Paige Weaver and Lauren Weaver share a last name, the top two spots in their law school class, and a friendship that has changed what success means to them.
Paige Weaver and Lauren Weaver are close enough in the class standings that either could finish as valedictorian. Ask Paige who she hopes gets the honor, and she’ll tell you: Lauren. For her part, Lauren says she’ll be proud of whoever earns the distinction, especially if it’s Paige.
The third-year students, who are unrelated, hold the top two academic spots at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, where a shared last name put them in the same orientation group, and a first-year classroom seat became the start of a close friendship. As they work toward graduation in 2027, both say having each other has mattered far more than which name appears first on the class ranking.
“Neither of us, I don’t think, would be near the top without the other,” Paige said.
Lauren sees it much the same way.
“Whoever’s up there, I’m going to be super proud, especially if it’s Paige,” she said.
Spend an hour talking with them, and it’s easy to see why. Before answering a question about their shared experiences, Paige sometimes pauses to tell Lauren, “I don’t want to speak on your behalf.” They offer each other the chance to answer first, listen closely, and often find that one has said what the other was thinking.
While they aren’t related, they’ve had to produce family photos to convince some classmates who assumed otherwise. Both grew up in Lancaster County, arrived without an attorney in their immediate families, and enrolled with a straightforward goal: Do their best.
Neither came to law school with a plan to become No. 1.
During orientation, Lauren introduced herself first. When Paige followed with the same last name and home county, Lauren took notice. They started talking, landed in the same first-year section, and sat beside each other in class.
Their schedules overlapped again in legal methods, a smaller class taught by Assistant Dean of Students Randi Teplitz. Lauren remembers it as a comfortable place to learn, where Teplitz got to know students early and helped them build connections.
They’ve taken many of the same courses since, though their schedules haven’t always matched. After their first semester, discovering how close they were academically gave them another experience in common. Each understood the effort behind the other’s grades.
For all their similarities, they don’t study together. They sometimes compare outlines to check that they’ve covered the material, then prepare separately. Both believe students need to find what works for them rather than measure their routines against someone else’s.
What they do share is someone to turn to who understands the demands of law school. For Paige, that has included a friend who can help calm her before finals. For Lauren, it has meant having someone whose approach to school feels familiar and who wants her to succeed.
Fellow third-year student Alex Zakucia helps put things in perspective, too.
Asked who else had made a difference in her legal education, Paige couldn’t resist teasing him.
“I would say Alex, unfortunately.”
She and Lauren are planners who like a schedule. Zakucia brings a more relaxed approach, helping them step back when they need it.
“He has helped us not only academically, but just also in life, like, chill out a little more,” Paige said.
His mother had been a district attorney, giving him a familiarity with the profession that both women valued as they began finding their own way into it. Lauren said he’s had a significant influence on them both.
For Paige, meeting Lauren and Alex has become one of the most meaningful parts of her decision to attend Widener.
“You do find your people here,” she said. “I just didn’t expect it would be literally at orientation.”
The friendship soon extended beyond school. Lauren knew Paige was getting married and hoped she would be invited. Then, during the summer after their first year, Paige told her she would be in the wedding.
Lauren hadn’t realized Paige had already decided that.
By the time Paige married this past summer, the classmate she’d met at orientation was standing beside her.
“I don’t really see her as a law school friend anymore,” Paige said. “She’s just literally my best friend.”
Lauren visits Paige’s family to play games, and Paige’s husband has learned that when Paige is texting, there’s a good chance Lauren is on the other end. Their families have come to celebrate both women’s accomplishments.
“My parents are proud of you, too,” Lauren told Paige during the interview.
On campus, some classmates have needed convincing that the two Weavers aren’t sisters. At a Law Review gathering, someone asked how far apart in age they were. Paige’s answer, six months, puzzled people who had assumed they were related.
Eventually, they pulled out pictures of their respective families to settle the question.
Their shared experiences include a substantial list of accomplishments. Paige has earned seven CALI Awards, which recognize the highest-scoring student in a law school course, and Lauren has earned six. Both serve on the Law Review board, work as academic success fellows, and help welcome prospective students as student ambassadors.
They’ve also brought their undergraduate interests into their scholarship. Paige, a psychology graduate of Susquehanna University, wrote her Law Review comment about mental health questions in bar admissions. Lauren, who studied political science and played soccer at Lebanon Valley College, examined name, image, and likeness deals in college sports. Both had their comments selected for publication.
Jobs are lined up after graduation. Paige plans to join Pillar + Aught, where she worked this past summer, and Lauren will return to Barley Snyder, where she already has internship experience.
Paige is interested in transactional work, including banking, bankruptcy and contracts, while welcoming the chance to explore different areas at a smaller firm. She credits the school’s on-campus interview program and Assistant Dean of Career Development Nicole Antos with helping connect her to the opportunity.
Lauren’s summer at Barley Snyder strengthened her interest in real estate and business law. Attending hearings and a deposition also gave her an appreciation for the strategy behind litigation. She’s looking forward to learning from attorneys at the firm and, eventually, mentoring newer lawyers herself.
There are still courses to finish and a bar exam ahead. Speaking at commencement as valedictorian would be an honor, Lauren said, but she already has plenty of reasons to be proud of what she and her classmates have accomplished.
Paige knows how much work Lauren has put into getting this far. That makes it easy to picture herself cheering from the audience.
“I would probably be more proud if Lauren was up there,” she said.
For Lauren, the support they’ve given each other explains how they reached this point.
“The people that you surround yourself with are super important,” she said. “Especially with something as grueling as law school, it’s important to have a support system.”
“Really glad that I have this one,” she added.
