{"id":14907,"date":"2015-06-09T08:14:57","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T13:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?p=14907"},"modified":"2022-07-05T11:51:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T15:51:04","slug":"success-in-writing","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2015\/success-in-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Success in Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"

From drafting articles in <\/em>The Week to working on drafts of a Supreme Court amicus brief, Joel Dodge (\u201914) is writing his way to the top.<\/em><\/h2>\n
\"Joel
Joel Dodge (’14)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By just about any measure a Renaissance man, Joel Dodge (\u201914) has found a way to pursue his joint passions for litigation, writing, and social leadership as he begins his career. A litigation associate at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP<\/a>\u00a0in New York City, Dodge is also a regular contributor to The Week<\/em><\/a>, writing about politics, law, and domestic policy.<\/p>\n

Originally from Syracuse, NY, Dodge studied economics and international relations at SUNY Geneseo. It was during his undergraduate years that he became interested in law school. \u201cI sensed that legal training could be a pathway to social leadership and could be used effectively to solve some of the problems afflicting the less fortunate,\u201d says Dodge. When it came to picking a law school, he says, \u201cBU Law appealed to me because the faculty were incredibly engaging and\u00a0committed to teaching<\/a>, and the school provided plenty of opportunities to grow outside of the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his third year, Dodge began writing his own blog, describing it as \u201can outlet to comment on issues that I was interested in or felt I had some amount of knowledge about from what I had studied in school.\u201d Dodge\u2019s work impressed an editor from The Week<\/em>, who approached him to write for the site. Since then, he\u2019s written a number of columns on politics and social policy, topics he is passionate about.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve found writing to be an incredibly useful exercise in distilling my own views,\u201d says Dodge. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to search for a unique angle on a policy debate, and to anticipate and defuse counter-arguments, much as I try to do with legal writing.\u201d Although embarking on his legal career takes up most of his time, Dodge continues to find the time for his writing. \u201cAs I\u2019ve started practicing law, my time for freelance writing has certainly grown harder to come by, but I still write when I feel like I have something interesting to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to his contributions to The Week<\/em>, Dodge points to several other important law school experiences that helped shape his career path. During his third year, he worked as a research assistant for Professor Kathy Zeiler<\/a>, who asked him to look closely at the Affordable Care Act, with specific attention to one case, King v. Burwell<\/a><\/em>. At the time, the case was still winding its way through the lower courts, but it would eventually make its way to the US Supreme Court, where Dodge\u2019s work would play a role in the case\u2019s oral arguments.<\/p>\n

While in Professor Abigail Moncrieff\u2019s Health Reform and the Constitution seminar, the conversation turned to King v. Burwell<\/em>. \u201cAt some point in our seminar discussion that day, we came up with the idea that the petitioners\u2019 argument might trigger constitutional avoidance based on the rule against coercing the states,\u201d recalls Dodge. \u201cAs we talked about it some more, I remember Professor Moncrieff telling me that she didn\u2019t understand why the government wasn\u2019t making that argument. So she decided to make it for them!\u201d<\/p>\n

Moncrieff decided to write an amicus brief<\/a> in the case, and enlisted Dodge\u2019s help in the preparation. \u201cI helped her revise drafts of the brief, conduct research, bounce ideas to boost the arguments, and generally provided feedback on it.\u201d The argument in the resultant brief would go on to be referenced by Justice Kennedy during the case\u2019s oral arguments.<\/p>\n

Dodge credits the experience with helping him prepare for his post-law school career. \u201cCollaborating with Professor Moncrieff on the King<\/em> brief was a fantastic experience,\u2019 he says. \u201cIt was a bridge from my law school experience to my time starting out as a professional, and I knew how rare it was to get to work on something as significant as a Supreme Court brief in a major national case so early in my career. To see our ideas have such an apparent impact at oral argument was truly surreal.\u201d Read more about Moncrieff and Dodge\u2019s work<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

One class that was particularly influential for Dodge was Professor Tracey Maclin\u2019s course on Criminal Procedure. \u201cI found it to be especially rewarding for how it developed my analytical skills. Even though I don\u2019t practice criminal law, his class really taught me how to parse legal language and to foresee shifts in legal doctrine hinted at in court decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the BU Law on-campus interview program<\/a>, Dodge worked at Stroock for his second-year summer, and received an offer to return after graduation. He is now an associate in the firm\u2019s litigation department, where he researches legal issues, drafts briefs and memos, and assists with the various stages of litigation, from discovery to depositions to trial prep.<\/p>\n

Part of his practice has included drafting appellate briefs and defending the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, things he feels particularly prepared for as a result of his time at BU Law. Pursuing his passion for helping the underserved, he also handles pro bono<\/em> work ranging from asylum to education law to voting rights.<\/p>\n

As to the future, \u201cI certainly plan to continue working as a litigator, and hope to work on appellate or Supreme Court cases any chance I get,\u201d says Dodge. \u201cI also really enjoyed the academic environment of law school, so I could see myself teaching further down the road. I\u2019m excited to continue growing as an attorney, and look forward to seeing what avenues arise to take leadership roles and to do good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reported by Sara Womble (CFA’14).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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