As a child, I used to be the girl who submits her homework last. I had a hard time deciphering the need to get some additional reading done before classes, or even going to school regularly. Graduating from high school, I almost felt a burden off my chest. My elders would answer my plaints against schoolwork with, “Everything will change when you go to university. You will be a free bird then.”  What I didn’t know then is, those were all false promises.

I am a law major. Yes, to ye ordinary mortals, I study the most tedious subject known to humankind. Law school is hard and in the beginning everything about it feels insipid and rigid. During the first four months, I found the classes too long, the lectures too difficult and life became too humdrum. I started looking for a way out. That is when I decided to apply to become an editor at the Dhaka Law Review, with a hope that it would make my academic career a little more interesting.

Surviving a writing test and an interview, I became an Associate Editor. I know this sounds a little stretched out, but bear with me when I say this, joining the law review team has been a highlight and a continuous source of motivation for me.

The basic ideas about working in a law review are that, it is excellent for your resume, you get your writings published and you gain a lot of legal knowledge. It is also the best ego boost a law student needs. Take it from someone who’s been a law review editor for three months, once you start working in the team, all those fringe benefits would not be why you would come to work everyday.

Joining the law review might have been one of the best decisions I have taken so far in my short life. I’m sure anyone who has ever worked in any law review would agree with me. There certainly are some very marketable elements to it, but it is the subtle rewards of the job that makes the sale.

The best students of a country usually study law, and by getting into  in a law journal, you get to work with the best among the best. You find colleagues who can challenge and push you to the limits of your intellectual capacity. You get to have discussions and debates on anything and everything that truly matters. Most importantly, if you are like me, one of the youngest members of the team, you get to learn an awful lot in a very short period of time.

A discussion with the senior editors would help you with your coursework as well as other interests in a way that wouldn’t have happened if you were sitting in a class with the best professors. One thing is for sure, when you work in a team of smartest people, you learn to think differently, and become increasingly respectful of others’ opinions. This is a habit that grows over time and when you are in such a dynamic team, the time it takes isn’t much.

The key responsibilities of a law review editor include reading, editing and reviewing articles submitted for publication. I personally think, these responsibilities have helped me become a better reader and writer than I was previously. When you go through the raw pieces of work and scan for the most trivial of errors and ambiguities, you start becoming more appreciative of polished works. You grow more tenacious when it comes to  grasping the concept out of a seemingly messy article and then making the best out of it. You get conscious about avoiding the mistakes that writers usually make and start noticing the many nuances that go into writing.

I am in my first year of the university and have at least three more years with the law review team. I know there are tough times ahead. I will have to juggle my law school assignments, class tests and finals, law review responsibilities, and live up to my commitment to a nonprofit environmental youth organization where I have been working with for the last three years. But I find solace in knowing that all through my troubles, while at campus I would always find my niche with my law review colleagues, who are now my friends too.

The title of the article has been inspired from the name of the book “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.

 

Citations:

Nousheen Zoarder, “The Perks of Being a Law Review Editor”  (DHLR Blog, 6 September 2014) http://www.dhakalawreview.org/blog/2014/09/the-perks-of-being-a-law-review-editor-309

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Comments to: The Perks of Being a Law Review Editor
  • September 6, 2014

    “Keep calm and be a Law Review Editor” *thumbs up* 😀 😀

    Reply
  • September 6, 2014

    Excellent writing! Keep it up 🙂

    Reply
  • September 6, 2014

    “Once you start working in the team, all those fringe benefits would not be why you would come to work everyday.” Neatly put! I can relate to every bit of it!

    Reply
  • September 8, 2014

    I am sure all of you would be agree that Bangladeshi Law students were
    on a quest for such platform that allows both writing and interacting.
    Undoubtedly, DHLR is going to quench the thirst.

    Reply
  • September 8, 2014

    Excellent piece Nausheen. . . it’s great to find colleague like you.

    Reply
  • September 9, 2014

    Great!

    Reply

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