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New Space Deathmatch: CLR vs. Board of Advocates

There are a lot of changes for Boalt student groups recently, with the exodus from Simon Hall, the new affinity group oasis/ghetto on the third floor, and the new basement space. I'm creating a series of posts to identify the big winners of this change--as well as those getting the shaft. The first battle royale: CLR versus Board of Advocates.

Winner: California Law Review
Law review has fallen upon some hard times. I'm not talking about academic integrity. I'm talking about respect. CLR used to be the preeminent student activity at Boalt; membership was mandatory for top students. Not so much these days. Not only is there little correlation between grades and membership, but law review is lost among the thicket of "other" journals--of which Berkeley publishes an obscene amount. (On the website's alphabetical list of journals, CLR is eleventh). More so than at any other law school, specialized journals compete with law review for student talent. Why be a primary-editing grunt when you can be EIC of BJ*L instead?

The point of all this is that CLR's new space is important. It's not that CLR needs a separate suite (with its own entrance!). It's a sign that Berkeley really sees CLR as its flagship publication, and is willing to treat it accordingly.

Loser: Board of Advocates
Who? Just kidding. These days, moot court is just as respected by judges, lawyers, and academics as law review--and maybe more so. In terms of prestigious student activities, Board of Advocates is right up there with CLR. And I don't see anyone else bringing SCOTUS justices to Berkeley any time soon. Congrats, Board overseers!

Which makes it a little regrettable that Board of Advocates drew such a losing hand from the space deck. Where are they, exactly? I think they're still in some crummy office on the 3rd floor maze, but I'm not really sure. They're isolated from other student groups both spacially and symbolically. Certainly they deserve more. It's true that they're getting a new moot courtroom in Room 140. But this is less a reward than a consolation prize for the insult of having to use Booth Auditorium in the past. And besides, Room 140 is really just a glorified classroom.

Full post as published by Nuts & Boalts on January 26, 2009 (boomark / email).