Meet Julia Risi '23 Law '25

My name is Julia Risi and I graduated from the ILR School in 2023, although my senior year was not typical. I participated in Cornell’s 3+3 Program, which allowed me to matriculate into Cornell Law School right after my junior year of college. This accelerated program waived the school’s LSAT requirement and allowed my first semester of law school to complete the final credits of my undergraduate degree. At Cornell Law, I am an Associate on Law Review, Vice President of Women’s Law Coalition, and a Lawyering Honors Fellow. Upon graduation, I plan to pursue a career in labor and employment litigation in New York City.

Starting law school a year ahead of schedule was an absolutely amazing experience, especially because I came to the ILR School in 2019 knowing that I wanted to be a lawyer. The unique and specialized curriculum was something that initially drew me to ILR; it truly is the study of “work” with classes ranging from law to human resources to statistics to economics. I appreciated that I could take law classes (Writing Seminar in Disability Law was my favorite!) while also exploring other interests and topics.

I explored my interest in law in a few different ways during my time at ILR. I was a Legal Research Assistant and Summer Research Fellow for Professor Esta Bigler, who leads the ILR School’s Outreach Office in NYC. This was the highlight of my ILR experience for a few reasons. First, I was able to gain significant knowledge in local, state, and federal employment law as an undergraduate student, which confirmed my interest in pursuing a career in employment law specifically. Second, I learned valuable legal research skills that are needed to succeed in law school and as an attorney. I am more efficient in conducting research because of the practice I had as a student. Lastly, the mentorship Professor Bigler provided to me was invaluable. In our weekly chats and meetings, she gave me professional and personal advice that has stuck with me years later. It was also really special to connect with an alumna who shared my career interests and was incredibly successful in the field I wanted to go into.

During my time as an ILR student, I also interned at the Wildlife Conservation Society in Human Resources and served as an Editor of the Disability Studies Journal. I was also a member of a pre-law fraternity, member of the Undergraduate Law & Society Review, and blog writer for a women’s organization on campus. As a minor in Law & Society, I had the opportunity to take classes taught by law school faculty ranging from Constitutional Politics of the Supreme Court to Psychology and Law, which allowed me to form relationships with professors and gain knowledge outside of employment law. Overall, ILR allowed me to explore my passion in law both within and outside of the major, which is something I really appreciated.

I grew to love ILR because of the people I met and overwhelmingly positive experiences we shared, even in the midst of the COVID lockdown and virtual learning. My time at ILR is something I will always cherish and I am so grateful for the amazing three years I had.