Matthew Fenn, a 3L at Fordham Law School, takes time out of his very busy schedule as the Fordham Law Review's Editor-in-Chief to talk about pre-law advice, future aspirations, and the demands of being a law review EIC.
What do you like most about law school?
I have always been someone who loves learning about new things and exploring why society is the way that it is, and law is perfect for this.
My favorite thing about law school is that it forces you to tackle issues, in depth, in a lot of different subjects and areas of life. Law school makes you think about politics, education, sports, art, medicine, economics, and any other topic you can possibly think of from a whole new perspective. I have always been someone who loves learning about new things and exploring why society is the way that it is, and law is perfect for this.
Is there a study tactic or method you find most helpful?
Keeping smart people around to chat with, bounce ideas off of, and study with never hurts, either!
One thing that was difficult for me in college and continues to be challenging in law school is that you have a lot of “unstructured” time, or time when you are not in class but have plenty of work to get done. The most helpful thing, for me, was to keep a regular schedule and treat law school like a full-time job. Keeping smart people around to chat with, bounce ideas off of, and study with never hurts, either!
Can you tell us more about Fordham's Law Review?
The most challenging part of the job is the sheer amount of work that it requires, as my friends—who don’t see me very often these days—can attest to!
The Fordham Law Review publishes roughly 3,000 pages of legal scholarship each year on topics ranging from constitutional law to corporate law and everything in between. We also host symposia and lectures to bring distinguished professors, scholars, judges, and practitioners together to discuss advancements in law.
The editor-in-chief, from a big-picture perspective, is in charge of making sure that the publication of each book, the execution of each event, and relationships among editors on the board are all smooth. The editor-in-chief’s primary responsibilities include approving articles and notes to be published in the law review, working with the managing editor to set a publication schedule, and making final edits on each piece that will be published.
My favorite part of the job is the opportunity to lead and work with a group of extremely intelligent, hard-working people, and to be part of an esteemed tradition of editors who have done the same. Fordham Law Review has an impressive legacy, and it’s an honor to carry on that legacy and attempt to make a personal mark on it. The most challenging part of the job is the sheer amount of work that it requires, as my friends—who don’t see me very often these days—can attest to!
Do you have any advice for students interested in legal research or in publishing (as you did in the Fordham Law Review)?
Great legal scholarship doesn’t have to be about a popular U.S. Supreme Court case or a constitutional amendment.
My biggest piece of advice would be to find an interesting topic and start to learn more about it, whether that is by watching the news, browsing the internet, or following experts in the field. As I mentioned earlier, law touches so many corners of life. Great legal scholarship doesn’t have to be about a popular U.S. Supreme Court case or a constitutional amendment. It doesn’t have to revolutionize the law. It just needs to expose a pressing legal problem, examine the problem in depth, and suggest a solution or point out something that others hadn’t necessarily thought of before.
What are you interested in doing after law school?
Mostly, though, I just want to work hard with smart people tackling difficult problems and have a good time doing it.
I will be working at a big firm next year, and for a judge the year after that, both of which I am eagerly looking forward to. I am very interested in appellate practice and would love the opportunity to argue in front of the Supreme Court, but so few lawyers get the chance to do that. Mostly, though, I just want to work hard with smart people tackling difficult problems and have a good time doing it.
Any other law school related advice?
When the workload is especially heavy, it’s easy to cash it in early or take shortcuts, particularly when the only person watching over you is you. Just remember that you are working hard for a reason.
For prospective students, read and write as much as possible—fiction, nonfiction, news, comedy, sports, really anything. Thinking critically and being a strong reader and writer are, I think, the most important qualities a lawyer can have and also correlate pretty closely with success in law school. The only way to hone these skills is through practice.
For current students, one important piece of advice is to keep your long-term goals in mind, especially when the going gets tough. When the workload is especially heavy, it’s easy to cash it in early or take shortcuts, particularly when the only person watching over you is you. Just remember that you are working hard for a reason. Also, an underrated piece of advice: be considerate and nice to your peers. A little kindness goes a long way, especially in an intense environment like law school.
Visit the 7Sage Law School blog to read more interviews with students and lawyers. In the coming weeks, we'll interview a former tennis star turned law student, a public defender who volunteers in Palestine, and a NYU Law graduate working as an angel investor.