It is important to note that timelines provided below may be subject to change, and any updates will be posted to this webpage when available.
About
One of the most important extracurricular activities in law school is membership on a law journal. There are a plethora of compelling reasons to join the staff of a law journal. Membership can benefit your legal career, as it will not only be academically enriching, but also will impress future employers. Journal membership offers students the opportunity to enhance skills development, broaden professional networks, and produce an article for publication.
Rising second year students (full-time) and rising third year students (part-time) (2L/3L students) at Seattle University School of Law have the opportunity to apply for membership to four academically-accredited student-run journals:
The primary purpose of law journals is to publish original legal scholarship. The journals collaborate with faculty advisors and invested practitioners, but ultimately student editors make all the editorial and organizational decisions. Thus, student editors take a rewarding role that helps to shape legal scholarship and discourse.
Each journal is designed to improve the writing skills and research techniques of members, while simultaneously providing an environment to instill self-discipline and analytical proficiency through the hard work required to publish quality legal scholarship. Further, each journal provides its members with the opportunity to develop their technical editing and writing abilities through focused workshops and other means designed to assist each member in crafting an article of publishable quality to be published alongside the work of established authors.
The journals strive to publish articles by an array of legal professionals, including professors, judges, and practitioners. All article submissions are subjected to a thorough editorial process, which is designed to strengthen substance and tone.
For more information about the student-run academic journals at Seattle University School of Law, contact SULawJournals@gmail.com and add us on TWEN. For more information about a specific journal at Seattle University School of Law, follow the links above to that journal’s webpage.
Membership
Membership is competitive and limited to rising second year students (full-time) and rising third year students (part-time) who are selected based on an annual Write-On Competition. The journals strongly encourage all students to participate in the Write-On Competition, which is available to 2L/3L students at the end of spring semester. Students applying to transfer to Seattle University School of Law are also highly encouraged to apply.
The Write-On Competition generally commences in May. Offers are generally extended over the course of several days in June. Each journal has a specified process in which it extends offers to students from the applicant pool. Orientation for new editors will generally begin in August.
Journal membership for 2L/3L students consists of a two-year commitment, which includes the option to receive academic credit. In the first year, student editors take a substantive role in the editing process while also creating an article of publishable quality. In the second year, student editors take leadership roles.
2L/3L Write-On Competition
Rising second year students (full-time) and rising third year students (part-time) (2L/3L students) may apply for membership on any or all of the four journals within the Write-On Competition. This competition includes one application for all four journals. Several journal information sessions with leadership from each journal will be available to students likely in April of each year. Attending one of these information sessions is mandatory for students interested in applying (exception for transfer students).
The 2019 Write-On Competition application is now closed. The 2020 Write-On Competition application will be available for download on TWEN on May 16, 2020 and due via email to SULawJournals@gmail.com on May 25, 2020.
The Write-On Competition application consists of (1) an information section, which includes contact information, a journal preference ranking sheet, and a one-page resume; (2) an editing section; and (3) a writing section. Applications are scored completely anonymously and are based on the applicant's legal arguments and strength of writing, not on the positions taken in the submissions. Incomplete applications will not be scored.
To apply to the Write-On Competition, 2L/3L students must (1) have completed the first-year law courses after summer term; (2) attend one mandatory information session (exception for transfer students); and (3) have a personal copy of the Bluebook, which is available online or in hard copy. Detailed Write-On Competition application instructions will be provided for download here and on TWEN. The application itself will only be available on TWEN.
AILJ & SJTEIL: Opportunities for 3L/4L Journal Participation
Rising third year students (full-time) and rising fourth year students (part-time) (3L/4L students) who are interested in applying to the American Indian Law Journal and the Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law are invited to participate in the Write-On Competition. Please note that as a 3L/4L you will only be considered by AILJ and SJTEIL.
If you are a 3L/4L who is interested in applying to AILJ and/or SJTEIL, please follow the instructions for the general Write-On Competition and include a comment on your Information Section stating that you are a 3L/4L. SJTEIL and AILJ are able to accommodate a limited number of students who can only commit to one year of journal participation.
AILJ Rolling Application Process
The American Indian Law Journal (AILJ) has an alternative rolling application process that is separate from the write-on competition and available for students who are ONLY interested in AILJ membership. If you apply to AILJ through their rolling application, you will NOT be eligible to participate in the write-on competition for membership on other journals. For more information, please visit our TWEN page or contact Christy Kettel, kettelchrist@seattleu.edu.
** If you have questions or concerns, please contact SULawJournals@gmail.com **
