Document Type
Pamphlet
Publication Date
6-10-2025
Abstract
Radical Commons is a student-published zine that seeks to create a platform for left-leaning art and writing about law school and the legal field. RadCo is non-academic by design, promoting creative expression, rejecting professionalism, and celebrating the beauty of honest imperfection.
Above all, RadCo gives students the opportunity to publicly voice dissent against the hyper-conservative principles that make up the heart of the U.S. legal system.
Law school demands perfection, tying every action to our character and holding our failures against us. Challenging the status quo can lead to humiliation in the classroom, conflict with peers, and lost opportunities with employers. One of this publication’s biggest challenges is finding a way to counteract fears created by such an environment. Allowing people to submit anonymously plays a big role in lifting outside pressure. That said, the greatest obstacles to submitting often come from our personal insecurities. That’s why I want to send out a big “thank you” to everyone who chose to submit. You took a risk, you trusted that your voice matters, and you made this project possible.
Of course, RadCo’s goal isn’t just to shout into the void. The ultimate mission is to help students cultivate radical thought to the point where they can feel confident enough to take action. Discourse has value, but it means nothing if it is not backed up by efforts to organize – a task that might seem impossible amidst the chaos of law school.
I hope readers will approach this material with an open heart. The central mission may be anti-corporate, but the content is intended for everyone in the student body regardless of their future career path. At this point in our lives, we are all students, and we are at our most powerful when united for a common cause.
Recommended Citation
Radical Commons, "Radical Commons Issue #3 Summer 2025" (2025). Miscellaneous Student Publications. 8.
https://repository.law.umich.edu/misc_student_pubs/8