Letter From the Editor

Each year, we ask the outgoing Editor-in-Chief to write a letter reflecting on their experience leading the Tennessee Law Review. You can view those letters below.

Kailyn Stone

Former Editor–in–Chief: 2024-2025

It feels like yesterday that I found out I was stepping into a new role as the Editor-in-Chief of Tennessee Law Review. Serving in this role has been the greatest honor of my law school career, and I am extremely grateful for the journey this role has afforded me. When I stepped into this role, the Journal was in an era of change. Under the leadership of Virginia Saylor, our editorial process changed, we started an online presence, and we refined our case note publication process. Put simply, I knew I had big shoes to fill…

Virginia Saylor

Former Editor–in–Chief: 2023-2024

It is hard to believe that my time at Tennessee Law and as Editor-in-Chief of Tennessee Law Review has come to an end. As I reflect on this past year, I am filled with immense gratitude and pride in what we’ve accomplished. Early in my tenure, I sat down with Nick McCall—a visiting professor, contributing author to A Theory and Practice of Justice, and former Editor-in-Chief of Tennessee Law Review—who imparted some wisdom that would soon become my guiding light. He cautioned: do not let the demands of the job interfere with the personal relationships…

Nathaniel Pettit

Former Editor–in–Chief: 2022-2023

Institutions – either naturally or purposefully – resist change. Despite its prestige, the Tennessee Law Review is no different. When I started as Editor-in-Chief, it only took a few weeks to elucidate how an organization with both financial and social capital can be such a stranger to progress: it simply feels easier to not change anything. There are fewer emails to send, smaller to-do lists, and a consistent-if-uninspired workforce all for the small price of maintaining the status quo. Suddenly, the organization is ten years down the road and ten years behind…