Joining the Law Review

The Law Review extends invitations to approximately 20 percent of each rising 2L class and to any rising 3L student who enters the top 10 percent of the class after the second year.

Law Review members are selected in two ways. First, students ranked in the top 10 percent (rounded off) of their class after completion of the first or second year of law school may "grade on" to Law Review. Second, a number of students equal to the rising 2Ls who "grade on" are invited to join the Law Review based on their performance in a writing competition and their first-year grades. JD/MBA students may only participate in the writing competition at the end of their first year of law school.

Transfer students may also become members of the Law Review based on a separate writing competition. Transfer students who participate in the writing competition are subject to all of the requirements applicable to the first-year writing competition. Transfer invitations are not considered in computing the number of invitations to be extended to first-year students.

The Writing Competition

The first-year writing competition takes place during the two-week period immediately following Spring semester exams. The participants write a "mini-note" using only the cases and materials provided in the competition packet.

Students participating in the first-year writing competition can be invited to join the Law Review based on a score tabulated using their cumulative G.P.A. (not class rank) and their write-on submission grade. Each of the four Notes & Comments Editors reads and grades all write-on submissions. The average of these grades comprises 2/3 of the total score. The other 1/3 of each score consists of the writer's cumulative G.P.A. The write-on submission grade and the student's G.P.A. together comprise the total writing competition score.

All students invited to join the Law Review are notified during the latter part of July and must accept membership in writing within a specified period.

Responsibilities of Law Review Members

Membership on the Law Review is a two-year commitment. Notification of this commitment is given to each individual invited to join the Law Review prior to that individual's acceptance of an offer to join. The Notice includes specific details about spading responsibilities, the note/comment writing requirement, and the number of hours each will entail.

All new staff members must return to Wake Forest for orientation, instruction, and/or editorial work before classes begin.

Two pass/fail credit hours are awarded to each member who successfully completes his/her Law Review duties at the end of each academic year for which the individual was a member of the Law Review.

Students should seriously consider whether they wish to join the Law Review. The Law Review requires a great deal of time and effort, and Law Review members are expected to make the Law Review a top priority. Perhaps more importantly, the Law Review demands dedication and a commitment to conscientious work. However, the Law Review also offers a great opportunity for those who wish to engage in critical analysis of the law and contribute to a periodical which helps to explain and shape the law.