New Students

To incoming Berkeley Law students,

Welcome to Berkeley Law! We invite you to join Berkeley's Journal of Employment and Labor Law (BJELL). There are two main reasons to join BJELL: impact and community.

First, impact: BJELL is the most influential labor and employment law journal in the country and is Berkeley's hub for students interested in workers' rights. We were recently cited in landmark workers' rights decisions by the United States Supreme Court, in New Prime v. Oliveira, and by the California Supreme Court, in Dynamex v. Superior Court.

BJELL publishes twice yearly and covers a wide range of legal issues relevant to scholars and practitioners from a pro-worker perspective. We also host a lunchtime speaker series, the annual Feller Memorial Lecture, and biennial symposia. General members assist with editing articles and can help bring major speakers to campus. All students, including 1Ls, can submit book reviews and case notes for publication. In addition, journal members are eligible for special summer fellowship opportunities, networking events with Bay Area practitioners, connections with scholars active in the field, and up-to-date information on workers' rights job opportunities.

Second, the community: law school can feel like a crucible -- it wears us down, tells us we can't achieve our dreams, and tries to push us into the corporate jungle. We joined BJELL because we wanted to be a part of a journal that reflected our commitment to workers' rights, but ended up finding a community of people to lean on during hard times and celebrate with during the good ones.

In other words, BJELL isn't just a journal, it's a community. It is the people around us who remind us we are capable, we are loved, and we can do great, righteous things. Whether it's the new friend who will hug you when you're crying, or the 3L who gives you killer career advice, we are here to hold each other and fight for workers' rights.

If BJELL sounds like a good fit for you and your values, join us at our first General Meeting of the semester on August 31!

The deadline for joining BJELL is September 3rd.

Details for the first general meeting and other events are sent out in our weekly newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter by emailing bjell@berkeley.edu. You can also email us if you have any questions about BJELL or the workers' rights community at Berkeley Law.

In solidarity,

Meredith and Abby
Editors-in-Chief 2021-2022