Katie Poore ‘25
Hi, Katie! Thanks for joining me on Hot Bench. Let’s start with an introduction: Where are you from, where did you go for undergrad, and what brought you to law school?
I am originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I actually went to UVA for undergrad. I graduated in 2019 and tried out a bunch of different things over the last three years. I came to law school because I feel like a J.D. offers a lot of flexibility, and I’m still not entirely sure what I want to do. But I know that I’m interested in law in some capacity and in working with individual people. I worked a job in book publishing for a while that had a lot of lawyer components, like drafting of contracts and negotiations. I really liked that work.
What is your hometown Tuscaloosa famous for?
Football! That’s where the University of Alabama is. But my whole family is made up of Auburn fans, and they’re major rivals. The Alabama-Auburn rivalry is of a different kind. UVA has its rivalry with Virginia Tech, but it pales in comparison. We had Auburn decorations in our yard in Tuscaloosa, and they’d get stolen or vandalized.
Wow! I have some classmates that are Bama alums. Hopefully they won’t read this and come for you. Or me. But you’re a double ’Hoo! Are you in love with Charlottesville?
I love Charlottesville. Originally, when I was applying to law schools, I was interested in going to New York because it felt more adventurous. But I visited a friend who’s a 2L in February, when I was starting to decide on law schools, and she seemed so happy here. Everybody here told me that it was the best choice they’d ever made. It kind of sold me.
I understand you also lived in France after undergrad. Parles-tu français?
Oui! I was in a little college town called Chambéry, an hour south of Geneva, in the Alps region. I taught sixteen classes of high school to local French kids. It was the best. I lived with three French roommates because I really wanted to be fluent. They were all ridiculously good cooks, so we did a lot of apartment dinners. They tried to teach me to ski, with not a great amount of success.
Had you never been skiing before?
I did when I was eight. But I just don’t really think that counts, right? That’s about as late as I played softball, too, which seems to be an advantage here.
So, what are you going as for Halloween this year?
My two roommates and I have been planning to go as Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss. It’s been shocking the number of people who haven't understood what that is. It makes me feel like I’m on TikTok more than I need to be… When I told you, I thought, “What if I have to explain?” It’s an internet thing, it’s a commentary on Lean In feminism, but that’s not why we’re doing it—we just think it’s funny. But we did lose our Gatekeep, so now we’re just Gaslight, Girlboss.[1]
What do you wear to represent Gaslight? It sounds pretty abstract.
I’m wearing a lot of black and gold, and hopefully sparkles. My friend bought me a bunch of glow sticks. And I have a yellow tutu and yellow hair spray paint that I will probably not use. I want to find a feather boa that has black sparkles in it. I want to be a classy Gaslight.
That sounds very good—that could blow people out of the water at Hallowqueen.
Thank you! Girlboss is the easiest one. She’s wearing a blazer.
Oh yeah, that’s just going as a law student.
Yeah, exactly! To be fair to our lost Gatekeep, Gatekeep is definitely the hardest. What do you dress as? A fence?
Isn’t there a character from Ghostbusters that was a literal gatekeeper? Maybe you could go as that.[2] Anyway, many people are saying that law school is quite challenging. What do you like to do to de-stress in your free time?
I’m a musician. I’ve played violin for nineteen years. I like to do that. I like to play guitar. And I’m a big hiker, although I haven’t really had any time for that.
Are you involved in any musical groups at the Law School? You’d think that a law school would have a role for violinists; that feels very classy.
Yeah, that’s actually one thing that I want to do. It’ll probably happen next semester just because I don’t think taking on anything new right now would be great. I grew up playing classical music, but I love bluegrass music. I think it’s really fun, and I want to do more of it.
Speaking of talents… we have Civil Procedure together, and you have a talent for which you’re famous in class. Would you care to share what that is?
I can say words backwards really fast. It’s a great party trick. There’s no utility to it whatsoever.
Well, it impressed all of us! Could you say Virginia Law Weekly backwards?
Ylkeew wal ainigriv.
Wow. That’s great. Our readers will love that. Can you do it in French, too?
Yeah, but it’s a little harder. It has to be a word I’ve seen before because it’s really visual. I’ve been able to do it since sixth grade, but I didn’t tell anyone about it until I was twenty-two. So, when I showed my mom for the first time, she said, “That’s satanic.”
I admire your commitment to it. OK, lightning round! Which Chex Mix piece is the best?
I like the light Chex, but only when they have a lot of the spice on them. There are two or three per bag. Those are the best pieces.
Very good answer. There are wrong answers to that question.
Yeah, the breadsticks…
If you had answered breadsticks, I would have ended the interview. Best and worst Halloween candies?
Candy corn’s the worst.
I agree. Wholeheartedly. That’s a controversial one.
And Twizzlers. They’re just not worth it. I eat one every year on Halloween and say, “Nope, still sucks.” Then, the best… Reese’s cups.
Yes! Up top for Reese’s. OK, the Musk-Twitter deal closing—good news or bad news?
Bad news. I just really don’t want Trump back on Twitter. And Elon Musk is an attention hog.[3] I just wish that everyone would stop talking about it because I feel like that’s what he wants.
That sounds accurate. Favorite place you’ve ever traveled?
I’m partial to France, but I went to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It was the most otherworldly place I’ve ever been. It looked like a place unicorns would live. There were rainbows everywhere. It was beautiful.
Okay, last one. Do you believe in ghosts?
I’d say no, but I still don’t like being near my bed in the dark at night. I’m open to the possibility, but I’d say no. Just to maintain a little bit of magic. But not too much.
A little bit of magic is important when you’re a law student.
You need it!
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Interviewed by Andrew Allard ‘25
dl9uh@virginia.edu
[1] A happy post-interview note: Katie and company were able to find a volunteer to fill in for Gatekeep. (Honestly, who wouldn’t want to be a part of that trio? Commitment to the bit comes first on Halloween.)
[2] My pop-culturally inept brain was thinking of Zuul, which would be a great costume.
[3] Katie used a word other than hog, which I’ll allow our readers to imagine.