Noah Coco ‘26
Hello Mr. Coco! Welcome to the Hot Bench. And to Charlottesville. Let’s start with the usual—where are you from, where did you go for undergrad, and what were you doing before Law School?
I grew up in a small rural town north of Philadelphia called Topton, Pennsylvania. I studied Economics and History at the University of Pittsburgh. Before law school, I was working for a financial technology firm that was building a product for debt contract analysis.
Wonderful! I have been to Topton, and we may well be the only two people in Charlottesville that have. How have you been enjoying your first weeks here at the Law School?
The first few weeks have been great! So much anticipation has been building up over the past year through the entire admissions process. It is exciting to finally be on campus, and UVA Law and its community have certainly been delivering so far.
We love to hear that. Hopefully that feeling won’t fade after you’re forced to read Pennoyer. What would you be doing if you weren’t in law school?
I played trumpet when I was younger, and at one point in high school I thought I was going to go to school for musical performance. I used to dream about being a performer on cruise ships or being a studio musician.
Lucky for you, there’s plenty of opportunities to face the music here in law school. What’s your favorite class so far?
I think Civil Procedure is my favorite class at the moment. The material so far has just seemed to click, and I am really fortunate to have Professor Frost, who has been excellent so far.
What are you doing outside of class that you’re most excited about?
I am really looking forward to getting involved in more outdoors activities around Charlottesville. I've gone on a few hikes in the area, and I'd like to keep discovering new places. I'm excited that being in close proximity to Shenandoah will finally give me a good justification for getting a National Parks Pass.
What’s your hottest take, law school-related or otherwise?
I am an unashamed Android user.
We have that in common—almost, anyway. Sadly, iPhone-using friends have succeeded in instilling a bit of shame in me. Have you done anything fun recently in Charlottesville that you would recommend to the Law School community?
I have not had a lot of time to go out exploring yet, but I did just go on my first late-night run to Cook Out on Emmett Street. It's cheap and indulgent, and it hit all the right marks.
Late-night Cook Out is definitely a formative experience. For 2Ls and 3Ls not in the know, they’ve recently reopened their doors for dining in.
Okay—lightning round!
What’s your favorite piece of art?
Caravaggio's The Calling of Saint Matthew. It's one of those pieces that I could probably spend an embarrassing amount of time viewing.
Wouldn’t have guessed you were a Baroque man, but I respect it. Favorite snack from Student Affairs?
Clif Bars. I've only seen a few, so it's like striking gold.
Yeah, those are hard to come by. I assume they’re constantly being swiped by 3L truants for hiking purposes. How do you take your coffee?
Black, as God intended.
Very brave if you’re drinking library coffee that way. Which wild animal should be domesticated next?
Assuming they aren't the international cabal discovered by Rick and Morty, squirrels would be fun to domesticate.
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Interviewed by Andrew Allard ’25
tya2us@virginia.edu