Meet a Colleague: Allison Weiss Allison Wexler Weiss teaches legal writing and prison law.

By Law Communications
March 21, 2023

Allison Wexler Weiss teaches legal writing and prison law. She started teaching at W&L Law in 2018. Allison grew up in Columbia, Maryland, went to college in Massachusetts, attended law school in New York City, and has lived in many other locations. She is now happily settled in Roanoke, Virginia, with her husband, Rick, and sons, Max and Asher.    

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus?
The Law School patio. I love to sit outside on a beautiful day and chat with students, and also watch all of the dogs come and go!

Q. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
I love to travel with my family. A recent, very memorable trip that we took was to Morocco and Spain.

Q. Book/Podcast/TV Show Recommendation?
Books: The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy; The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead; The House on Mango Street, & Sandra Cisneros
Podcasts: Strict Scrutiny, More Perfect, & In the Dark (Season 2 Curtis Flowers)
Television Shows: Derry Girls, Ted Lasso, & The Mandalorian

Q. What courses are you teaching this semester?
Legal Writing and the Rights of Prisoners Practicum.

Q. Who/What inspired you to teach?
Right after college I spent a year in Japan teaching English, and I realized I loved it. I also had a number of law school professors who were really inspiring and made me think about teaching law school. Stewart Sterk brought Property to life, a subject in which I had no interest. He made me realize that an amazing professor can make any subject fascinating.

Q. If you could have coffee or tea with one person, who would it be and why?
Neil deGrasse Tyson. I love thinking about space and time, although I don’t understand astrophysics at all. I think it would be fun and illuminating to chat with him about where we fit in the universe and beyond.

Q. What is an accomplishment you are proud of?
I am proud of the work I did as a staff attorney in the Western District of Virginia for pro se prisoners following the Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v. United States from 2015. I played an active role in helping judges review and consider habeas petitions from incarcerated individuals who were challenging their armed career criminal status. The work was interesting and resulted in the release of a number of incarcerated individuals.

Q. Favorite food/restaurant/drink?
In Roanoke (come on down!) my favorite restaurants are Sidecar and Bloom. My favorite food is Mediterranean. My favorite drink is coffee.

Q. Most used/enjoyable app on your phone?
NYTimes Games- Crossword puzzle, Spelling Bee, Wordle, Sudoku;
Whatsapp–I love hearing from family and friends near and far;
Podcasts/Spotify–I spend a lot of time in my car driving up and down 81.

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