The Associate Editor position resonates with my strong interests in exploring and contributing to legal scholarship. I look forward to sharpening my skills in legal research while aligning myself with the vision and high standards of the Osgoode Hall Law Journal (OHLJ).

My Master’s degree has equipped me with the necessary skills for legal scholarship and publication. My research explored the relationship between law and morality by looking closely at how related concepts, like “impartiality” and “duty”, are framed by legal and moral philosophers. Here, I had the opportunity to work closely with a cohort of faculty, authors, and peers specializing in the philosophy of law, and I had the opportunity to edit abstracts, papers, and manuscripts for publication. My contributions to the editing process was multilayered. Careful attention to grammar and citation were crucial for shaping and refining a final product that met the high standards of publication; however, my role extended to strengthening arguments, clarifying ideas, and ensuring that the author’s vision is realized through text. Moreover, as a Teaching Assistant, I enjoyed guiding students through rich philosophical texts and articulating complex ideas in writing. I am passionate about supporting writers of all kinds, because I can relate to the joy and pride of creating a satisfying final product.

I am particularly drawn to OHLJ’s collaborative working environment. I believe that collaboration fosters the best work as it utilizes and highlights a diversity of individual strengths, while creating a support system for team members. Prior to law school, I worked at the Ontario Medical Association where I was a part of an interdepartmental team that managed the nominations and election procedures for over 40,000 medical professionals across the province. My role was to act as the liaison between departments to solve technological issues and investigate policy constraints for the shared goal of a successful election cycle. This role has taught me to take ownership of and accountability for assigned tasks and working in a dynamic environment to meet multiple tight deadlines. I hope to bring this experience to a team devoted to legal scholarship

The value of legal scholarship is tied to the quality of ideas communicated through writing. A crucial part of communicating through writing an article for publication is the cogency of the argument, which consists of three elements: rigor, clarity, and flow. Rigor is achieved by engaging and situating ideas within the existing community of scholarship. This makes for a more balanced argument by considering objections in the existing literature. Next, clarity is essential for creating scholarship that can communicate complex ideas in a transparent and easily digestible manner to audiences. Often, the familiarity of our own ideas blinds us from the conceptual gaps and points of vagueness in our own writing. Finally, after situating an argument and ensuring that it is clearly presented, it is important to consider the writing as a freestanding entity and assess the overall coherence of the argument. The flow of argumentation can be achieved by pruning off any irrelevant or inconsistent pieces. The elements of rigor, clarity, and flow are constituent parts of the cogency of an argument, and the cogency of an argument (with a dash of creativity and originality) is the defining feature of a good academic article.

I look forward to sharing my values in a collaborative team. Speaking to the OHLJ editors at the club’s fair and open house confirmed that it is a fun and collegial environment. I hope to sharpen my skills and take the experiences gained as an Associate Editor further in my upper years in the role of a Senior Editor.