Top Law Schools

It is getting close to that time of year, where the most gunner of gunners start looking at Law Review Editorial Board positions. I'm a current EIC for a flagship journal at a top 50 law school. I know that when I was applying for EIC it was really helpful to have some people I could lean to for advice and questions, and I wanted to open this up for anyone who has any questions about LR EIC or Ed Board in general.

I know that LR, and specifically Ed Board, receives mixed reviews on TLS, but I have not seen much contribution from high-ranking LR members. I'm more than happy to talk about the specific application process, why I subjected myself to a year of near-slave labor, or anything else Law Review related.

Appreciate this thread, as someone contemplating running for the position at a similar journal.

I'd certainly enjoy some insight on (1) why you wanted to do it/what you hoped to get out of it, (2) whether you accomplished that, or what else you felt was the primary benefit you got from the experience, and (3) what the most surprising/worst parts of the job were, in case I subject myself to it and want to brace for the worst.

ComesNowAS wrote:Appreciate this thread, as someone contemplating running for the position at a similar journal.

I'd certainly enjoy some insight on (1) why you wanted to do it/what you hoped to get out of it, (2) whether you accomplished that, or what else you felt was the primary benefit you got from the experience, and (3) what the most surprising/worst parts of the job were, in case I subject myself to it and want to brace for the worst.

1) I wanted to do the position because I, in some weird way, did enjoy my 2L staffer experience. I also knew that it was going to be something that would stay on my resume for the rest of my life. I realize that law school is a lot of one-upping each other and everyone is just going for the best resume possible, but this was one aspect that I knew would stick with me regardless of what I do in the future. While I knew it'd be a difficult year, I knew 1) that I'd have a good group of other members on Ed Board to support me and 2) it'd be something that I would later in life be happy I did. Thus, that is why I was willing to go for it. I also knew it'd help my writing skills. Finally, I knew that it would make me a more valuable alum and someone that could likely get support from professors and the school easier than most other alums.

2) I think it did help a lot with my writing or at least some of the more neurotic grammatical things that can distinguish between an average and good writer. Also, as someone who is still relatively young (think under 27), I think it was helpful from a growth perspective and really having to deal with a lot of egos, both internally and externally. From another standpoint, clerkship opportunities did arise after I got the position; however, my rank was high enough without the position to likely get a clerkship anyway. In sum, the value I received from it was exactly what I was expecting and I am glad that I did it.

3) The worst parts are definitely the pure time commitment and putting out the (inevitable) fires that arise. I am still able to enjoy 3LOL but it is more of a 3lol. Additionally, everyone who has anything come up that is a problem thinks that their problem is the biggest issue in the world. Also authors. Authors/academics can be the worst. While there were some very pleasant ones, there are going to inevitably be the awful and horrendous authors whose names cause your blood to boil.