Columbia Law School is home to 14 law journals and A Jailhouse Lawyers Manual, many of which are leading scholarly publications in their fields. Working on a law journal gives you the opportunity to hone your writing and editing skills, immerse yourself in top-quality scholarship, participate in American legal culture and tradition, and join a thriving micro-community within the Law School.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
Timeline Overview
Early Process (Not all journals participate in this process.)
Application Period: Friday, March 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET - Wednesday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Applicants Notified: Wednesday, April 10 - Thursday, April 11
Regular Application Process (All journals participate in this process.)
Applications Period: Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 a.m. ET - Thursday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Applicants Notified: Tuesday, July 16 - Wednesday, July 17
Transfer Application Process (Columbia Law Review has their own process.)
Applications Period: Friday, July 19 at 10:00 a.m. ET - Monday, July 29 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Applicants Notified: Monday, August 5 - Tuesday, August 6
Final Application Process (Not all journals participate in this process.)
Applications Period: Friday, August 9 at 10:00 a.m. ET - Tuesday, August 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Applicants Notified: Monday, August 26 - Tuesday, August 27
Note: Columbia Law Review only participates in the Regular Application Process. Transfer students interested in Columbia Law Review are encouraged to explore CLR's Transfer Application website and the Publishable Notes Program.
Contact
Please direct questions about the note-writing event or the journal application processes, including accommodation-related inquires, to [email protected].
In the event you do not get matched with a journal, you will receive an email from Student Services.
J.D. students can obtain credit for supervised writing work in conjunction with their note. You can also use a note to satisfy one of the J.D. writing requirements.
See guidelines below and contact an academic adviser in Student Services with further questions.
Academic Point Credit
- Supervised Research Credit
- You may receive supervised research credit if you write or publish a note for your journal under the supervision of a Columbia Law School faculty member (including visiting/adjunct faculty).
- Register for supervised research credit by completing the J.D. Research Registration Form via LawNet. After filling our the form, your faculty supervisor will sign off on it, and Registration Services will register you for your point(s) accordingly.
- Credit Limit: You may receive a maximum of three points per term and four points per academic year in connection with work that qualifies either as Supervised Research or as Supervised Experiential Project.
- Timing: You may opt to receive supervised research credit for your note during either the fall or spring semester or to split your points across multiple semesters (subject to your supervisor’s approval). Regardless, we encourage you to begin contemplating your topic and reaching out to potential faculty supervisors as soon as possible, as professors tend to book up quickly.
Graduation Writing Requirements
- Writing a note is an excellent way to satisfy either your Major Writing or Minor Writing requirement, regardless of whether you also receive Supervised Research credit.
- You may register for Major/Minor Writing credit by filling out the J.D. Major/Minor Writing Registration Form via LawNet. After filling our the form, your faculty supervisor will sign off on it, and Registration Services will register you for your point(s) accordingly.
Timing:
- You must register for Major Writing credit no later than the end of Add/Drop of your penultimate semester, and for Minor Writing credit no later than the end of Add/Drop of your final semester.
- If your supervisor is a visiting/adjunct professor, you must register for credit during the term in which they are appointed to teach.
- In order to satisfy the Major Writing requirement, you must submit a complete draft of your note to your supervisor by February 1 of your 3L year, and a final draft by the first day of the month preceding the month in which you anticipate graduating.
LL.M. students may receive Supervised Research credit for writing a note under the supervision of a Columbia Law School faculty member if you complete the LL.M. Supervised Research Registration Form LawNet and submit it to Registration Services. If you have any questions about the rules or restrictions that apply to LL.M. journal members, please email the Office of Graduate Degree Programs at [email protected].