Staff

JURIST’s Deputy Executive Editor is Rebekah Yeager-Malkin (she/they). Rebekah is currently a third-year law student at University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US) and has been on staff at JURIST for two years. They have worked across the JURIST service, writing and editing Commentary and News, previously serving as the Commentary Co-Managing Editor. She is passionate about Elder Law and Family Law and hopes to work with families to navigate the difficult legal waters that come up throughout their lives.

JURIST’s News Managing Editor is Lauren Ban (she/her). Lauren is a current third-year student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US). She first joined JURIST in the fall of 2021 as a News writer. Last year, Lauren served as US Bureau Chief before moving into her current role as News Managing Editor. After graduating from law school in the spring of 2024, Lauren hopes to pursue her interest in journalism.

JURIST’s Deputy News Managing Editor is Lou Kettering (he/him). Lou is currently a third-year law student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US) and has been on staff at JURIST for over a year. At JURIST, Lou had been writing and editing for News before being appointed Deputy News Managing Editor. Lou is interested in tax law and hopes to work in estate planning after graduation.

JURIST’s Commentary Managing Editor is Hayley Behal (she/her). Hayley is a third-year student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US). She has been on staff at JURIST for two years and is beginning her second year as Commentary Managing Editor. Prior to entering law school, she worked in journalism and publishing and hopes to return to those industries soon, practicing at the intersection of media, intellectual property, and First Amendment law.

JURIST’s Features Managing Editor is Jaimee Francis (she/her/hers). Jaimee is currently a third-year student at Boston University School of Law (US). She has been on the Features team since joining JURIST in 2022. She formerly served as the Features Editor of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s student newspaper. She would like to start an art blog.

JURIST’s Deputy Features Managing Editor is Madeline Bruce. She is a 2L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US). Madeline joined JURIST in the fall of 2022 as a News writer before moving over to Features. Currently, she works as a legislative intern in Pittsburgh’s City Council and hopes to pursue her passion for social justice after law school.

JURIST’s Dispatches Managing Editor is Samar Veer (he/him). Samar is a third-year student at National Law University, Delhi (IN). He has been a part of JURIST since July 2022 and had a brief stint in News writing before joining Dispatches as a Correspondent. He was promoted to Dispatches Managing Editor in 2023. Samar is interested in corporate law, and plans to work as a corporate dispute resolution attorney upon graduating.

JURIST’s Social Media Managing Editor is Samantha Smith. Samantha is currently a third-year student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US). She has been on JURIST staff for two years, initially working as a News writer before transitioning to the Social Media team. Samantha has always had a passion for music and the arts, and hopes that through both corporate and nonprofit work, she can help provide stability and protection to music and arts organizations.

JURIST’s Deputy Social Media Managing Editor is Christine Kamusiime. She is a fourth-year student at the Makerere University School of Law (UG). Working with JURIST has been one of Christine’s favorite learning and engaging experiences and she is grateful to be making two years with the organization. She is a writer and editor, and she also has an interest in International Law and Human Rights. Christine hopes to engage more in fighting for children’s rights and promoting the rule of law in her area and around the world.

JURIST’s Africa Bureau Chief is Natasha Kahungi. She is a third-year student at the University of Nairobi School of Law (KE).

JURIST’s Australia/New Zealand Bureau Chief is Sophia Richards. She is a fourth-year student at the University of Newcastle Law School (AU). Sophia joined JURIST in October 2022 as a News writer before becoming an editor and Bureau Chief. She has a passion for Constitutional Law, Rule of Law advocacy, and judicial independence.

JURIST’s Mainland China Bureau Chief is Nolan Zhu. Nolan is an LLM student at Northwestern Pritzker Law School (US). His professional forte lies in compliance, focusing on national security, economic sanctions, export control and human rights. Previously, he served as legal counsel for a top e-commerce company in China and practiced as a lawyer in Beijing. He has a passion for cross-issues within international politics, compliance and business.

JURIST’s Europe Bureau Chief is Ciara Dinneny. She is a trainee at the Law Society of Ireland.

JURIST’s Hong Kong Bureau Chief is Derren Chan. Derren is a third-year student at the University of Hong Kong (HK).

JURIST’s Deputy Hong Kong Bureau Chief is Ashley Wong. Ashley is a second-year student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law (HK).

JURIST’s South Asia Bureau Chief is Vedant Jha (he/him). Vedant is a second-year law student at the National Law University, Delhi (IN). He joined the JURIST family in December 2022 as part of the India internship program. He is passionate about constitutional law and criminal justice reform and also has a knack for mooting. He is committed to aiding underprivileged children in their learning process for qualifying law entrance tests. In his professional career, he aspires to be involved in policymaking and litigation.

JURIST’s UK Bureau Chief is Aimee Woodmass (she/her). Aimee is currently a third-year law student at Newcastle University (GB) and has been on the staff at JURIST since September 2022. This year she is continuing her role as a News writer and UK Bureau Chief. In the future, Aimee hopes to pursue her interests in family law and employment law.

JURIST’s US Bureau Chief is JP Leskovich (he/him). JP is a second-year student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US) and has been on JURIST’s staff for one year. JP has contributed to JURIST’s News, Dispatches, and Commentary content. As a Pennsylvania Correspondent during the 2022 US midterm elections, he reported on voting rights issues and testified to the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee about election reform. JP is passionate about democracy and human rights and hopes to pursue a career in public interest law.

JURIST’s Africa Chief of Staff is Cynthia Shihemi (she/her). Cynthia is a third-year law student at Strathmore University (KE). She is passionate about legal aid to underprivileged communities and hopes to incorporate pro-bono legal aid alongside her other future endeavours.

JURIST’s Canada Chief of Staff is Mélanie Cantin (she/her). Mélanie is a third-year law student at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (CA) and has been with JURIST since February 2022. She has been on the Dispatches team from the start and ascended to the Chief Correspondent for Canada position in July 2022. She has also made contributions to JURIST’s Explainer and Interview content. Mélanie is passionate about criminal, constitutional, and family law.

JURIST’s Mainland China Chief of Staff is Yuxin Nie. Yuxin is a first-year student at Wuhan University (CN).

JURIST’s Europe Chief of Staff is Conor Courtney. He is a trainee at the Law Society of Ireland and holds a BA in English Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an LLB from Dublin Business School. Before studying at the Law Society of Ireland, he obtained a Masters in International Commercial Law from University College London. Conor is passionate about human rights issues and has an interest in topics affecting freedom of speech, arbitrary detention, and discrimination.

JURIST’s Hong Kong Chief of Staff is Jingwen Liu. Jingwen is a PhD student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law (HK).

JURIST’s South Asia Chief of Staff is Ananya Upadhya (she/her). Ananya is a fourth-year law student of B.A. LL.B. (Honours) at the National Law University, Delhi (IN). She has a keen interest in constitutional law, tech law, legal history, feminism and legal journalism, and hopes to build a career as an academic. Outside of law, she is also interested in quizzing, modern history and exploring cuisines.

JURIST’s UK Chief of Staff is Elisabeth Driscoll. Elisabeth (Libs) is a second-year LLB student at the University of Bristol (GB). After joining the staff in December 2022, she became the UK Chief of Staff in May. She is passionate about a variety of legal sectors, particularly human rights law and the politics of lawmaking and enforcement. After her 2025 graduation, Libs would like to continue to pursue her interest in legal journalism alongside qualifying as a barrister.

JURIST’s US Chief of Staff is Elizabeth Haigh (she/her). Elizabeth is currently a second-year student at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Law (US) and has been working with JURIST for a year. She has worked with JURIST primarily as a News Associate Editor and has done a select few Features pieces as well. Elizabeth’s main goal is to work in criminal law in order to address deficiencies and enact change within the American criminal legal system.

JURIST’s Chief of Staff for Correspondents is Aynsley Genga. She is a third-year student at the University of Nairobi School of Law (KE).

JURIST’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Correspondents is Vedika Chawla (she/her). Vedika is currently a third-year student at National Law University, Delhi (IN) and has been a member of the JURIST staff for about a year. She started off on the News team and soon shifted to Dispatches before becoming the Deputy Chief of Staff for Correspondents. Vedika takes interest in a wide range of subjects including criminal law, intellectual property and dispute resolution, and plans to explore various areas of law as a student.

JURIST’s Senior Editor (UK) is James Joseph (he/him). James has just completed his Master’s in politics and international law from Keele University School of Law in the UK and has been a staff correspondent for JURIST for one year. AS JURIST’s Senior Editor (UK), James writes News and Commentary in addition to editing News pieces. James also provides secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hazara in the UK Parliament and will start his PhD in the fall.

JURIST’s Senior Editor (US) is Marissa Zupancic. Marissa is a 3L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (US), where she was awarded for excellence in administrative law. Prior to law school, Marissa graduated from American University in Washington, DC, where she studied literature and political science with a concentration in policy. She is also a summer legal intern for Woods Law Offices where she will complete legal research and writing pertaining to the Pennsylvania Post Conviction Relief Act.

JURIST’s Community Engagement Coordinator is Naveera Perera. Naveera is an LLB (Hons) graduate from the University of London, currently writing for her bar exams in Sri Lanka. She has been with JURIST for almost a year, starting as a Correspondent and then becoming a Senior Correspondent. She aspires to one day become a lawyer or researcher in the fields of Human Rights, Criminal law or International law, hoping to actively work on helping individuals be treated fairly under the legal system.

Bernard Hibbitts is JURIST’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief and a Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. A Canadian Rhodes Scholar born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he studied law at Oxford University, Dalhousie Law School, the University of Toronto, and finally Harvard Law School (LLM 1988). He is a former law clerk to Justice Gerald LeDain of the Supreme Court of Canada. He created the site that became JURIST in 1996.