Devon, Devon, Devon. Congrats on (nearly) having made it through law school! I’m sure your tenure on the Law Weekly has been one of your many keys to success, which we’d all like to hear about. How does it feel to be almost done?
Yes, my time with the Law Weekly has been one of the absolute highlights of my time at the law school. It’s such a fantastic group of people that has maintained a great culture over my entire time here. It feels pretty wild to be almost done with law school, and by extension, my schooling as a whole. I worked for two years between graduating college and law school, but at this point, that really feels like a blip. It’s basically been twenty years of continuous schooling, and as the last month of that arrives, it feels a little overwhelming, but I’m also very ready to fully launch into the professional world.
You worked as a summer associate in Chicago last year, which is near where you grew up, right?
Yep, I did! And that’s right, the office was only thirty minutes from my mom’s house. I actually took advantage of that in a pretty funny way. After college, I lived for two years in the city’s standard “young professional” neighborhood, so I felt like I wanted to try out some new neighborhoods in the city. I wound up alternating between an Airbnb in a new neighborhood for a week or two and then back in my mom’s basement for another two weeks to control costs, and I continued that rotation for the whole summer. It was a really awesome way to explore the city.
Ah, Chicago: The City of Lights. I love their croissants and fancy cheeses. Do you have any plans for a Bar Trip, or other things you’d like to do before you begin working?
Actually, no plans for a Bar Trip. I did an extravagant two-and-a-half-week trip to Europe with my girlfriend right after my summer associate program ended, so that was really my Bar Trip. In terms of other things I’d like to do before I start working, ideally, I’ll read a couple books I’ve been meaning to get to for some time. Nothing too crazy!
That sounds terrific. What originally brought you to UVA Law? Was law school always part of the plan?
I was attracted to UVA Law for a couple reasons, besides it being a great school. My father did his medical residency at UVA Hospital, and my parents always spoke of Charlottesville as being one of the most wonderful places in America, so that had put UVA on my radar. And I grew up, went to college, and worked in the Midwest, so I felt like it was important to finally try another part of the country. Law school was pretty much always my plan, even when I was a little kid. The only other things I seriously considered were journalism or getting a Ph.D. in History. I knew journalism wasn’t going to be a long-term fit when, while doing a little work as a freelance writer in college, I had a long fight with an editor over the phone about getting a raise from $10 per article to $12 per article. I did the math and realized that, with my raise, I was making approximately $2.50 per hour. At that point, I had already interned in a law office and really enjoyed it, and so I think I then realized a legal career was the right move.
Something folks might not realize about you is that you’re in the J.D.-.M.A. Program in History. How did you decide on pursuing that path?
Yeah, the J.D.-M.A. Program in History was actually one of the main things that attracted me to UVA Law. I’ve been obsessed with history ever since I was little, and I wanted to go a little further with it than just an undergraduate major. So it was such a delight to be able to participate in the J.D.-M.A. program.
Has it been challenging to manage the courseloads for both a J.D. and a Master’s in History? Do you have any time-management tips you can share?
Surprise, surprise, it turns out that graduate coursework in history is just as big of a jump in difficulty as law school courses were relative to undergraduate classes, so yes, for me at least, it has definitely been a challenge to manage both degrees simultaneously. But I absolutely love it and am thankful for the opportunity to even participate in the history department, so I really can’t complain. I’m really happy with my choice, and I am so grateful to Professor Barzun for both admitting me into the program and guiding me through my coursework and research efforts the whole time. In terms of time-management tips, personally, I am a huge proponent of setting timers. For me, it’s enormously helpful to set a, say, forty-five-minute timer, work until it goes off, then check my phone, take a lap around the Law School, and then set another timer and get back into it.
What is your thesis for the M.A. in History on?
So the Constitution bans something called “bills of attainder,” which are basically laws that single out an individual person for punishment without any judicial process. In the research process for my thesis, I’ve found that the Constitutional ban on the bills was inspired by similar legal practices in ancient history, and that comes with a number of consequences. The new understanding of attainder for which I’m arguing means executive nonjudicial punishments, such as the No Fly List, could potentially implicate the attainder ban.
Fascinating! Almost as fascinating as your review of Succession in this week’s edition of the Law Weekly. Speaking of, do you have a favorite article you have written during your time with the Law Weekly?
Yes! My favorite article was actually my first, “Words of Wisdom from a World Traveller.” I interviewed a man named Ali Muhammad, who used to work as a security guard at the Law School. He arrived in Charlottesville as a refugee from Iraq. He was a wonderfully thoughtful and introspective man, and, unsurprisingly—given his life experiences—had a lot of interesting things to say and a marked perspective. I actually think back on our conversation a lot.
That is a great one. Well, do you have any parting thoughts or words of advice for the 1Ls and 2Ls who still have some time left at UVA Law?
Really lean in and know that, while there will be frustrations and annoyances during your time here, three years at UVA Law offers you an incredible opportunity for personal and professional development most of us will not have again. You will sometimes get stressed out at the competition here, and you will sometimes come up short for things you really wanted. That’s just life, and I think it’s so important to accept and even embrace that. But the flip side of that coin is that, if you just take the time and effort to look, you will find that there are so many wonderful opportunities lurking around every corner here. Just from being a student here, I’ve gotten to do things that would have seemed like wild dreams as an undergraduate. I truly think everyone here can find something for themselves that makes their time here really special.
Amazing. Now, it’s time for the Lightning Round.
Pet peeve?
The cost of parking at the Law School.
Favorite movie?
Goodfellas.
Favorite pet (assuming you have any pets)?
I love black labs!
Favorite professor(s)?
Tough one, they’ve honestly all been great. Non-exclusive list: Professors Bamzai, Armacost, and Collins.
Favorite spot in the Law School?
The Law Weekly office, of course!
Favorite kind of food?
Mexican!
Favorite place to hang out in Charlottesville?
Driving out to the Sugar Hollow reservoir and just walking around is just about the most zen thing you can do around here.
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Interviewed by Nikolai Morse '24
cpg9jy@virginia.edu