[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
As for law review, maybe I wasn't clear, but I just finished first year and graded on, but I haven't actually done anything other than accept my spot.
I'll make sure to bump this when school gets going to give a TR for both recruiting and to let everyone know what law review is like (for me).
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually no, you were perfectly clear, I am at work and was trying to post quickly so it was me who was entirely unclear. What I meant was this:
I know very little about the law review in general aside from that it is a law journal that is run and published by law students and that being a part of it is integral to being recruited by top firms after graduation. Would you mind going more in depth as to what it is and what it entails, eg. Does everyone just get around and discuss cases and laws and then assign articles for people to write? How often is it published? How involved are professors? Are different jobs given out based upon grades (top 3% get first shot at editor or whatever)? How time consuming is it supposed to be? etc, etc.
By the way thanks for fielding these questions as my school doesn't actually have a "pre-law" major so I haven't discussed alot of my questions with my advisor.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, my UG didn't have pre-law either and I actually heard that it is an awful major, better off just doing any real major. Probably best major would be hard science just given the opportunities for IP work and the rigors inherent in the fields of study.
People always talk about law review as if the time commitment is insane, but I think it depends entirely on your school and the journal you are on. Most schools have a main law review that is titled after the school which is the hardest to get on and is the "most prestigious." There are also secondary journals that narrow their focus to environmental law, international law, etc.
The articles in the review are typically written by professors, lawyers, legal scholars, etc.
(Here is a link to the Cornell Law Review Constitution, which explains the duties of various positions.
(link)
Basically you are a staff writer 2L, editor 3L, and you can get your note published, etc. I am not sure how they select Editor-In-Chief, etc.
All I know is that it definitely helps a lot when it comes time for recruiting and membership on a journal is a near-prerequisite if you are interested in clerkships, etc.
It is something that will be on your resume and people will assume a certain level of intelligence and capability, simply based upon membership.
At my school, the top 10% automatically get their choice of journal (pretty much all select the main law review, one everyyear chooses a specialty journal because of interest, etc.)
Then there is a writing competition which consists of a 12-14 page memo, they provide you all the cases, you just write it. There is also a "blubooking" assignment which consists of editing citations.
You list your preferences, they score your submission, and based on that they fill the secondary journals. Since most people that grade on select the main law review, only a few spots are left for the writing competition on that one.