NEW MEMBER SELECTION:
1. What are the requirements for Law Review membership?
Eligibility for Law Review is based on the following:
- Satisfactory completion of the Bluebook Exam (administered in March).
- Completion of the Application Form (available in May on Blackboard).
- A minimum GPA of 3.3.
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- All students in the top 10% of their class will automatically receive invitations to Law Review, however, they must still complete all of the listed requirements.
- Satisfactory grades in LCR I and LCR II.
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- Completion of the FERPA form in MySlice.
- Satisfactory completion of your 1L courses.*
Failure to satisfy these requirements will disqualify you from consideration.
*1L Courses for JDi are: Torts, Civil Procedure, Contracts, Property, LCR I, and LCR II. JDr 1L courses include those previously listed and Constitutional Law I, Criminal Law and Professional Responsibility.
2. When should I apply?
Traditional JDr students should apply during their 1L spring semester. Traditional JDi students should apply in Spring of their 1st year, but will not receive their invitation until they have completed their summer courses (typically Property and LCR II).
If you are on a non-traditional schedule, then you should apply in the first cycle you are eligible too. For example, if you have not completed all of your 1L courses by the end of the summer semester of your first year, then you should wait until next year’s cycle to apply. If you have any questions about when to apply, please email us at lawreview@syr.edu.
3. What are the important dates?
- 1L Fall – No action needed. Just do well in your classes!
- 1L Spring –
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- Attend Journals Information Session (Feb/March).
- Attend Bluebook Tutorial (Feb/March).
- Complete the Bluebook Exam (March/April).
- Complete the Journal Application and submit other requirements (May).
4. What is the Bluebook Exam?
The Bluebook Exam is an exercise that resembles the true tasks that 2L Editorial Staff undertake. The Exam consists of two excerpts from legal articles that students are required to edit for formatting, spelling, proofreading, and correcting citations in compliance with the Bluebook. Students are given 24 hours to edit these articles, although the exam itself should only take 4-6 hours. Everything you need to know about the Bluebook Exam will be taught in LCR I and in the Bluebook Tutorial Session.
Even if you are in the top 10% of your class, you are still required to complete the Bluebook Exam. Top 10% applicants with low Bluebook exams may be required to complete additional Bluebook practice in the Fall.
5. How many students are selected for Law Review?
Typically, Law Review aims to accept around 30-40 students. More offers may be extended to fill the positions as necessary at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
6. When will I find out if I am selected for Law Review?
Offers are given at the end of May/early June for JDr, and August/early September for JDi, depending on how quickly the Registrar can process 1L grades. All 4 SUCOL Journals send their offers on the same day and generally provide one week for all students to accept or decline the invitations.
Although you are allowed to join more than one journal, there is little reason to do so. The University only allows students to receive academic credit for one journal. The journals provide relatively similar experiences, and students are required to write a unique student note for each journal.
7. What if I am not selected for Law Review?
All offer decisions are final. There is no opportunity to apply again next year. There will be no review of application decisions unless you believe an error has occurred with your grade calculations.
8. Can transfer students apply to Law Review?
2L transfer students are considered for membership on a case-by-case basis. Students interested should email lawreview@syr.edu as soon as they have applied to the College of Law.