University of Chicago Law Review | Welcome Letter

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW REVIEW

May 1, 2023

Dear Prospective Members of the Class of 2025:

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. We also regularly publish essays on our website. 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 singular opportunity to support and select the scholarship shaping our 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 9AM CT on Saturday, June 3. The Competition itself will begin on Saturday, June 3 at 9AM CT and conclude on Sunday, June 11 at 11:59PM 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 2022–23, we welcomed six 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 the Law Review, helping vet articles for publication, and writing a Comment. Editorial assignments are known as cite checks. 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.

In addition, completion of a Comment is a requirement of journal membership. During their first year of membership, staff members write Comments with the goal of publication. The Comment process provides staffers with a uniquely well-structured and supportive environment for diving into an area of legal research that interests them. A Comment Editor and a Faculty Advisor with expertise in the relevant topic area provide feedback and guidance through the Comment writing process. Comments are eligible to satisfy the SRP graduation requirement.

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 2023. 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 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 v90 staffers and v91 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 91 Managing Board:

Bethany Ao, Editor-In-Chief
Emilia Porubcin, Executive Membership, Diversity, and Scholarship Editor
Erin A. Yonchak, Executive Managing Editor
Aleena Tariq, Executive Articles Editor
Nathaniel Berry, Articles Editor
Gabrielle Candes, Articles Editor
Claire Haldeman, Articles Editor
Josh J. Leopold, Articles Editor
Max Rowe, Articles Editor
Austin Smith, Articles Editor
Kristen Van Tine, Articles Editor
Stephen Vukovits, Articles Editor
Adrian Ivashkiv, Symposium & Reviews Editor
Michelle David, Managing Editor
James E. Marmaduke, Managing Editor
Jorge Rafael Pereira, Managing Editor
Ivy Truong, Managing Editor
Alexandra Webb, Executive Online Editor  
Natalie R. Cohn-Aronoff, Online Editor
David Doktorman, Online Editor
Georgia Huang, Online Editor
Michael H. Jeung, Online Editor
Maya Lorey, Online Editor
Tyler T. Mikulis, Online Editor
Danielle Tyukody, Business & Communications Editor
Kate Gehling, Executive Topics & Comments Editor
Tanvi Antoo, Comments Editor
Brantley Butcher, Comments Editor
Isabel M. Dewhurst, Comments Editor
Kieran Dosanjh, Comments Editor
Hannah V.L. George, Comments Editor
Amanda Pickens, Comments Editor
Ryan Schloessmann, Comments Editor
Gabrielle Zook, Comments Editor
Kelsey Roberts, Topic Access & Recruitment Editor
Laura C. Shannon, Topic Access & Recruitment Editor