Thoughts from a Former Editor-in-Chief


THOUGHTS FROM A FORMER EDITOR-IN-
CHIEF

LAURA LAVELLE*

I spent more hours working on the Columbia Journal of Gender
and Law (JGL) than on any class I ever took at Columbia, but I think it
was just as educational an experience as I have had in a classroom. It is
a journal whose members take it very personally. On the interview
trail, I met one of JGL's founding members and I told her that the 1996-
1997 JGL board decided to replace the cover illustration with a more
traditional table of contents cover. She was really shocked, and a bit
shaken up because she had designed the illustration. I remember
thinking then that I wished JGL had more of an institutional memory. I
felt the same way when I was EIC--so many times I felt we were
reinventing the wheel when we tried to sell subscriptions, publicize the
journal, change printers, or handle issues with the administration.

In the interest of preserving some of JGL's history, I will
explain that the Columbia Women's History Month Writing
Competition was dreamed up by myself and Afra Afsharipour in 1998.
Afra was a Submissions Editor for JGL in 1997-1998 as well as the
Columbia Law Women's Association (CLWA) Chair. I was a
Production Editor for JGL and the CLWA board member in charge of
Women's History Month. We put out a call for papers, formed a joint
committee of JGL and CLWA members, and were overwhelmed at the
response. The winners were announced at the Myra Bradwell Day
Dinner. I would like to think that we began a tradition that will
continue for years.

I never felt particularly alienated in law school, texts like
Becoming Gentlemen notwithstanding. It was slightly intimidating
being called on for the first time 1 L year in Legal Methods, but I cannot
say I did not enjoy my time at Columbia, and I did not feel
disadvantaged for being a woman. I know this was not the case for
everyone in my class, or the students who followed us, though. How do
I know this? Because so many people told me how valuable JGL was
to them, and how JGL was one of the few safe spaces at law school.

. B.A. University of Notre Dame 1992; M.A. Northwestern University 1993;
J.D. Columbia 1999; currently working in the Counsel's Office of the New York City
Department of Parks and Recreation. The author was editor-in-chief of the Columbia
Journal of Gender and Law during the 1998-99 academic year.



6 Columbia Journal of Gender and Law [Vol. 10:1

JGL accepts everyone who wants to be a member. JGL gives everyone
an equal voice. It is easy to overlook how important this is.

Hoping the next ten years will bring more good things for JGL.