Lauren Weaver ’27

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Lauren Weaver’s legal education has taken her from zoning research at a small firm to government practice and a summer exploring business, real estate and litigation at Barley Snyder.

Each experience has helped her make a more informed decision about the work she wants to pursue. Now a third-year student holding one of the top two spots in her class at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, Weaver will return to Barley Snyder after graduation in 2027.

She’s particularly interested in real estate and business law, though watching attorneys prepare and litigate cases has broadened her view of what her practice could include.

“I would rather focus on areas of law that I enjoy, and then doing whatever comes along with that,” Weaver said.

At Barley Snyder, she worked with different attorneys across several practice areas. Attending depositions and hearings gave her a closer look at the strategy behind litigation, including the preparation and decisions that happen outside the courtroom.

She enjoyed seeing attorneys consider their next move and work through how best to advance a matter. The experience left her open to both transactional work and litigation as she develops her interests.

Her first summer position, at a small firm in Lititz, introduced her to zoning research. Later, when similar issues appeared in coursework and other assignments, she recognized how much she had already learned.

The experience gave her an appreciation for the procedural details that make zoning a distinct area of practice and one she could see herself exploring further.

A subsequent placement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection offered a different perspective. Moving from a small firm to a government setting exposed her to another pace and type of legal work, helping clarify her interest in private practice.

Back on campus, Weaver has built an equally varied set of responsibilities through law review, academic support and student outreach.

Her law review comment on compensation in college athletics was selected for publication. A former Lebanon Valley College soccer player, she chose a subject that connected her interest in sports with legal questions about how college athletes are paid.

The topic sustained her interest through a lengthy research, writing and editing process alongside her second-year coursework.

“I’m happy that I wrote about that, because that’s something I really enjoy,” she said.

Now serving on the law review board, Weaver works with associate staff members as they develop their own comments. Having completed the process herself, she understands the attention and persistence those projects require.

She also serves as an academic success fellow for Assistant Dean of Students Randi Teplitz’s legal methods course. Weaver considers the class foundational because its writing and analytical skills carry into other courses and exam preparation.

“She just approaches teaching and her relationships with students in a really great way,” Weaver said of Teplitz. “Her class was just a really comfortable place to learn.”

Returning to help teach the material has reinforced Weaver’s own understanding. The smaller class also allows her to develop relationships with students that continue after the semester ends.

“There are a couple of students from last year that were in my legal methods section that I still talk to every time I see them,” she said.

Those ongoing connections have helped her recognize how much she enjoys mentoring. As a student ambassador, she also gives tours and assists with events, sharing her experience with people considering their own legal education.

A Lancaster County native, Weaver first became interested in law during an advanced placement government and politics course in high school. She went on to study political science at Lebanon Valley College before choosing Widener Law Commonwealth, where financial support and the ability to commute from home helped make the decision.

Throughout law school, she has focused on developing a routine that works for her. She studies in shorter stretches with breaks and encourages students to find their own effective habits rather than judge their preparation against someone else’s.

“You have to figure out what works for you,” she said.

As she prepares to enter practice, Weaver is eager to learn from the attorneys at Barley Snyder. She also looks forward to the point when she can help newer attorneys develop their skills, just as others have helped her.

“I’ve learned how important mentorship is in this field,” she said. “You learn so much from the people around you.”

Interview was conducted in Fall 2026.