The conference brings together students who write and edit for a law review — a university-based journal that requires scholars to hone their legal research and writing skills. Law review editors and writers often go on to leadership positions in law and politics. Students from more than 100 different law schools are expected to attend.
The law school’s bid to host the conference started in 2013. Leah Gravius, managing editor of UofL’s Law Review, said former editor Edward O’Brien, who is now a local attorney, made the initial pitch, but she will have oversight for planning this year’s event. Gravius said such successive planning is what makes this event unique.
“The way this conference works is the people who are applying for the bid are not the ones planning it,” she said. Because he is local, O’Brien has been involved in some of the planning and will present at some sessions.
“A lot of the initial work goes into ensuring the school that we can handle this and that we can uphold our reputation. We had a lot of support from Dean (Susan) Duncan and the administration, which was very important,” Gravius said. “This is a chance to get our Brandeis name out there and to showcase our city.”
The theme of the conference is “Efficiency in Changing Times” and includes 24 breakout sessions, plus panel discussions and Louisville-themed recreational outings. Gravius wants the event to boost the profile of the Brandeis School of Law, generate revenue for the city and give attendees good, useful information.
“I want it to be clean, elegant, informative and occasionally fun,” Gravius said. “Attendees will hear from different schools and learn different processes and hopefully improve themselves. We’ll be successful if they’re able to do that.”