Research Assistants

The Law Library supports the research needs of the W&L Law faculty and administration with the help of Andrew W. McThenia Faculty Research Assistants (RAs), second- and third-year law students that provide curated research support for scholarly activities and projects.

The RAs assist with projects of varying scope and duration, and may be assigned to work with any full-time faculty or administration member in need of support during the academic year or summer. Projects assigned to the RAs usually require 20 hours or less of research time, typically for no more than 10 hours per week. Our law librarians strive to pair RAs with projects and professors that are a good fit for their interests and ambitions, and collaborate with the faculty member and RAs to ensure timely, high-quality work product.

W&L Law faculty or administrators in need of research assistance, as well as students interested in serving as RAs, should contact librarian Kerry Shibib at KShibib@wlu.edu. Opportunities for RA positions may also appear on SCORE, maintained by the Office of Career Strategy. As with other student jobs at the Law School, RAs are paid at an hourly rate for their work.

Funding for the McThenia RA program is generously provided through the Frances Lewis Law Center. The program is named in honor of Andrew W. "Uncas" McThenia, Professor of Law, Emeritus at W&L Law.

2025-2026 McThenia Research Assistants

Sophia Russo - Sophia is a second-year law student from Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and History. Prior to law school, she worked as a paralegal at McGuireWoods in Richmond. Sophia spent her 1L summer working for the Honorable Robert Ballou in the Western District of Virginia. She currently serves as a staff-writer for the Washington and Lee Law Review. During her 2L summer, she worked at Seward & Kissel in New York.

Chloe Sin - Chloe is a third-year law student from Fairfax, Virginia. She graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Prior to law school, Chloe interned for Cetrulo LLP and WimerHale in Boston, Massachusetts and worked as a paralegal at a boutique IP patent prosecution firm in McLean, Virginia. At Washington & Lee, she currently serves as Symposium Editor for the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice, President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, Treasurer of the American Constitution Society, and is a Law Ambassador. During her 1L summer, Chloe interned for a boutique family law firm in Wilmington, North Carolina and the Chesapeake Circuit Court in Virginia. During her 2L summer, she interned for Corpay's Legal In-House Department.