] Which is good and I am glad we did this. Working out in the new year. Looking like a bunch of new year’s resolution people. Definitely good.

[6] They vibe checked me. I have to make some changes.

Holding on to Yourself in Law School

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Julia D’Rozario ‘24
Staff Editor

As everyone around me is beyond tired of hearing, I took up crochet this winter break. I spent the last month obsessively making sweaters, bucket hats, tops, and (inexplicably) baby clothes. I love the act of creating something from scratch, the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a project, and the intense satisfaction of wearing something you made yourself.

As I started writing this article, it was supposed to be all about crocheting. It quickly became about hobbies in general, and more specifically, why you should hold on like grim death to your hobbies—especially as a law student.

Pictured: Hundreds of hours of blood, sweat, and tears. Picture courtesy of Julia D'Rozario '22.

Law school is time-intensive, work-heavy, and a little stressful. For many people, it’s a quick and easy way to lose your hobbies, lose yourself, and become a library-dwelling zombie. After a day of reading cases, outlining, or even just going to class, it can feel exhausting to dedicate time to the things you love… in fact, it can feel impossibly difficult to “switch your brain off” at all. It feels much, much easier to continue to overstimulate yourself—to scroll mindlessly through Instagram, listen to music, and watch TV at the same time[1]—to keep yourself from having a mindful thought. Believe me, I empathize. I have gone weeks on end without picking up my guitar or my camera. The only thing I watched all of fall semester was Seinfeld and Hunter x Hunter[2] reruns, because I felt too lazy to watch a movie or show I didn’t already have memorized.

But hear me out: Don’t become a library-dweller. Don’t get sucked into the black hole of 18-hour days and a hobby-less life. What do you love to do?  I love making music, taking photos, crocheting… you might love yoga, playing chess, doing the crossword, reading.[3] Whatever it is you do, please continue to do it. Cling onto your hobbies for dear life, because the things you love are ultimately the things that make you who you are. Your unique interests are valuable, and, at the end of the day, matter more than 1/3 of a letter grade. You never know — the stress-relief might actually improve your grades! Either way, you deserve to cherish and to nurture the activities and skills that bring you happiness.

Law school is demanding, but it’s also a lot of fun! Don’t let yourself be convinced that it should be painful or draining. Allowing it to consume you and the things you enjoy will needlessly strip law school, and your life, of joy.

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jkd2dd@virginia.edu

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[1] This is a real thing: It’s called media multitasking and it annihilates your attention span and memory.

[2] My favorite shows — I’ve watched them so many times I could recite them line for line. If you haven’t watched Seinfeld or Hunter x Hunter, definitely put them on your spring semester watch-list.

[3] Reading for PLEASURE, not for class!

Doing Pie Crust Justice

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Anna Bninski ‘23
Executive Editor

Over winter break, I stumbled on an internet controversy: what is the best way to make pie crust? Is it to use Crisco? All butter? Do you, counterintuitively, incorporate vodka into the dough?[1] Does the mixing bowl have to be chilled? Does the butter have to be frozen? If you knead the dough one instant too long, are you doomed to produce an inedible slab that only beavers have adequate jaw power to chew?

For those who, like me, crave a sense of control and accomplishment, let me recommend the project of pie making. Nothing says “I definitely don’t care that I’ve been waiting for my fall grades for a month, while also society crumbles in the face of a pandemic and sustained political turmoil” like concocting four different fillings for a batch of hand pies.

Of course, a law student may have some additional questions before committing to this kind of research project. What are the necessary traits for an item to be characterized as pie crust? What authorities define “good” pie crust? If you make a crust but never fill it, does it become mere “crust” or is there a legal fiction of pie? Does a custard pie to the face constitute the tort of battery? Is buying a premade crust a signal of moral defeat, in the manner of a crushed idealist going into BigLaw “definitely just to learn the ways of the enemy”?[2] If your crust is damaged, can you successfully sue someone? (The answer to that, of course, is “maybe.”)[3]

Although pastry case law offers a variety of “good” pie crust definitions, a commonly cited trait is “flakiness.” While generally annoying in people, flakiness—achieved by making a dough that contains perfectly sized pockets of fat, be that butter or other shortening—separates crusts that are mere containers for tasty filling from those that are an experience. An experience that ideally leaves flecks of golden-brown crust absolutely everywhere.

I embarked on this research project much as I did upon my law school career: overconfident and unprepared for the mess that would follow. And just as in outlining season, when I invariably stand upon the shoulders of those academic giants who have the wherewithal to make comprehensive, color-coded monuments of information, I benefited from the hard work of those who came before. Did y’all know that there are a lot of recipe blogs out there? It’s wild.

Because my outlines will never help anyone, let me offer this pearl of wisdom instead: It’s all about the frozen butter.[4] Seriously. Once you have your dry ingredients (probably just flour and salt) in a bowl, grab that stick of butter and grate it right in. Shred it like you’re J. Alito and that butter is a statute that could, conceivably, burden a religious practice. Add a little ice water, smush it all together, and chill it in the fridge for a while before rolling it out, filling it with something, and baking.

We may be embarking on careers in a field with mental health statistics that headlines describe as “startling,” “upsetting,” and “a problem.” But for a little while, the audible crunch of a perfectly flaky crust can drown out the woes of law school.

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amb6ag@virginia.edu

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[1] This may, in fact, be intuitive to law students; the counterintuitive part is baking the alcohol out.

[2] No. If you’re making a pie at all, you’re making the world a better place.

[3] Pillsbury Co. v. W. Carrollton Parchment Co., 287 F. App'x 824 (11th Cir. 2008) (finding a material question of fact as to whether appellee negligently failed to warn of danger to crusts) (this is real).

[4] If you are making the crust by hand. Many recipes suggest a food processor, which I am not blessed with at this time.