Executive Editor, Yale Law Journal – Connecticut
“Get great mentors. Ask them how they got where they are and what you could do to get there too.”
Kristen Eichensehr is a third-year student at the Yale Law School. Some of her most valuable experiences in law school have come from her leadership positions. As the Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal, Kristen works with the Executive Board and editors of the Journal to select, revise, and publish student and professional scholarship, She also oversees the Journal’s admissions process. Kristen has gained valuable experience in national security and civil liberties law as a member and student director of the “9/11 Clinic”—a legal practice course in which students draft appellate amicus curiae briefs in post-9/11 civil liberties and national security cases. To gain a broader perspective on national security issues, Kristen also worked for a summer in the Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she assisted in criminal prosecutions and policy formulation. The international and domestic legal issues surrounding the current “war on terror” present difficult questions, and Kristen hopes to continue working to address these and other issues by pursuing a career in international and national security law.
How did you become interested and involved in law?
I was initially exposed to law through participating in mock trial in high school, and then I worked for a small law firm in my hometown after I graduated. I mostly came into contact with criminal law, and I had no idea of the wide range of specialties that law encompasses. In college, my interest in law developed further as I became acquainted with international and national security law. Law can be very intricate, drawing on many other subject areas such as history and politics. You have to understand the reasoning behind legal statutes, taking into account historical contexts like which party was in power when the law was passed, precedents the informed the courts’ opinions, and political compromises underlying statutes. I focus a lot on international law, which combines international relations and politics.
What prompted you to become the co-executive editor of the Yale Law Journal?
I spend a lot of time focusing on international and security issues, and by working as Executive Editor of the Journal I am exposed to a lot of great cutting edge scholarship in many different areas of law. Right now I’m doing some work on election law and contracts.
Because of my Journal position, I am coming to think of myself as a leader. During the first year of law school, everyone is on the same page, everyone is taking the same classes. There isn’t always an opportunity to be leader, but you can end up in leadership positions pretty quickly. During the fall of my 2L year, I was as student director of a clinic that writes amicus briefs in 9/11-related cases. I was also an Articles Editor of the Yale Journal of International Law, which let me lead a team of students in editing an article and a student Note. My current Executive Editor position combines some of the leadership skills I learned in my prior positions.
What steps did you take to achieve your goals?
I am interested in researching and writing. In undergrad, I was the Managing Editor of the Harvard International Review, which made me realize how much I liked editing. In summer 2006, I completed the Yale Law Journal writing competition, and made it on to the Journal. I became friends with some students who happened to hold leadership positions on the Journal, and they said really enjoyed their positions and that editing was worthwhile, so I decided to go for it.
What obstacles have you faced in achieving your goals?
I’ve been really lucky in that I’ve had no major obstacles. The one thing would probably be having to maintain my focus for a long time. Academics and education take a while, and I’ve been figuring out my own path. It is easy to get distracted and take classes with friend or a professor you really like, but continuing to push myself to take on new areas of law, while also developing my core interest areas, has been a bit challenging.
How has your experience been shaped by being a woman?
Before I came to law school I don’t think that being a woman had much effect on me; I was pretty oblivious to gender stereotypes. I didn’t think that gender in the classroom was a big issue, but it’s been more of an issue since coming to law school. There is a greater awareness among law students that women participate differently. Law school is more participatory, an environment that tends to favor men’s natural tendencies more than women. It’s definitely something that I’ve become more conscious of. It’s not like I’m blazing a path; luckily women have succeeded in law school and as lawyers for decades. But gender is definitely still an issue. International relations and security are still fields that are dominated by men. Law in general is too. There are more male than female partners in law firms, but they are evolving. Women are still trying to figure out how to be leaders in the field. This is partly inherent in the profession, you really work hard and that makes it a challenge to balance work and family life. A lot of law firms are really conscious of how their female associates and partners are feeling though, and as women and female lawyers begin to demand change, legal employers adapt.
As far as editing goes, I have been told that the Executive Editor position at YLJ is traditionally more of a male dominated position, where as managing editor is usually held by a woman. There have been a lot of women who have gone before me at Yale Law and at the Journal, so I’m not blazing the trail.
What lessons have you learned from your experiences?
Well, I’ve learned a lot of law. I’ve figured out over the years that I am happiest when I’m pursuing goals that I’ve set for myself. I try to stop and remind myself sometimes that I’m following a path that I’ve chosen for myself and that it is leading to goals that I would like to achieve. I am much happier when I remember that I am directing my life, rather than being buffeted by someone else’s agenda for me.
If you had the chance, would you have done anything differently? If so, what and why?
I’m pretty happy. In retrospect it’s easier to say that I could’ve done less work and gotten the same thing done, but, that’s one of those things you don’t know at the time.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
That’s a good question and I wish I knew. But I’d have to say hopefully something in academia, government, or private practice that involves international law and security.
What advice do you have for young girls who are interested in becoming leaders in law or have leadership aspirations?
Get great mentors. It’s really helpful and important to seek out and approach women or men in a field and ask them how they got where they are and what you could do to get there too.
