Cameron Beach

Hometown: Glenview, Illinois

Education: Duke University, political science and journalism

Who I was then: I graduated from Duke University in 2020, right into the beginnings of the pandemic. After graduation, I worked (remotely) for a public relations shop while I hunkered down in Illinois with my family, and in 2021 I moved to D.C., where I began work as a speechwriter. I also wrote and published a young adult novel while living in D.C. Fiction writing is, and always will be, near and dear to my heart!

Amazing law school class: It’s so hard to choose just one! I loved Professor Anne Coughlin’s Criminal Investigations course — she always manages to teach the contours of constitutional law without losing sight of its real human impact. I learned so much about the history of American incarceration in Professor Gerard Robinson’s Education in U.S. Prisons Seminar. And I had an incredible experience briefing and arguing an appeal through the Appellate Litigation Clinic, run by Cate Stetson, Scott Ballenger and Lori Alvino McGill.

Outside class: I served as an online editor for the Virginia Law Review and as a research assistant to Professors A. E. Dick Howard and George Rutherglen. I also worked with Lawton Tufts, an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Albemarle County, as he prepared to try one of the planners and marchers in the August 2017 Unite the Right rally. Outside of strictly law-related things, I’m also a spin instructor. I’ve spent the past two years teaching group cycle classes at local exercise studios.

Favorite outing/activity to unwind: Hiking! I actually checked my stats yesterday: I’ve been up and down Humpback Rock 12 times now. (Yes, even sometimes at sunrise. It’s worth it.)

Noteworthy summer job: During my 1L summer, I worked at the Department of Justice Civil Appellate Division. Prior to that experience, I’d barely heard of appellate litigation — I really lucked into the internship — but afterward, I was hooked.

What’s next (job/location): This August, I’ll move to New York City and spend the year clerking for Judge Alison J. Nathan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Afterwards, I’m headed back to D.C. to clerk for Judge Amir H. Ali on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Who I am now: Someone who is unbelievably grateful for her three years in Charlottesville. I’m leaving UVA with sharper analytical skills, a newfound (and unexpected!) love of constitutional law and — most importantly — a community of lifelong best friends.

What you should know about Virginia Law: This isn’t a place where learning is confined to the classroom. Everybody here is brilliant in unique ways, and you’ll find yourself learning just as much from your peers as from your amazing professors. That’s something truly special. And while the people here care about their work, they also care deeply and honestly about one another. Treasure that — it’s rare.