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I'm wondering what is the order of prestige of different board positions, which has the best cost/benefit (i.e. time put in v. resume bump or other benefit), if any of the positions aren't worth doing, etc. The positions available on my LR are: EIC, ME, LAE, N&C, and Special Projects Editor.

Feel free to contrast board/non board responsibilities, pros and cons, or just generally rant about LR

There won't be one answer to this because the amount and nature of work per position will vary a lot by school and because the value of each position will vary a lot based on your own goals and your other accomplishments/credentials.

As far as clerkships, I've heard that judges prefer EIC > LAE > N&C > ME > everyone else because they generally value substantive editing experience over managerial bs. Dunno if that's true or not. And regardless, the girl w/ a 4.0 who's merely an articles editor will trump the guy w/ a 3.7 who's LAE.

How about for private practice in general? Any particular positions give an appreciable bump for 3L biglaw job searching? How about midlaw?

I don't think the work required versus the benefit given is really worth it for anything other than EIC or Executive Editor (2nd in command).

kalvano wrote:I don't think the work required versus the benefit given is really worth it for anything other than EIC or Executive Editor (2nd in command).

Even the latter is debatable. EIC is always a boost, but LR boards at schools are organized so differently that its hard to tell if the position is anything substantive. E.g, some journals have Executive Editors, that are the same as Managing editor somewhere else or an Article Editor somewhere else, etc.

Interesting. I thought all board positions were more esteemed than you guys make them out to be. I mean, I understand there's variations in what each position does on different law reviews, but I thought just having the executive-level experience on LR was a big bump on its own (and then perhaps incremental additional bumps for have a prestigious board position, e.g. EIC), at least as far as private practice goes (and that all positions were a big enough boost to make them worth your while, just some more than others).

zomginternets wrote:Interesting. I thought all board positions were more esteemed than you guys make them out to be. I mean, I understand there's variations in what each position does on different law reviews, but I thought just having the executive-level experience on LR was a big bump on its own (and then perhaps incremental additional bumps for have a prestigious board position, e.g. EIC), at least as far as private practice goes (and that all positions were a big enough boost to make them worth your while, just some more than others).

If you're gunning for a clerkship, go for a board position.... but still, connections >> grades >> being on LR >> LR board position (with the caveat that EIC can be a big boost).

If you are not gunning for a clerkship, I would advise against taking any Board position. The free time you have during 3L year will outweigh any "boost" it could give you in private practice. Go out and enjoy your life. Don't look back.