Law Journals Forum

[kalvano]

I have seen a lot of firms that specify a grade percentage for them to be interested, or be on law review. I assume they mean actual Law Review, not a Journal.

Or, if you are on a Journal, can you still put "law review" on your resume?

Are you kidding? By the same logic, just because you went to college would mean that you could put Harvard on your resume?

So, in short:

(a) Honesty is a good thing.

(b) You put the name of the journal you were on - not the Law Review you wish you were on.

Your analogy sucks. We have Law Review, Journal of Science & Tech, and International Law Review. They refer to all of them collectively as "law review". Hence, my question. I'm not saying I would put "Law Review" if I got JST, but can you still put "Law Review - Journal of Science & Technology"?

[vamedic03]

I have seen a lot of firms that specify a grade percentage for them to be interested, or be on law review. I assume they mean actual Law Review, not a Journal.

Or, if you are on a Journal, can you still put "law review" on your resume?

Are you kidding? By the same logic, just because you went to college would mean that you could put Harvard on your resume?

So, in short:

(a) Honesty is a good thing.

(b) You put the name of the journal you were on - not the Law Review you wish you were on.

Your analogy sucks. We have Law Review, Journal of Science & Tech, and International Law Review. They refer to all of them collectively as "law review". Hence, my question. I'm not saying I would put "Law Review" if I got JST, but can you still put "Law Review - Journal of Science & Technology"?

No, you put the name of the journal.

There is no journal named - Law Review - Journal of Science & Technology. There is a difference between the flagship Law Review (which is what we refer to as 'Law Review') and secondary journals.

[traehekat]

I have seen a lot of firms that specify a grade percentage for them to be interested, or be on law review. I assume they mean actual Law Review, not a Journal.

Or, if you are on a Journal, can you still put "law review" on your resume?

Are you kidding? By the same logic, just because you went to college would mean that you could put Harvard on your resume?

So, in short:

(a) Honesty is a good thing.

(b) You put the name of the journal you were on - not the Law Review you wish you were on.

Your analogy sucks. We have Law Review, Journal of Science & Tech, and International Law Review. They refer to all of them collectively as "law review". Hence, my question. I'm not saying I would put "Law Review" if I got JST, but can you still put "Law Review - Journal of Science & Technology"?

You can probably put whatever it is called at your law school, just know that it may be slightly misleading because most employers and other schools refer to "law review" as just that - law review - and everything else is just a secondary journal. nothing wrong with putting what it is called tho, just be ready for maybe some confusion.

[Wholigan]

You shouldn't put "Law Review" at all if you're on a secondary journal. I don't think many people in legal world think of all of the journals collectively as "Law Review" as was asserted. Even the name itself implies that Law Review is the flagship journal of a school with plenary scope as to the legal topics it covers.

At my TT, some employers require 3.x GPA and membership on a journal (including secondary) to interview at OCI. I don't know how widespread that is, but it would be smart to at least check with the CSO first before foreclosing secondary journals.

[traehekat]

I'm worried about the effect giving up law review/journal will have if I transfer. What if I complete the law review competition, am admitted to law review, and then I am accepted as a transfer student. Can I put "Accepted to X Law Review" on my resume? Is that worth anything? Are transfers given some kind of "break" for not being on law review for the purposes of clerkships?

[Helmholtz]

I'm worried about the effect giving up law review/journal will have if I transfer. What if I complete the law review competition, am admitted to law review, and then I am accepted as a transfer student. Can I put "Accepted to X Law Review" on my resume? Is that worth anything? Are transfers given some kind of "break" for not being on law review for the purposes of clerkships?

From what I've heard: You can put "Accepted to X Law Review" on your resume, but don't expect it to do anything if you transfer. They know that you had high grades, probably enough to grade onto LR - that's how you transferred. I think for a lot of people, the debate of whether to transfer or not boils down to giving up Law Review and all the things that come with it for a higher ranked school and all the things that come with that. From my sense of things, I highly doubt there is any kind of "break" given to transfers (but maybe I'm wrong?).

[Blindmelon]

I have seen a lot of firms that specify a grade percentage for them to be interested, or be on law review. I assume they mean actual Law Review, not a Journal.

Or, if you are on a Journal, can you still put "law review" on your resume?

OCI bidding "requirements" are typically BS. At BU most of the employers said top 1/3rd required, top 10% + LR preferred. I got an offer that "required" top 10% and I am by no means in that range. Also, a few people not on journals got jobs where journal membership was "required." I think these websites and requirements are built by HR - I'd take them as a rough guideline.

Then again, if I was median at BU, I wouldn't waste a bid on Ropes, but you definitely don't have to be on LR to get an offer even though they stress it.

[alumniguy]

My understanding is that transfer students generally do extremely well at OCI. For example, if Harvard is willing to take you after your 1L grades, it is presumed that you are indeed a high caliber/promising law school student. In fact, I've even heard that transfers do better than most of the transfer school's regular class. Don't have much to back that assertion up, but that is the general consensus among the people I've known/spoken to.

[vanwinkle]

I'm worried about the effect giving up law review/journal will have if I transfer. What if I complete the law review competition, am admitted to law review, and then I am accepted as a transfer student. Can I put "Accepted to X Law Review" on my resume? Is that worth anything? Are transfers given some kind of "break" for not being on law review for the purposes of clerkships?

I'm of the belief that putting "Accepted to X" is a bad idea to put on your resume, because it stands out as a blatant attempt at padding. Employers will already know that you did very well your first year from 1) the fact that you were accepted as an upward transfer and 2) your 1L transcript, which you should be providing them. (Even if they don't ask for it, offer it to them.)

I can't answer with regard to clerkships, and as I'm getting ready to discover the answer to that myself.

However, for purposes of OCI, I'll address this:

My understanding is that transfer students generally do extremely well at OCI. For example, if Harvard is willing to take you after your 1L grades, it is presumed that you are indeed a high caliber/promising law school student. In fact, I've even heard that transfers do better than most of the transfer school's regular class. Don't have much to back that assertion up, but that is the general consensus among the people I've known/spoken to.

This is true, at least here at HLS. Every transfer I know who participated in OCI did very well for themselves, in a year when some students here got shut out entirely.

[alumniguy]

Agree with vanwinkle - tacky and poor form to put that you were "accepted to X law review." Your resume is about your accomplishments, not the things you turned down. You would put that you were accepted at X law school but matriculated at Y law school - it just is too striverish.

[traehekat]

I'm worried about the effect giving up law review/journal will have if I transfer. What if I complete the law review competition, am admitted to law review, and then I am accepted as a transfer student. Can I put "Accepted to X Law Review" on my resume? Is that worth anything? Are transfers given some kind of "break" for not being on law review for the purposes of clerkships?

I'm of the belief that putting "Accepted to X" is a bad idea to put on your resume, because it stands out as a blatant attempt at padding. Employers will already know that you did very well your first year from 1) the fact that you were accepted as an upward transfer and 2) your 1L transcript, which you should be providing them. (Even if they don't ask for it, offer it to them.)

That was pretty much my thought, but I thought there might be an exception if the journal competition is purely write-on. Still, I'm sure no matter what it is going to look kinda tacky. Thanks.

[keg411]

At my TT, some employers require 3.x GPA and membership on a journal (including secondary) to interview at OCI. I don't know how widespread that is, but it would be smart to at least check with the CSO first before foreclosing secondary journals.

Any chance you can PM me the .x if you know it/it exists?

Here we also have no grade on for LR, but grade on for the secondaries. However, one secondary is obnoxious where if you choose to grade on to that journal, you can't do LR. The other secondary journal you can just grade on and then choose LR if you get on. It's a weird system, but I kind of like that I can devote my post-exam time to perfecting my LR submission (since the grade-on for the secondaries is based on first semester grades).

As for "accepted to x LR", I've heard it's something to include on a resume for transfers, but I could be wrong (especially since our LR comp is 75% writing, 25% grades). Maybe I'm thinking more to put it on apps for transfer then on OCI resumes.

[alumniguy]

Here we also have no grade on for LR, but grade on for the secondaries. However, one secondary is obnoxious where if you choose to grade on to that journal, you can't do LR. The other secondary journal you can just grade on and then choose LR if you get on. It's a weird system, but I kind of like that I can devote my post-exam time to perfecting my LR submission (since the grade-on for the secondaries is based on first semester grades).

As for "accepted to x LR", I've heard it's something to include on a resume for transfers, but I could be wrong (especially since our LR comp is 75% writing, 25% grades). Maybe I'm thinking more to put it on apps for transfer then on OCI resumes.

Wow, no offense, but what a backward system. Who in their right mind would choose the secondary journal that forces you the opportunity to forgo the flagship law review? I've NEVER heard of this. Interesting.

[Pricer]

At my TT, some employers require 3.x GPA and membership on a journal (including secondary) to interview at OCI. I don't know how widespread that is, but it would be smart to at least check with the CSO first before foreclosing secondary journals.

Any chance you can PM me the .x if you know it/it exists?

I think the ".x" depends on which firm and which school. You can look up a lot of this info on the NALP Directory by employer.

[keg411]

At my TT, some employers require 3.x GPA and membership on a journal (including secondary) to interview at OCI. I don't know how widespread that is, but it would be smart to at least check with the CSO first before foreclosing secondary journals.

Any chance you can PM me the .x if you know it/it exists?

I think the ".x" depends on which firm and which school. You can look up a lot of this info on the NALP Directory by employer.

The poster I was talking to is also a 1L at my school and PM'd me the info I was looking for. This info isn't just on NALP.