What is the Law Review?
The Florida State University Law Review is the flagship legal journal of the Florida State University College of Law. The members of the Law Review publish the journal four times per year from Tallahassee, Florida. Each issue contains scholarly articles authored by academics, judges, clerks, and attorneys from around the globe, as well as pieces authored by current students of the College of Law. The Law Review is staffed and edited by second- and third-year students of the College of Law.
What is expected of Law Review Members?
Publication of each issue of the Law Review entails many hours of article selection, research, legal analysis, and substantive and technical editing. Every member is involved in at least one of these processes. Therefore, being a member of the Law Review requires dedication, discipline, and self-motivation. Academic credit is available for many Law Review positions.
Additionally, each member is expected to maintain a GPA of 3.15 or higher and to submit a paper of publishable quality before the end of his or her first full semester on Law Review.
Bylaws
A more comprehensive listing of all membership responsibilities may be found in the Florida State University Law Review Bylaws available here.
How do I become a member?
Second-year law students are selected for membership based on their performance in their first-year classes and/or their participation in the Law Review’s bi-annual Write-On Competition. A student also has the opportunity to join during his or her second year if a paper written by the student is chosen for publication in the Law Review during the journal’s bi-annual Call for Submissions. This policy is subject to change. For additional questions, please contact the Executive Notes and Comments Editor, Savannah Criado.
The 1L Summer Write-On Competition
The earliest you can join the Law Review is during the summer after your first year when the Law Review holds its annual 1L Write-On Competition. You will have the opportunity to write a 15-page paper based on a closed research universe (i.e., we will provide the only cases/authorities you may cite). The Law Review will select approximately 35 new members at this time, in three different ways:
Best Grades — The top 15 students from the 1L class based on 1L class rank will be invited to join the Law Review. These students are not required to participate in the Write-On Competition.
Grades & Writing — The Law Review will select another portion of its new members based on two components: the student’s 1L GPA and the quality of the writing and Bluebooking in the student’s paper in the Write-On Competition.
Best Writing — Additionally, the Law Review will extend invitations to the students with the top 5 writing scores in the Write-On Competition. This means that even if you are not at the top of your class but you score highly in the writing competition, you may be invited to join the Law Review based on your competition score alone. NOTE: All Law Review members must have a minimum GPA of 3.15.
The 2L Winter Write-On Competition
During winter break, the Law Review holds its annual 2L Write-On Competition. This competition is open only to current 2Ls (including transfer students) with at least three semesters remaining. You will have the opportunity to write a paper that will require more independent research than the 1L Summer Write-On Competition.
The Law Review will select new members based on the quality of the research, writing, and Bluebooking in the student’s paper.
Writing a Piece Chosen for Publication
You may also join the Law Review if you write a scholarly paper that is selected for publication. The Law Review holds its Call for Submissions twice per year. To be eligible to join, the writer must:
- Have at least two semesters remaining (including the semester of nomination); and
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.15.