Success in Writing

From drafting articles in The Week to working on drafts of a Supreme Court amicus brief, Joel Dodge (’14) is writing his way to the top.

By just about any measure a Renaissance man, Joel Dodge (’14) has found a way to pursue his joint passions for litigation, writing, and social leadership as he begins his career. A litigation associate at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York City, Dodge is also a regular contributor to The Week, writing about politics, law, and domestic policy.

Originally from Syracuse, NY, Dodge studied economics and international relations at SUNY Geneseo. It was during his undergraduate years that he became interested in law school. “I sensed that legal training could be a pathway to social leadership and could be used effectively to solve some of the problems afflicting the less fortunate,” says Dodge. When it came to picking a law school, he says, “BU Law appealed to me because the faculty were incredibly engaging and committed to teaching, and the school provided plenty of opportunities to grow outside of the classroom.”

During his third year, Dodge began writing his own blog, describing it as “an outlet to comment on issues that I was interested in or felt I had some amount of knowledge about from what I had studied in school.” Dodge’s work impressed an editor from The Week, who approached him to write for the site. Since then, he’s written a number of columns on politics and social policy, topics he is passionate about.

“I’ve found writing to be an incredibly useful exercise in distilling my own views,” says Dodge. “It’s exciting to search for a unique angle on a policy debate, and to anticipate and defuse counter-arguments, much as I try to do with legal writing.” Although embarking on his legal career takes up most of his time, Dodge continues to find the time for his writing. “As I’ve started practicing law, my time for freelance writing has certainly grown harder to come by, but I still write when I feel like I have something interesting to say.”

In addition to his contributions to The Week, Dodge points to several other important law school experiences that helped shape his career path. During his third year, he worked as a research assistant for Professor Kathy Zeiler, who asked him to look closely at the Affordable Care Act, with specific attention to one case, King v. Burwell. At the time, the case was still winding its way through the lower courts, but it would eventually make its way to the US Supreme Court, where Dodge’s work would play a role in the case’s oral arguments.

While in Professor Abigail Moncrieff’s Health Reform and the Constitution seminar, the conversation turned to King v. Burwell. “At some point in our seminar discussion that day, we came up with the idea that the petitioners’ argument might trigger constitutional avoidance based on the rule against coercing the states,” recalls Dodge. “As we talked about it some more, I remember Professor Moncrieff telling me that she didn’t understand why the government wasn’t making that argument. So she decided to make it for them!”

Moncrieff decided to write an amicus brief in the case, and enlisted Dodge’s help in the preparation. “I helped her revise drafts of the brief, conduct research, bounce ideas to boost the arguments, and generally provided feedback on it.” The argument in the resultant brief would go on to be referenced by Justice Kennedy during the case’s oral arguments.

Dodge credits the experience with helping him prepare for his post-law school career. “Collaborating with Professor Moncrieff on the King brief was a fantastic experience,’ he says. “It was a bridge from my law school experience to my time starting out as a professional, and I knew how rare it was to get to work on something as significant as a Supreme Court brief in a major national case so early in my career. To see our ideas have such an apparent impact at oral argument was truly surreal.” Read more about Moncrieff and Dodge’s work.

One class that was particularly influential for Dodge was Professor Tracey Maclin’s course on Criminal Procedure. “I found it to be especially rewarding for how it developed my analytical skills. Even though I don’t practice criminal law, his class really taught me how to parse legal language and to foresee shifts in legal doctrine hinted at in court decisions.”

Through the BU Law on-campus interview program, Dodge worked at Stroock for his second-year summer, and received an offer to return after graduation. He is now an associate in the firm’s litigation department, where he researches legal issues, drafts briefs and memos, and assists with the various stages of litigation, from discovery to depositions to trial prep.

Part of his practice has included drafting appellate briefs and defending the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, things he feels particularly prepared for as a result of his time at BU Law. Pursuing his passion for helping the underserved, he also handles pro bono work ranging from asylum to education law to voting rights.

As to the future, “I certainly plan to continue working as a litigator, and hope to work on appellate or Supreme Court cases any chance I get,” says Dodge. “I also really enjoyed the academic environment of law school, so I could see myself teaching further down the road. I’m excited to continue growing as an attorney, and look forward to seeing what avenues arise to take leadership roles and to do good.”

Reported by Sara Womble (CFA’14).