Membership in the Alabama Law Review is one of the most prestigious and demanding honors at the University of Alabama School of Law. Many prominent practicing attorneys, judges, and academics began their legal careers as editors on their school’s Law Review. Recognition as a member of the journal will also serve to complement students classroom success in their search for employment – employers place a premium on the strong writing and analytical skills a student must demonstrate as a member of the Law Review.
Each year, the Alabama Law Review extends approximately 40 offers of admission to rising second-year law students. Although the exact criteria are subject to change each year, in recent years the top 5% of the first-year class receive an automatic invitation to join the Alabama Law Review. The remaining slots are typically filled based on first-year grades and the results of a write-on competition. Every member of the first-year class is eligible to participate in the write-on competition. During the competition, which takes place during the summer, each student seeking journal admission prepares a case note that is assessed for writing style, analytical skills, attention to detail, and knowledge of basic citation form. Each submission that meets the high standards of the Law Review will earn its author an invitation to become a Junior Editor.
All new members of the Alabama Law Review, including those who receive automatic invitations, must successfully pass a Bluebook exam that tests students’ ability to master identifying and correcting citation errors. The Bluebook exam also takes place during the summer.
As a Junior Editor on the Law Review, students have a number of responsibilities and obligations primarily related to the preparation of journal articles for publication. Additionally, students write one publishable-quality student note on a topic of their interest. This note is considered for publication in the subsequent volume of the journal. Through this work, Junior Editors cultivate the vital legal research and writing skills requisite to success in a career at the bar.
Students interested in joining the Alabama Law Review should check their law school e-mails for information about an information session. Information sessions are typically held for the first-year class during the spring semester.