Maxwell Hanamirian ’15 has always had a passion for history, stemming from his Middle School class with Mark Stephens 1760. That passion, along with one for law fueled by his family, has ultimately led Hanamirian to the German Law Journal, where he recently wrapped his tenure as Lead Executive Editor after graduating from Washington and Lee University School of Law. 

The German Law Journal is an open access, peer reviewed forum for transnational and interdisciplinary encounters with German, European, and international law. It is among the world’s leading academic forums concerned with transnational law and is the leading law journal of its kind, of any subject matter; the second-ranked journal of any format covering European law; and the leading German-based law journal (online or in print). Google Scholar Metrics rank the German Law Journal third in the category “European Law” and tenth in the category “International Law.”

“My exposure to international law during my first year of law school, coupled with my interest in international events as a whole drove me to be a part of this mission,” said Hanamirian.

In his time with the journal, Hanamirian worked as a junior editor where he would propose edits for substance, style, and language, and modify citations. After the end of his second year in college, he wanted to grow more in his role, so he applied to be on the Upper Board of the journal and was selected as Lead Executive Editor. In that position, Hanamirian was editing articles and adding the finishing touches. He also worked with the journal’s European counterparts, including Cambridge, and said that working on a project so expansive is “really eye-opening.”

“It was a great honor to be a part of the team,” Hanamirian said. “There's so much that goes on in the world, outside of what I sometimes view as my little bubble, and it can be easy to focus on law school and nothing else. German Law Journal was such an amazing experience and an amazing part of my time in law school, because it allowed me to understand the events that go on across the world and help other scholars.”

Hanamirian has accepted a position with Saul Ewing LLP in Philadelphia in its Bankruptcy and Restructuring practice, a field in which he gained experience during his third year of college. Right now, however, his focus is on studying for the bar examination at the end of July. He added that while studying for the bar has not been the most enjoyable process, it has been easier thanks to study habits he picked up at GA.