Career Development

The American Law Review Market: Background and Publication Strategies

There are more than 650 student-edited law reviews published in the United States covering every conceivable subject of law and policy and engaging every possible theoretical and methodological commitment.  The spectrum runs from the most esteemed general-subject journals at the country’s best law schools (imagine the Harvard Law Review or Yale Law Journal) to journals published by less well known but respected regional law schools or journals covering the most exotic fields of law (imagine the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law).  The role of students in editing and publishing law journals is a distinctly American tradition.  But it doesn’t seem to have undermined the resonance of the journals and the research they publish.  Most rankings, including Google Scholar’s global metrics, are dominated by American law reviews.  A student editorship during law school is a highly-prized credential and it features in the career trajectory of America’s most successful jurists and scholars.  The American law review market also is distinct for the typical style of the articles published and the centralized, national process used by the journal’s to select content for publication.

This session will introduce Max Planck Law researchers to the American law review market, including its background and strategies for publishing research. The programme features a presentation from Allen Rostron, the William R. Jacques Constitutional Law Scholar and Professor of Law.

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.  Prof. Rostron is the co-author of a periodic survey of American law reviews’ submission requirements.  That survey is perennially one of the most down-loaded articles at SSRN.  Prof. Rostron is one of the most insightful observers of the American law review market.  His presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and conversation.

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