Journals

Journals

About Northwestern Law Journals

Northwestern Law publishes seven 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 seven 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’ homepages to learn more about each journal, read content and commentary, learn about upcoming events, and listen to podcasts with authors.

Students may earn up to one academic credit per academic year for up to two years, during which they are an active member of any Northwestern Law journal.  More information is available in the Journal Credit Rules.  For information on how to register for journal credit, please see these instructions.

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 Write-On (JD and JD-MBA Students):
    JD and JD-MBA students who want to be on a journal must participate in the mandatory writing process following first-year spring semester exams, unless they are accepted through 1L Provisional Membership. Information sessions describing the process, setting write-on dates, and introducing you to journal leaders are held in the spring semester of 1L year.
  • Summer Write-On (Transfer Students):
    2L transfers must participate in the mandatory summer write-on. The summer write-on is held on a rolling basis, and transfer students will receive more information as part of their welcoming materials.
  • 1L Provisional Membership (1L JD and JD-MBA Students):
    Students interested in the Northwestern Journal of Human Rights, Journal of Law and Social Policy, Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, and Northwestern Law Journal des Refusés may participate in the 1L Provisional Membership Program for JHR, JLSP, JTIP, and NLJR 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.