The Yale Journal of Law and Feminism Twenty Years Ago: Reflections from Our Founding Members

Abstract

What stands out most in my mind was just how easy it was to start the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism (YJLF)-much easier than I imagine it was to publish all of the issues that have followed. During my third year at law school, it struck me that Yale Law School should have a "women's" law journal, similar to those that existed at some of the other law schools. After a casual conversation with some of my friends to determine if there was any interest, I approached then-Dean Guido Calabresi with a list of all the things that we would need to start our journal-an office, a computer, and a budget. While I was prepared for the hard sell, Guido simply said "yes." Our next step was to find a faculty advisor, and Professor Owen Fiss also easily agreed to help out. He even provided several contacts who wrote the articles that set the tone for the first issue. We organized a meeting to present the publication to the law school-I remember having a little bit of stage fright as I explained our vision before about 100 people. But around twenty students, including one man, showed up at our first meeting and we began hammering out a plan. I was thrilled when the first issue came out the semester after I graduated. YJLF was such a success that at least one other new law journal was started shortly thereafter.