EIC of Law Review, Worth It? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm wondering if anyone had any incite on whether going for EIC of a T30 law school is worth it. 2L is already a ton of work, and the EIC seems to work non-stop all day and weekend and said she never gets any class-work done. So question is, would EIC on the resume be worth a grade dip in terms of future job prospects? I already have an SA position lined up, but is EIC > grades for clerkships, etc? I don't have the grades for fed. clerkship at this point, so is time better spent just trying to push the grades up?

Thanks!

[CanadianWolf]

All that I have known were contacted directly by several law firms for positions. So, for employment purposes, it is a worthwhile sacrifice.

[nealric]

If you don't have a job lined up yet, take every possible advantage you can get.

EIC of law review could definitely get you noticed for clerkships, even if your grades aren't perfect.

[Anonymous User]

edit

[prezidentv8]

Wondering about journal officer positions in general, myself, so I'll stick around here for a minute and listen in.

[XxSpyKEx]

Are you kidding? You have to be crazy and/or mentally retarded to turn down editor in chief of law review. That's a pretty powerful line on your resume.

[2009 Prospective]

What about senior editorial positions on a secondary journal? Worth it?

[2009 Prospective]

What about senior editorial positions on a secondary journal? Worth it?

Worth it for what purpose? Unlike EIC of LR, other positions have a much less clear-cut, much more situationally-dependent cost/benefit distribution.

Purpose would be mostly for bolstering a clerkship application or any other types of potential employment bumps that might exist in the future. What kind of senior editorial positions might be worth doing and which ones are probably wastes of time?

[CanadianWolf]

To answer the OP's question in one word: Youbetcha !

[king3780]

I have a cousin who was EIC of LR at his school, got a job at a small firm (15 attorneys or so) and made partner in five years. Of course now he says it was a waste of his time and it's just a line on the resume, but small law was his goal and he reached it, so I say it was worth it.

[underdawg]

probably is. all the other positions (other LR titles, EIC of other shit), probably not

[Anonymous User]

At my school, the only way to be on Law Review for our 3L year is to apply for a board position. Articles editors/comments editors are all considered board positions. Assuming someone has a 2L SA but wants to leave the clerking door open, it would be foolish not to run for one of these positions, right? School is T30 (which I know may be out of the range for federal clerkships).

[Anonymous User]

What about EIC as compared to Articles Editor for clerkships/academia (T14 LR)? Obviously both are extreme long shots, but it's always nice to dream

[OperaAttorney]

I'm wondering if anyone had any incite on whether going for EIC of a T30 law school is worth it. 2L is already a ton of work, and the EIC seems to work non-stop all day and weekend and said she never gets any class-work done. So question is, would EIC on the resume be worth a grade dip in terms of future job prospects? I already have an SA position lined up, but is EIC > grades for clerkships, etc? I don't have the grades for fed. clerkship at this point, so is time better spent just trying to push the grades up?

Thanks!

I'm not surprised at this poster's high "tool" quotient. If you're going for EIC only because of what you think it will do for you, you probably won't get it. Why? A tool usually stands out--just like a lighthouse on a lonely hillside.

[Anonymous User]

I'm wondering if anyone had any incite on whether going for EIC of a T30 law school is worth it. 2L is already a ton of work, and the EIC seems to work non-stop all day and weekend and said she never gets any class-work done. So question is, would EIC on the resume be worth a grade dip in terms of future job prospects? I already have an SA position lined up, but is EIC > grades for clerkships, etc? I don't have the grades for fed. clerkship at this point, so is time better spent just trying to push the grades up?

Thanks!

I'm not surprised at this poster's high "tool" quotient. If you're going for EIC only because of what you think it will do for you, you probably won't get it. Why? A tool usually stands out--just like a lighthouse on a lonely hillside.

Er. Don't people do things because what it will do for them? If I just focused on what would be fun, etc, then I wouldn't have went to law school and just drank myself to death.

How did you choose your law school then? I'm guessing you ignored employment-stats etc. because that would be focusing on what it will do for you?

[FlightoftheEarls]

I'm wondering if anyone had any incite on whether going for EIC of a T30 law school is worth it. 2L is already a ton of work, and the EIC seems to work non-stop all day and weekend and said she never gets any class-work done. So question is, would EIC on the resume be worth a grade dip in terms of future job prospects? I already have an SA position lined up, but is EIC > grades for clerkships, etc? I don't have the grades for fed. clerkship at this point, so is time better spent just trying to push the grades up?

Thanks!

I'm not surprised at this poster's high "tool" quotient. If you're going for EIC only because of what you think it will do for you, you probably won't get it. Why? A tool usually stands out--just like a lighthouse on a lonely hillside.

Er. Don't people do things because what it will do for them? If I just focused on what would be fun, etc, then I wouldn't have went to law school and just drank myself to death.

How did you choose your law school then? I'm guessing you ignored employment-stats etc. because that would be focusing on what it will do for you?

I think this is probably a pretty fair response. Does anybody actually do LR period, let alone Ed Board, because they think the work sounds fun? Everybody does it for the resume boost - that's why it's described as the credit card that you swipe once and spend two years paying off. I'm sure you might find one or two people who actually enjoy the work, but those individuals would certainly be the exception and not the rule. That hardly makes anybody who aims for EIC a tool.

[Anonymous User]

I was the editor-in-chief of the law review at my school (T14). It's absolutely worth it -- not just because of the résumé boost (which is significant and enduring), but also because it's a remarkable learning experience. For a year, you get a chance to run an organization, to work closely with faculty at your school and elsewhere, to manage a group of very smart and hardworking people, and to shape the direction of a publication that has a long and distinguished history. It's an enormously rewarding job.

Of course, it's also a very tough job -- well over 40 hours a week, in my experience, in addition to coursework etc. -- and it can be stressful. But I know a bunch of former EICs, and none of us regrets having done it.

[Kohinoor]

All that I have known were contacted directly by several law firms for positions. So, for employment purposes, it is a worthwhile sacrifice.

Isn't this observation not useful in the absence of knowing how they would have done without the EIC position?

[OperaAttorney]

I'm wondering if anyone had any incite on whether going for EIC of a T30 law school is worth it. 2L is already a ton of work, and the EIC seems to work non-stop all day and weekend and said she never gets any class-work done. So question is, would EIC on the resume be worth a grade dip in terms of future job prospects? I already have an SA position lined up, but is EIC > grades for clerkships, etc? I don't have the grades for fed. clerkship at this point, so is time better spent just trying to push the grades up?

Thanks!

I'm not surprised at this poster's high "tool" quotient. If you're going for EIC only because of what you think it will do for you, you probably won't get it. Why? A tool usually stands out--just like a lighthouse on a lonely hillside.

Er. Don't people do things because what it will do for them? If I just focused on what would be fun, etc, then I wouldn't have went to law school and just drank myself to death.

How did you choose your law school then? I'm guessing you ignored employment-stats etc. because that would be focusing on what it will do for you?

Sometimes, it's hard to reason with children who haven't lived life long enough to gain wisdom.

[FlightoftheEarls]

I'm wondering if anyone had any incite on whether going for EIC of a T30 law school is worth it. 2L is already a ton of work, and the EIC seems to work non-stop all day and weekend and said she never gets any class-work done. So question is, would EIC on the resume be worth a grade dip in terms of future job prospects? I already have an SA position lined up, but is EIC > grades for clerkships, etc? I don't have the grades for fed. clerkship at this point, so is time better spent just trying to push the grades up?

Thanks!

I'm not surprised at this poster's high "tool" quotient. If you're going for EIC only because of what you think it will do for you, you probably won't get it. Why? A tool usually stands out--just like a lighthouse on a lonely hillside.

Er. Don't people do things because what it will do for them? If I just focused on what would be fun, etc, then I wouldn't have went to law school and just drank myself to death.

How did you choose your law school then? I'm guessing you ignored employment-stats etc. because that would be focusing on what it will do for you?

Sometimes, it's hard to reason with children who haven't lived life long enough to gain wisdom.

Are you really suggesting that anybody who is going to law school and isn't absolutely in love with it - that is, doing it solely because they want to get the law degree and be able to practice - is therefore a "tool"? How interesting.

[Bildungsroman]

I'm wondering if anyone had any incite on whether going for EIC of a T30 law school is worth it. 2L is already a ton of work, and the EIC seems to work non-stop all day and weekend and said she never gets any class-work done. So question is, would EIC on the resume be worth a grade dip in terms of future job prospects? I already have an SA position lined up, but is EIC > grades for clerkships, etc? I don't have the grades for fed. clerkship at this point, so is time better spent just trying to push the grades up?

Thanks!

I'm not surprised at this poster's high "tool" quotient. If you're going for EIC only because of what you think it will do for you, you probably won't get it. Why? A tool usually stands out--just like a lighthouse on a lonely hillside.

Er. Don't people do things because what it will do for them? If I just focused on what would be fun, etc, then I wouldn't have went to law school and just drank myself to death.

How did you choose your law school then? I'm guessing you ignored employment-stats etc. because that would be focusing on what it will do for you?

Sometimes, it's hard to reason with children who haven't lived life long enough to gain wisdom.

There is some serious unprovoked condescension in your posts.

[Blindmelon]

[Sometimes, it's hard to reason with children who haven't lived life long enough to gain wisdom.
There is some serious unprovoked condescension in your posts.

No kidding. But then again, I guess condescension comes naturally from someone who probably led a priveleged middle-class life and never really had to worry about job-prospects or whether they'll have enough to pay rent and therefore focus on things like happy, good feelings when making life decisions. [not so hard to just turn stupid assumptions back around at someone]

[Blindmelon]

FWIW, OP should do it I guess - although EIC here works pretty insane hours.

[edcrane]

It's a ton of work. Where a non-exec board position would entail, on average, 1-2 hours per week during 3L, EIC entails 20-40 hours per week. That's a serious difference and it's going to push your GPA down. Nevertheless, it's a legit leadership position that can help you down the road. My vote is to go for it if you have a type A personality, the drive to gun through 3L, and are not going to have to give up magna/coif.