Honoring JURIST’s Publisher Emeritus: Finding Purpose Through Global Legal Coverage Commentary
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Honoring JURIST’s Publisher Emeritus: Finding Purpose Through Global Legal Coverage
Edited by: Ingrid Burke Friedman | JURIST Editorial Director

In 1996, when Professor Bernard Hibbitts first established JURIST, few could have foreseen the impact the project would have. Whether measured in terms of the individual lives it has touched, its global reach, or the impressions it has left on the landscape of online legal news coverage, JURIST’s role cannot be overstated.

What began as a modest online repository for legal scholarship evolved under Professor Hibbitts’ visionary leadership into a groundbreaking service that revolutionized how legal news reaches the public. Through his innovative approach of empowering law students as reporters and editors, he created a unique educational model that has trained generations of legal professionals while delivering accessible, authoritative coverage of rule-of-law issues to millions of readers worldwide. Upon his retirement in December 2024, after nearly three decades of service, his legacy endures in JURIST’s continued commitment to bridging the gap between legal academia and public understanding, fostering transparency and justice across borders. 

A festschrift is a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar, traditionally during their lifetime. This digital festschrift for Professor Hibbitts will grow organically through regular contributions published several times weekly. All entries will be permanently archived and indexed on a dedicated section of JURIST’s website, creating a living testament to his transformative vision and lasting impact on legal journalism and education. This is the third entry in this ongoing series.

I stumbled into law school after four years of studying existential phenomenology just down the road at Duquesne University. I loved the amorphism of what was essentially a philosophy degree, but it was painfully obvious that it wasn’t going to be much of a moneymaker in terms of a career — not unless I wanted to go to med school and become a practicing psychiatrist. As my senior year approached, and I had to make a choice about what to do next with my life, my father (who was an industrial engineer who always wanted to be a lawyer) whispered in my ear that going to law school would “open many doors” to me. Being a lawyer was possibly the last thing on my list. Yes, I was a frequent and skilled arguer, but did I want to do that in a public court for the rest of my life? No. But still, I didn’t have a viable alternative, so I took the LSAT, applied to a few law schools, and found myself at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law as a 1L.

To say that law school — and especially my 1L year — was traumatic is an understatement. In fact, I didn’t realize until many years later just how much it scarred me when I realized I didn’t remember half of the people or events of my three years. I managed to escape with some really great friends, some of whom I am close to even now, 20+ years later, but the actual substance of a 1L’s experience of law school was completely lost on me. There was almost nothing about the course load in year one that brought me pleasure. I questioned everything about my life that led to the decision to believe my father about the promise of law school. 

But then I found out about JURIST. At the time, it was under ten years old. I remember Professor Hibbits talking to law students about what it was and soliciting student volunteers. I was intrigued, not just because of what JURIST was and what it wanted to be, but selfishly I was looking for anything to do that wasn’t reading cases from a textbook and waiting in fear to be called on in class. So, I signed up.

My first assignment was the Africa Beat. I was to monitor the AP News feed for any legal developments coming from that continent. This was an entirely new experience for me—learning how to report and not comment, learning the geography of another place, getting to know its leaders and its legal system. It was fascinating, and it lit a fire inside of me that has not extinguished to this day. It spurred me on to take “Comparative Legal Cultures,” “Comparative Commercial Law,” and “International Business Transactions.” That snowballed into choosing an international law focus, and discovering European Union law. From there, I did a summer course on EU law in Brussels, and then I decided to pursue my LL.M. in EU law in London. In London, I applied for an internship in EU law at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, which eventually became my home for 13 years. When I decided to come back to the United States, I did so with an English husband and a second country’s citizenship. I got a job shortly after at the American Society of International Law, where I currently serve as Deputy Executive Director. I successfully made a career of my love of international law. A completely unplanned, yet wholly fulfilling, path. A path that can absolutely be traced back to Bernard Hibbits and his passion and enthusiasm for covering the world’s legal developments. He helped me find a place in the law at a time when I felt completely adrift. I will be endlessly grateful to him for that, and I wish him all the best in what’s to come.

Justine N. Stefanelli is the Deputy Director and Director of Publications and Research at the American Society of International Law. She served as a JURIST student staffer during her studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (2002-2005), and now serves as a member of JURIST’s Board of Directors. In addition to a JD from the University of Pittsburgh, Stefanelli holds a PhD from the Queen Mary University of London, where she examined the role that judicial review plays in safeguarding the liberty of individuals in long-term immigration detention in the EU, UK and US.

Opinions expressed in JURIST Commentary are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JURIST's editors, staff, donors or the University of Pittsburgh.
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