University of Chicago Law Review | Welcome Letter
May 1, 2024
Dear Prospective Members of the Class of 2026:
We are excited to invite you to apply to the University of Chicago Law Review. This letter describes the Law Review, our staff selection process, and staff members’ responsibilities.
The Law Review is a student-run journal of legal scholarship that publishes eight issues per year. We publish articles and book reviews submitted by law professors, judges, and practitioners, as well as Comments written by the Law Review’s student members. The University of Chicago Law Review Online also regularly publishes shorter case notes and essays. In addition to serving as a forum for legal scholarship, the Law Review is committed to providing its staff with valuable training in legal research and writing. Staff members learn a great deal of substantive law by writing Comments and editing scholarship. Members of the Law Review have a unique opportunity to support and select the scholarship shaping the legal profession.
Former members of the Law Review include prominent legal figures such as Judges Danny Boggs, Robert Bork, Frank Easterbrook, Allison Eid, Douglas Ginsburg, James Ho, Michael McConnell, Abner Mikva, Eric Miller, Neomi Rao, Lee Rosenthal, and David Tatel; as well as Senator Amy Klobuchar, Dallin H. Oaks, and Professors Anthony Casey, Marvin Chirelstein, Adam A. Davidson, Ashley Deeks, Daniel Fischel, Lawrence Friedman, Mary Ann Glendon, Todd Henderson, William Hubbard, Anup Malani, Edward Morrison, Randal Picker, Jacqueline Ross, Elizabeth Samuels, Geoffrey Stone, Sonja West, and Stephen Yelderman.
Staff Selection
Transfer students may apply to join the Law Review by participating in the Writing Competition or the Topic Access Program. The Writing Competition is held over the summer and consists of three components: a writing portion, an editing portion, and a short personal statement explaining what the applicant will contribute to the journal. All applicants must complete all three components. The Writing Competition is graded anonymously.
There are two paths to Law Review membership via the Writing Competition. We will select thirty members based on their Writing Competition scores. Writing Competition scores are assigned based on applicants’ performance on the writing portion (50 percent), editing portion (30 percent), and a 500-word personal statement (20 percent). We will select an additional twenty members based on first-year grades. Eligibility to grade-on to the Law Review is contingent upon performance in the Writing Competition. Due to the Law School’s unique grading system, however, transfer students will not be able to grade-on.
Transfer students interested in the Writing Competition should review the transfer webpage to signup for the Competition. The Competition instructions will be sent out by 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, June 1. The Competition itself will begin on Saturday, June 1 at 9 a.m. CT and conclude on Sunday, June 9 at 11:59 p.m. CT. New staff members must be available to attend the Law Review’s summer orientations remotely.
The Law Review also admits new staff members in their second year through the Topic Access Program. Topic Access Program participants are assigned to an editor who guides them through a Comment process that mirrors that of the new staffers. In 2023–24, we welcomed seven staff members from the Topic Access Program. Students who gain membership through the Topic Access Program must complete the same editorial duties described below. Additional details about this program are available on the Law Review’s website.
Staff Responsibilities
Staff members have three main responsibilities: editing pieces selected for publication in the Law Review, helping vet articles for publication, and writing a Comment. Editorial assignments, known as cite checks, entail seven to eight days of work meticulously ensuring the accuracy of each citation in a Comment, Article, or Book Review and editing for style and technical errors. Staff members also help evaluate the novelty and impact a particular Comment or Article might have and contribute to other essential production tasks.
Completing a Comment is a requirement of journal membership. Each Law Review staffer will write an original piece of legal scholarship of about 10,000–13,500 words. Typically, this Comment satisfies the Law School’s Substantial Research Project (SRP) credit, meaning staffers do not have to satisfy this requirement through a separate class. Before writing a Comment, staffers will propose topic ideas, and work with other staffers to analyze topic suggestions and determine if they are suitable for a Comment. After choosing a topic, staffers work with Law Review editors and faculty advisors to draft and revise their Comment through the Fall and Winter Quarters. Several Comments are then selected for publication in the Law Review.
Law Review membership is a two-year commitment for all members, regardless of whether they choose to join the Managing Board. New staff members will receive their first Law Review assignments in July 2024. During their first year of membership, each member will complete their Comment and several cite checks. While journal membership is a substantial time commitment, a staffer’s workload varies based on when they are assigned cite checks, and many staffers participate in student organizations, clinics, and Moot Court. Staff members who do not join the Managing Board will continue to help edit the Law Review during their second year of membership, though their workload will be reduced relative to their first year.
Why All the Work Is Worth It
Law Review members have a unique chance to solve problems in the law; contribute to legal scholarship; and develop critical legal research, writing, and reasoning skills. The Law Review is a rewarding experience for both litigation- and transactional-oriented students: staffer work builds an attention to detail that benefits students regardless of future profession. Members join a long line of alumni who have gone on to pursue wide-ranging careers in academia, private practice, and the public sector.
Most importantly, Law Review is a fantastic opportunity to work with classmates toward a common objective: publishing a renowned journal. The journal is a team, and its members form meaningful connections with one another that outlast their time on Law Review. Additionally, journal work is eligible for three pass/fail credits through the Law School.
We hope you will consider applying. Transfer students can and do succeed on the Writing Competition. Several v91 staffers and v92 Managing Board members joined the Law Review through the Writing Competition as transfer students. Even if you do not have the opportunity to participate in the Writing Competition, transfer students have also had success in the Topic Access Program. Feel free to reach out to any member of the Managing Board with questions about the Law Review.
Sincerely,
The Volume 92 Managing Board:
Karan Lala, Editor-In-Chief
Hannah Zobair, Executive Membership, Diversity & Scholarship Editor
Jonah Klausner, Executive Managing Editor
Daniella Apodaca, Executive Articles Editor
Jean-Luc Belloncle, Articles Editor
Rachel Caldwell, Articles Editor
Anna Hori, Articles Editor
Joshua Kayne Kaufman, Articles Editor
Samuel P. LeRoy, Articles Editor
Noah Del Rio Levine, Articles Editor
George Vojta, Articles Editor
Joshua A. Zuchniarz, Articles Editor
Helen Zhao, Symposium & Reviews Editor
Grant Delaune, Managing Editor
Alyssa Fagel, Managing Editor
Nathan Hensley, Managing Editor
Simone Laverdiere, Managing Editor
Liam Haffey, Executive Online Editor
Tyler Ashman, Online Editor
Samuel S. Hallam, Online Editor
William Horvath, Online Editor
Isabella Huber, Online Editor
Amber Hunter, Online Editor
Elizabeth Walsh, Online Editor
Diego Quesada, Administrative Editor
Jack Brake, Executive Topics & Comments Editor
Rex Lee Dyches, Comments Editor
Eric Lawrence Haupt, Comments Editor
Anne Marie Hawley, Comments Editor
Owen Hoepfner, Comments Editor
Jake Holland, Comments Editor
Jenna Liu, Comments Editor
Maria Sofia Peña, Comments Editor
Andy Z. Wang, Comments Editor
Brian Huang, Topic Access & Recruitment Editor
Katherine Stanton, Topic Access & Recruitment Editor