Journals

About Northwestern Law Journals

Northwestern Law publishes six student-edited journals covering a wide range of subjects. Two Northwestern Law journals, the Northwestern University Law Review and the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, boast a legacy of over 100 years of groundbreaking scholarship. This tradition has expanded to the six journals we publish today, with newer journals focusing on international commercial law, intellectual property, technology, human rights, and social trends and social problems. Together, the journals publish the works of the leading researchers in the United States and throughout the world.

In addition to publishing scholarship, Northwestern Law journals also gather leading scholars for frequent symposia on significant developments in the law. Please visit the journals’ home pages to learn more about each journal, read content and commentary, learn about upcoming events, and listen to podcasts with authors.

Information for Prospective Journal Members

Why Participate on a Journal? For many Northwestern Law students, participation on a journal is a highlight of their Law School careers. Journal membership offers an opportunity for students to research a legal issue in great depth and to write a note or comment that may be the fullest scholarly examination ever written on the issue. Journal members also have the opportunity to select, evaluate, and edit articles by leading faculty and other scholars. In addition, students who accept editorial board positions in their third year have an opportunity to run an organization and to contribute to overall trends in legal scholarship and scholarly publishing. Many legal employers prize journal experience in prospective new attorneys, as well.

How Do I Join? At Northwestern Law, we have three routes to journal membership:

  • Spring Writing Competition (JD and JD-MBA Students): JD and JD-MBA students who want to be on a journal must participate in the mandatory writing competition following first-year spring semester exams, unless they are accepted through 1L Provisional Membership. Information sessions describing the process, setting competition dates, and introducing you to journal leaders are held in the spring semester of 1L year.
  • Fall Writing Competition (AJD and Transfer Students) AJD students who have completed their first summer courses and 2L transfers must participate in the mandatory fall writing competition. This competition is held in late August or early September.
  • 1L Provisional Membership (1L JD and JD-MBA Students): Students interested in the Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property may participate in the 1L Provisional Membership Program for JTIP in the spring of their 1L year. In this program, students participate in cite-checking and other journal activities. Upon successful completion of the program, students may be offered full membership in the journal.

Requirements for JD-LLM IHR students interested in journal service can be found in more detail in the degree programs section of our site.

Each journal selects members based on a combination of factors the journal believes lead to success on the journal. For more information about each journal’s membership criteria, see the journal’s website or contact one of the editors.