Reflections from former journal editors

Christopher Nace 03B 03L admits he never gave much thought to the idea of editing a law journal, and in some sense, he didn’t give much thought to the idea of doing the Emory Law Journal write-on when the opportunity presented itself. It just seemed like something everyone was doing. So he did, too.

As it turned out, though, Nace had more of a knack for the journal life than he had expected. He made the cut after the write-on competition and so began a journey that would see him rise all the way to editor-in-chief of Emory’s most historic journal, one with roots dating to the 1950s - not to mention a proud history of influence in the legal world. Serving as editor-in-chief of such a respected institution was often intense, and at times event daunting. But, like so many others who have written for or edited Emory’s diverse and esteemed law journals, Nace says there’s simply no question that his experience as editor-in-chief made him not only a better lawyer but a sharper legal mind as well.

“Two things really stand out for me,” says Nace, who now works with the Washington, DC-based law firm Paulson & Nace. “First, the level of detail I learned was invaluable. When I read or edit documents even today, people still sometimes ask me, ‘Wow, how did you catch that?’ Well, that came from the editors I worked with, people who were so detail-oriented and committed to cranking out a good product. And second, when you’re on a journal, you have to read so much that you can’t help but sharpen your mind. You’re just constantly being exposed to good legal writers.”

In all, Emory today publishes or helps publish five law journals. Along with the flagship Emory Law Journal, which was founded in 1952, the school today also turns out the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal (founded in 1984), the Emory International Law Review (1986), and the Emory Corporate Governance and Accountability Review (2014), and the Journal of Law and Religion, which was founded in 1982 by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion and became a fully Emory-edited journal in 2013.

Each journal has its own focus and its own audience. But each has extended the influence of Emory Law to new sectors of the legal world - and each continues to provide their editors and writers with unique challenges; the lessons learned in overcoming those challenges, past editors say, are ultimately invaluable.

Katherine Davis 15L, who served as editor of the Emory International Law Review, agrees with Nace in saying that her journal experience sharpened her eye for detail - and not just in terms of the articles themselves, either.

“I was surprised about how much I learned about contracts,” says Davis, now a clerk on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Jackson, Mississippi. “Many of our authors had published extensively, and they knew their way around the process. So I think I really came out strong in the area of negotiation . . . You gain instincts for when it’s time to make a concession, when it’s time to walk away from a deal. I think there’s real opportunity for growth in that aspect for future lawyers.”

Christian Miele 14L, now a member of the House of Delegates for the State of Maryland, says that his experience not only editing but actually helping launch the Emory Corporate Governance and Accountability Review did more than simply enhance his legal education. It also, he says, gave him a more complete understanding about some of the most important financial issues facing society today. That hard-won knowledge continues to serve him as he strives to implement smart public policy.

“[My experience] definitely broadened my horizons,” Miele says. “We took on a topic that was pervasive at the time, and it helped me understand a lot of these issues related to corporations and the public interest. It allowed me to take a deep dive into all of these issues - this entire world that I hadn’t really studied before. The journal gave me a perspective on things from outside the classroom.”

What it also gave him was the simple opportunity to work with some equally bright, equally ambitious young legal minds and legal writers. And in the end, the former editors say, that may be the greatest benefit of all when it comes to the life of a journal editor.

The work may be arduous and the pressure intense, but the intellectual rewards, they say, are great.

“What I remember most about my experience,” Nace says, “was simply having an opportunity to work with some really smart people.”

 

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