WCMJ Extra: From Journalism to Law School with Case By Case's Alexandra Cardinale

"When I realized there was an entire field called First Amendment litigation, I swear to you, I could almost hear the gears click in my head."

Welcome to the very first edition of West Coast Media Jobs Extra! I have several series of posts and Q&As with great journalists planned for this section.

We’ll start with the From Journalism to… series. We’re all here because we have a passion for journalism, but sometimes, life takes us in different directions. This series speaks with experienced journalists who are moving on to another industry — and finds out how their valuable journalism skills are helping them do it. This month, I have two Q&As with journalists who are studying to go into two different fields.

First up: I spoke with Journalist Alexandra Cardinale, the managing editor of the fantastic Case By Case newsletter, who is headed to law school in a few short weeks! Case By Case offers free, thorough pitches for journalists — something I wish existed when I was a freelancer!

Alex knows a great pitch when she sees one. She has worked as a political writer for Mic, and a senior producer for Vox, The Wall Street Journal, and Freethink. Below, she answered a few questions for me all about going from journalism to law, as well as Case By Case.

What was the moment that led you to realize you wanted to switch gears and pursue law?

A few months into working at the Wall Street Journal, I began to realize something startling... I wasn't jealous of my bosses anymore.

Of course, I adored the thrill and the chase of a great story, but at a certain point, I realized that most of my bosses simply did managerial work, not investigative research. That was a problem. I felt like I was peaking at 25 and that I had no clear direction for career advancement that excited me.

So I began to earnestly research law school––an idea I had flirted with since undergrad. I believed it could (1) fulfill my desire to do investigative research and advocacy and (2) have direct and positive impact on media––something I personally felt so connected to.

When I realized there was an entire field called First Amendment litigation, I swear to you, I could almost hear the gears click in my head.

I could be someone who protects journalists from unscrupulous actors who try to silence them (think Theranos suing John Carreyrou for exposing the company), all while staying involved in media and pursuing an exciting intellectual challenge from a new angle. Plus, it doesn't hurt that I'd get paid more too (Because man, journalism can be a rough business financially).

With this new clarity and downtime due to COVID, I took my exams, collected my applications, and was ultimately accepted to a competitive school with a sizable scholarship. My first steps as a journalist-turned-law-student begin in less than 2 weeks! 

How did Case By Case come about during your transition from journalism to law?

The real answer? I spent half a decade working these journalistic muscles––particularly my ability to sniff out a great story. I don't want to lose my edge!

In the event that I want to transition back into journalism one day, or more realistically, want to stay a lawyer and also be a journalist, then I need to make sure those muscles don't get out of shape.

Case By Case is simultaneously the arena where I keep my pitching skills sharp and I can support other journalists by saying "Hey. Here's a great pitch. I can't do it right now, but you should. Take it. No strings attached."

How do you hope Case By Case continues to grow? What are your main goals for the newsletter?

Our biggest goal will always be that people could take something useful from each edition––whether that be taking the pitch itself, finding something great in the job postings, or even just investigating their own idea that was inspired by the pitch. 

Seriously. There is nothing quite like seeing someone say "Look! I got this pitch published!" from our newsletter. My favorite part of my day is being able to congratulate them on a job well done.

And yes, I certainly hope we get enough subscribers to make this a fully sustainable venture. But I also recognize that this is a labor of love––a project I pursue with no purpose other than the intellectual challenge it provides. Anything else that comes out of this is brownie points. 

What are you looking forward to the most about heading to law school?

Finding my law school posse! Ha! Law school can seem akin to a type of long-term trauma, and great friendships are forged in the trenches together!

When you filled out your application for law school, which journalism skills did you find applicable to law?

I would bet that most people say writing since there are so many essays when it comes to the application process.

But I think research is the most overlooked skill.

So much of applying to law school is somehow simultaneously a black box and a firehose of information, so it's easy to be overwhelmed and lose your footing in some spiral of anxiety. Having good research skills do two things for you: (1) They help you validate high-quality information and (2) help you keep track of information as it evolves over time. Particularly in the year of COVID, that was a critical skill. 

Thanks to my time as a journalist, all this came second nature.

What advice do you have for journalists who might be looking to change gears and are considering law?

You're a journalist, so use those skills!

(1) Talk to people: Call them. Buy them coffee. Ask all the questions. Ask what you think are very stupid questions. Ask them what questions you forgot to ask them. Consider these people as your sources for the story of your would-be-life-in-law.

(2) Answer one question well, not a million questions poorly: That means you should find a direction to focus your energy, research, and ultimately, your academics. Sure, you may very well end up changing what you want to do, but the law is incredibly broad. Just like in journalism, you don't just tell people you're a "writer," but you find your niche i.e. video journalist, crime beat reporter, investigative podcaster, etc. Do the same thing as a would-be lawyer.

(3) Anyone can do it: Don't psych yourself out. Just because you didn't do a "pre-law" track in undergrad (which don't really exist anyways), or were a math major or a bio major or a poetry major, doesn't mean you can't be a phenomenal lawyer. Law school teaches you law. Practice makes you a lawyer. Everything you've done until then is just brownie points.

You can find Alex on Twitter at @AlexC_Journals, on the internet at alexcardinale.com, and on Substack at Case By Case.

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Next week…

There will a Q&A with a familiar face to WCMJ subscribers who is going from journalism…to teaching. I didn’t plan this “Back to School” theme, but let’s go with it.

And after that, yes, there will be other kinds of content! This section is just getting started and I hope you’ll stick around 😃.