Lukas Flippo, Senior Photographer

During his sophomore year, Matthew Jennings ’25 took “Constitutional Law and Business Ethics” and produced a paper he was particularly proud of. After searching, however, for places across campus to submit his research for publication, he quickly realized there was no such place at Yale.

Enter the Yale Undergraduate Law Journal, the University’s first undergraduate law journal, which held its first information session of the school year Sept. 6 at Linsly-Chittenden Hall. The session attracted first years interested in exploring the many opportunities the club has to offer.

“I lacked a sense of community among other undergraduates interested in studying or going on to practice law,” Jennings explained of his decision to create the group. 

Jennings was initially unaware that others also sought a space like YULJ: Rayyan Valaydon ’24 submitted an application for approval for the same kind of club at the same time as Jennings, though neither had conferred about it beforehand.

Upon discovering their mutual goal, Jennings and Valaydon decided to join forces and formally founded YULJ, of which they serve as co-editors in chief. 

YULJ is entirely student-written and student-run and, per its mission statement, aims to reach a wide interdisciplinary audience as the only pre-law publication on campus. Jennings and Valaydon hope that as the club expands, members will be able to learn more about a number of areas of the law they find interesting and relevant while also being able to explore diverse legal careers, strengthen alumni relationships and foster connections with leaders in the field through a number of educational opportunities. 

“I am particularly committed to building a diverse community — one where, irrespective of your academic interests, we can come together to wrestle with the most pressing legal issues of our generation,” Valaydon said, noting that he hoped to foster a nurturing environment for undergraduates to explore the legal field.

YULJ operates under three branches: a law journal featuring long-form papers, published in print and digital forms, whose first edition will be published this fall; a digital blog featuring shorter-form articles on legal issues; and a podcast where legal scholars and students can come together in discussion about relevant legal topics. 

Aside from the formal publication of the law journal, YULJ has an opportunity for high schoolers across the globe to participate in an essay contest, which is coming formally this fall, per Sarah Shapiro ’25, YULJ director of community engagement. 

Shapiro told the News that the group is looking for “impassioned, original essays about a topic in current affairs.” Entries are being accepted from students both in the United States and abroad, with both a New Haven and international prize being awarded to “highlight students in the local community and abroad.”

Applications to join the YULJ are due Sept. 16 before midnight, and they are currently looking for editors and staff writers to join the journal. A role as a staff writer is open to all class years, and, if accepted, students must write two 1500-word articles per semester and work with a team of editors on rolling deadlines. The role of a print or digital editor is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Both staff writers and editors, like Elizabeth Dejanikus ’25, have access to all YULJ events and resources.

“I’m looking forward to seeing where this publication goes — although none of us have law degrees, there are a lot of undergrads on campus who are interested in reading and writing about the law, and we’re excited to create a space to publish their work,” Dejanikus said.

The first student-edited law periodical in the United States, the Albany Law School Journal, was founded in 1875.