Meet the New Leaders of the Virginia Law Review

Arjun Ogale, a second-year student at the University of Virginia School of Law, has been selected as the new editor-in-chief of the Virginia Law Review.

Ogale and the managing board were chosen by the outgoing board after an application and interview process. The 29 second-year law students began their new roles Monday.

The publication, now in its 107th year, is one of the nation's most prestigious law journals.

Ogale answered a few questions about himself and shared his tips for the journal tryout process, which starts Feb. 28. Personal statements are due Feb. 27.

Hometown: Lubbock, Texas, and Pune, India

Prior education: B.S. in industrial engineering, Texas Tech University

Arjun Ogale

Prior work experience: My prior experience includes working as an engineer for an aircraft manufacturing company and interning in a congressional office on Capitol Hill.

Future career plans: I will spend the upcoming summer at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. I am particularly excited about the summer because of the large UVA Law contingency at the firm.

Favorite law class or subject: I am interested in intellectual property law, criminal procedure, and the intersection of criminal law and technology. I also abide by the advice to “take professors, not classes.” Some of my favorites have been Torts with Professor Charles Barzun, Legislation with Professor Michael Gilbert and Criminal Investigation with Professor Anne Coughlin. 

But if I had to choose one, it would have to be Constitutional Law with Dean Risa Goluboff. Her class was a perfect blend of history, law and political theory — everything you could ever hope for from a Con Law class. I feel fortunate to have been able to learn from her.  

Other activities at the Law School: I am a Peer Advisor, co-president of the South Asian Law Students Association and a quarterfinalist in the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition. I’ve also been a research assistant for Professor Saikrishna Prakash.

Goals for the Virginia Law Review: We are fortunate to inherit a vibrant organization from an outstanding outgoing managing board. Our primary goal is to continue publishing high-quality scholarship that is novel, thought-provoking and timely. And we will continue to develop and implement our membership selection process, which was adopted in 2018. 

Additionally, one of my goals this year is to emphasize student scholarship. This includes ensuring that the Law Review promotes diverse voices and perspectives from within the UVA Law student body. I highly encourage students to submit their work to be considered for publication — both as an essay for VLR Online and as a note in our print edition. 

Advice for 1Ls: For the journal tryout, I have three specific pieces of advice. First, be organized and consistently back up your work using Google Drive, Box, OneDrive or any other device you are comfortable with. The tryout is time-consuming, and the last thing you want to do is lose your work because you forgot to back it up while working. Second, take care of yourself. While you want to give the journal tryout all your effort, you can definitely get enough sleep, work out, eat healthy and still have a very successful journal tryout. Lastly, turn in a personal statement. Grades are only one factor in the holistic review process. Even if your first semester didn’t go the way you would have liked, please don’t take yourself out of the running for membership by not turning in a personal statement.

More generally, the best piece of advice I received in 1L was to define your own success. UVA Law’s intellectual and social community is so vibrant. Take advantage of it. Participate in Libel, softball, moot court, clinics or pro bono work — all of which provide exceptional opportunities to succeed that don’t involve journal work. Make sure you get the most out of the three short years that you have at this special place.  

Rounding out the remainder of the managing board are:

Managing Editor
Erin B. Edwards

Assistant Managing Editor
Kaylen E. Strench

Membership & Inclusion Editor
Jessica E. Feinberg

Articles Development Editors
Mihir Khetarpal
Avery C. Rasmussen

Articles Editors
Andrew Y. Ebrahem
Noah Fitzgerel
Alexander N. Heldman
Rachael E. Jones
Bethany S. Labrinos
Stephen Elliott Paul
Nathaniel B. Pribil
Jordan Walsh

Notes & Comments Development Editor
Anna Cecile Pepper

Notes & Comments Editors
Andrew E. Kintner
Jonah T. Panikar
Olivia C. Roat
C. Matthew West

Online Development Editor
Katharine M. Janes

Online Editors
Jehanne C. McCullough
W. Jackson Vallar

Lead Executive Editor
Hannah Lyons

Executive Editors
Erin L. Brown
Jameil D. Brown
Matthew Cunningham
Ian S. MacDonald
Nina Oat
Christian J. Sorensen