When I read about the MSL program initially, I immediately identified with the program’s ideals and mission, and felt compelled to apply and become part of this inclusively diverse and trailblazing community. I never imagined how many opportunities and activities outside of classes were available to all students at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, including, of course, MSL students.
At Northwestern, there is literally a club for everyone, no matter what your interest may be; there are over 50 student organizations at the law school! These organizations are a great way to connect with students both within the MSL program and also with law students from other programs (JDs, LLMs, JD-MBAs and JD-PhDs). I have made some of the best friendships of my law school career by exploring my interests in these organizations. They say variety is the spice of life, and the extracurriculars I’ve been involved with have added more variety than I ever could have imagined possible. I will discuss the activities I was involved with below, but that is only a small representation of the myriad options available.
You may be wondering: How does one learn about all of the extracurricular offerings at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law? Well, this link: (http://www.law.northwestern.edu/law-school-life/studentorganizations/) has a list of EVERYTHING offered, so check it out to find the organization(s) that caters most to your interests!
Additionally, at the beginning of the academic year there is a Student Activities “Org Fair” evening. This typically involves a bunch of tables set up in the law school atrium with representatives from each organization there to tell you about what they do and how you can get involved. I would HIGHLY recommend attending this Fair. There is no commitment to actually join an organization, but attending is a great way to find out more about all the options. The organizations plan a variety of different events during the year, and almost all events are open for all law students to attend. If you don’t have time to participate in a certain group in a leadership role, you can still be involved by attending events!
In general, student organizations are in charge of funding and budgeting for their own events, as well as handling all the logistics from room reservations to coordinating speakers and ordering food for the event. Each organization is allowed one week during the academic year in which to plan events (normally in the form of lunch talks, receptions or networking events with law firms or other relevant businesses) for students on topics relevant to their organization’s area of interest. The great thing about these organizations is they allow you to find students that share your particular interests.
If you’re like me (and I suspect many MSL candidates are!) you like to be involved in lots of different things and have many diverse interests. I tried to limit my involvement to certain extracurriculars so as to not overextend myself in terms of commitments. I was involved in the following student organizations during my 2-year part-time journey in the MSL program: Habeas Chorus, Wigmore Follies, Intellectual Property Law Society (IPLS), High-Tech Law Society (HTLS) and the Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property (JTIP). In addition, I remain on the “listserv” e-mail list for many of the organizations I am not directly involved in to stay in the loop regarding what they are doing, and what events they are planning.
I will now expand on my experience in each of the above-listed activities:
Habeas Chorus (Habeas): Habeas Chorus is the law school a cappella group. This is one of the most fun groups I’ve been a part of at the law school, and it has allowed me to reconnect with music in a way that warms my soul and calms every fiber of my being. I started my “singing” career in elementary school, which lasted through middle school choir, high school choir and show choir, and extended into college and beyond where I sang (and still sing) the National Anthem at various sporting events. I never thought law school would allow singing to become, yet again, such a prominent part of my life. Habeas is a FANTASTIC bunch of people (currently 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls, MSLs and LLMs) and after 2 years in the group, I have made some pretty amazing friendships. We practice once a week during the lunch hour, and sometimes more frequently toward the end of the year or before big performances. Typical performances include the Fall Silent Auction (SFPIF Fundraiser), the Night Against Discrimination and our Spring Concert/Talent Show (where we also invite any law students to sign up for a performance slot to share their talents). We also perform at other certain law school events when asked, and even created a holiday musical greeting card per the Dean’s request this year. https://www.facebook.com/NorthwesternLaw/videos/1323791054337881/?video_source=pages_finch_main_video (I’m wearing a red dress and black hat if you can find me!)
Habeas Chorus has helped me improve my confidence, stage presence, and comfort in front of a crowd – all skills that will be vital to professional roles going forward. It has also been a fun way to express myself, and meet a lot of amazing students, staff and professors.
Wigmore Follies (Follies): Follies is the student-written, student-directed, student-produced, student-choreographed musical 
featuring….students! The show is written by the creative team in the summer and Fall, and the performance occurs in April (usually during Admitted Students Week, which is April 7 and 8 this year). The show is usually a parody of a famous movie, play or musical and pokes fun at Northwestern and law in general. It’s an extremely fun undertaking and highly anticipated by students and faculty members at the law school. Rehearsal schedules vary based on your role, but by the end the cast feels like family and the lack of sleep during tech week is 100% worth it. This year, in addition to being in the show, I am also the Video Producer. This means I am in charge of filming/editing/coordinating all of the videos we show during the performance as well as release leading up to opening night.
Here is a link to a few featured videos from last year’s show! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWctQuZOhpc (I play RBG in this one, and this submission was a frontrunner in Above the Law’s annual video submission competition.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlzUztjt-Ws (for some comic relief)
As a side note, up until opening night EVERYTHING regarding Follies and show content is top secret and not shared with anyone outside of Follies. Aka, the first rule of Follies, is don’t talk about Follies!
Intellectual Property Law Society (IPLS): During my second year in the MSL program I was the MSL Representative for IPLS. This involved attending occasional board meetings in order to plan events for our designated week during the year. Another way I’ve been heavily involved in IPLS is through the mentoring program. I am considering taking the patent bar after finishing the MSL program, so I was paired up with a current patent agent in order to learn more about the career. It was an excellent opportunity and allowed me to get an inside look at the career options for a STEM individual with a patent background.
High-Tech Law Society (HTLS): I was also the MSL representative for HTLS. Similar to IPLS, that role involved assisting with planning events for our designated week during the academic year. For HTLS, events were specifically related to technology and science-related topics, and thus very applicable to many MSL students’ interests!
Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property (JTIP): The final extracurricular activity I was involved in is called JTIP. It is one of the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law journals, focusing on technology and IP articles. JTIP seeks technical editors from the MSL program due to our technical backgrounds. I was a Technical Editor for JTIP during my first year in the program, which meant I was in charge of reading articles to edit for and assess technical soundness. This is a great way to put your writing skills and technical knowledge to use.
As you can see from my small sampling, there is a wide range of subject-matter covered by the Student Organizations. These groups are one of the best ways to meet students outside the MSL program and truly integrate yourself in the Northwestern Pritzker Law community. I’ve found that all of the students, regardless of which program they are in, are very inclusive and excited to meet, work with and learn about MSL students and our unique backgrounds. I highly recommend that if you attend Northwestern to pursue the MSL program, you get involved!
Alexandra Moxley (MSL ’17)
