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general law review seems lame and none of the other journals are in areas important to me. i know exactly what i want to do and i think my time would be better used on some kind of outside placement.

If you really know exactly what you want to do after graduation, and it is not an endeavor where having been on law review would give you an advantage, then you should feel free not to do law review.

However, ask yourself, how certain are you about what you think you're going to do?

Yeah, I can't say that I am actually thrilled about the idea of taking on extra work if I do have the opportunity to do law review, but then it is kind of a must-do if it is a possibility IMO.

Adjudicator wrote:If you really know exactly what you want to do after graduation, and it is not an endeavor where having been on law review would give you an advantage, then you should feel free not to do law review.

However, ask yourself, how certain are you about what you think you're going to do?

it would help compared to doing nothing
but compared to outside placement in the field it would barely register

the only thing i'm struggling with, is that i want to write an article or note or whatever but it is not in an area that our law review ever publishes and none of the other journals handle it.

I thought I was the only one. I'm not planning on joining any journals either. Not interested in any of the secondary journals, and law review seems BRUTAL to me. I heard it was an extra 20+ hour per week time commitment -- and what you're doing on a daily basis is so, so tedious. It's the worst parts of LRW multiplied.

It definitely makes sense for people who want certain jobs to do it, and would obviously help to get any job, but the trade off (for me) isn't worth it. I don't have big law/federal clerkship goals, and do much better if I have a good work/life balance which LR would rob me of.

NYVA, you're definitely not the only one.

law review definitely seems like a good "honor" if you're unsure of what you want to do exactly but you know it'll be something that really values that accolade

i have been lucky enough to meet a number of real humans working in my desired field and one of them quit law review, one continued with it, and the remaining 8 people weren't on it ever, they all suggested something more hands-on OR using the time that law review would consume and writing something independently

rejectmaster wrote:NYVA, you're definitely not the only one.

law review definitely seems like a good "honor" if you're unsure of what you want to do exactly but you know it'll be something that really values that accolade

i have been lucky enough to meet a number of real humans working in my desired field and one of them quit law review, one continued with it, and the remaining 8 people weren't on it ever, they all suggested something more hands-on OR using the time that law review would consume and writing something independently

Agreed, like you said, I think my time would be better spent trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do/enjoyed most (through hands-on experience, etc.) and focusing on grades. I put myself in a good position after this first semester and would really like to keep it up (and desperately want the $$ given to those near the top quarter of the class after 1L/2L).

If you for sure that you don't want to clerk or gun for academia in the future, I think it's very reasonable to forget about law review and possibly journals entirely. A reasonable compromise would be to select a journal known for requiring very little work--most schools have at least one.

me, but I'm just fucking lazy

I also don't really want to do law review, but I think the people who really want to do it are few and far between. Most just do it for the prestige/career benefits and not the actual work. That said, I'd definitely take the opportunity if it presents itself. A secondary journal? Meh... I would rather do moot court.

I don't do a journal. Best decision I ever made.

I did a journal for like 1 year... but now its on my resume FOREVER. Best decision I ever made.

D. H2Oman wrote:me, but I'm just fucking lazy

This.

I hate every minute of it.

romothesavior wrote:I also don't really want to do law review, but I think the people who really want to do it are few and far between. Most just do it for the prestige/career benefits and not the actual work. That said, I'd definitely take the opportunity if it presents itself. A secondary journal? Meh... I would rather do moot court.

+1

Very few people want to do law review because it is fun. Most people want in law review for the prestige/career opportunities it opens. Law review is not a must for many career choices, but it is a significant boost for most career choices. I cannot imagine picking any single activity over law review.

No one wants to be on a journal. It is something you have to do to get a job.

I have no interest in journals/moot court/etc. I'd rather study and use that "extra" time to help improve my GPA. I probably won't even pursue law review because I want to transfer. However, I would be down for an externship as a 2L/3L.

There's nothing glamorous about being on a journal...especially if theres no one hiring.

lawmantentwo wrote:There's nothing glamorous about being on a journal...especially if theres no one hiring.

Worst combination of things you can do - journal participation and not getting a job
Worse combination - 2 journals, no job

prezidentv8 wrote:

lawmantentwo wrote:There's nothing glamorous about being on a journal...especially if theres no one hiring.

Worst combination of things you can do - journal participation and not getting a job
Worse combination - 2 journals, no job

Yeah...2L journal is the most brutal thing a law student will do. I don't see any point in it. Nobody cares if you're on a journal unless its law review. And besides, it gives you 0 practical experience you will ever apply in real life.

what "looks" better? assume one or the other

publication credit

the lowest level of membership on a school's flagship journal

Look, depending on the school you go to...chances are no firm is hiring you. You might as well take the 400+ hours you'll be working on that journal and use it in the following ways: get an internship, make contacts, get better grades, have fun before you're jobless. Journal is silliest thing ever.

lawmantentwo wrote:Look, depending on the school you go to...chances are no firm is hiring you. You might as well take the 400+ hours you'll be working on that journal and use it in the following ways: get an internship, make contacts, get better grades, have fun before you're jobless. Journal is silliest thing ever.

i'm not joining a journal under any circumstances, i was just curious as to what people thought because i doubt anyone actually knows

Well as near graduate of law school, I can tell you that it is brutal and you have to take shit from 3Ls. It's stressful but it looks cool on your resume for firms who care. Law Review (Main Journal) is worth it but the rest, not so much.

I thought being on a journal helped my writing. The journal was also specific to my practice area, which was good for demonstrating my interest in it has made me much more up on current events in the practice area than most young lawyers just starting out. Most secondary journals aren't too much work.

Law review is a lot of work, but worth it for the job opportunities.