What do law school journals do?

Asked by: Prof. Imani Ratke  |  Last update: December 22, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (35 votes)

A journal is a student-run organization that selects, edits, and publishes legal scholarship written by scholars and practitioners.

How important is a journal in law school?

Being a member of Law Review is seen as a high honor for law students, and a coveted credential that is looked for by future employers. Private and public interest law firms often expect to see journal membership on your resumé, and judicial clerkships practically require it.

What do you do on a law journal?

Members of law journals are expected to complete tasks like editing and fact-checking articles, writing publishable notes, reviewing submissions and planning events. The benefits of membership in a law review may include networking, intellectual stimulation and help securing a job after law school.

What is the difference between a law review and a journal?

Law journals typically publish legal scholarship around a particular subject, while a law review is a general-subject journal and publishes legal articles of all kinds.

How many law journals does Harvard have?

The Harvard Law School is the home of more than a dozen student-edited journals. The HLS Journals keeps the conversation going by letting anyone around the world take part in the legal conversations sparked by student-edited journals.

What Law School is Like (In Five Minutes)

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How hard is it to make a law review?

There's a lot of editing that goes into a law review. It is a fairly big time commitment. Schools have moved to a system where there's often some kind of writing competition that typically takes place at the very end of the first year of law school, and people are selected on the basis of their performance.

How big is the average Harvard law class?

Each class in the three-year JD program has approximately 560 students, which is among the largest of the top 150 ranked law schools in the United States. The first-year class is broken into seven sections of approximately 80 students, who take most first-year classes together.

What is a flagship law journal?

Student-Edited Journals

Law schools typically have a general-interest (or "flagship") law review (e.g., Washington Law Review, Seattle University Law Review, Gonzaga Law Review) that publishes articles on a wide range of topics.

Does every law school have a law review?

Most law schools have at least one law review or journal, and some house several different legal publications. While law reviews tend to have a broader focus, other law school journals tend to focus on specific areas of law, such as bankruptcy, international law, or intellectual property.

Can judges write law review articles?

As previously discussed, Canon 4B expressly permits a judge to write about legal and non-legal topics, subject to the requirements of the Code.

What is moot court in law school?

Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument.

How do you write a good law paper?

Structuring Your Paper
  1. Introduction (clear statement of your thesis)
  2. Background information (what is the existing law, if any)
  3. The problem (explain why the status quo doesn't work)
  4. Recommendation for change (what can be done to improve the field and how)
  5. Conclusion (tie back to your thesis)

Is it a big deal to be on law review?

Gaining membership of this journal, with its attached prestige, is held in high regard throughout the discipline, from private practice to public interest. Articles are written by legal academics, professors, judges or practicing lawyers, with a dizzying array of experience and expertise.

How do you get on a law school journal?

The vast majority of students will be invited to join based on two components: their Write-on score (Comment and Production Test) and their Personal Statement. A small portion of students will be invited to join based on a combination of their Write-on score, Personal Statement, and first-year grades.

Do law students write a lot of papers?

In law school, you will be reading and writing a ton.

So you can crush all the course work to come. Rather than essays, you'll be primarily writing case briefs/summaries, which break down and analyze a particular legal case.

Is law school about memorization?

Misconception #1: Law school is all about memorization

While memorization is a part of the process, law school emphasizes critical thinking, analytical skills, and the ability to apply legal principles to real-world scenarios.

What is the hardest year in law school?

Law school is an academic challenge; most students agree the first year (“1L” year) is the most difficult. In part, this is because law school is taught using methods entirely different than the lecture method used in most college classrooms.

What is the fail rate of law school?

The 2023 law school attrition rate was 3.8 percent, varying across demographics and institutions.

Do law schools only see your highest LSAT score?

If you have taken the LSAT multiple times, law schools will generally consider your highest LSAT score. Each law school combines your cumulative GPA with your LSAT score to come up with an index score.

What is considered a top tier journal?

Quartiles. Journals are also categorised into four quartiles: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4. Journals in Q1 and Q2 are considered top-tier journals while the lower-tier journals are classified as Q3 and Q4. Q1 and Q2 journals have a higher impact factor than Q3 and Q4 ranked journals.

What is the Bluebook rule for law journal?

The proper bluebook citation for nonconsecutively paginated journals and magazines is: author, title of work (in italics), periodical name (in small caps), date of issue as it is on the cover, the word at, first page of the work.

What is the point of a law journal?

A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also provide a scholarly analysis of emerging legal concepts from various topics.

What did Elle Woods get on her LSAT?

Elle Woods, a fictional character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, is known for her remarkable LSAT score—179 out of 180. Portrayed as a stereotypical "valley girl," she embarks on a journey to Harvard Law School in the movie that has since become a cult favorite.

What is the hardest law school in the USA?

1. Yale University. With an acceptance rate of just 6.9%, it's no wonder that Yale is the hardest law school to get into. Only around 1 in 15 of their highly qualified applicants makes it through.

Is A 3.7 good enough for law school?

Here, an average GPA in the range of 3.5 to 3.7 is more common. Less competitive law schools may admit students with lower GPAs, often around 3.0 to 3.4 or even lower. These schools may prioritize other factors like diversity and unique experiences over strict academic metrics.