Law Review is an excellent opportunity for law students to improve their research and writing skills and become more marketable job candidates. Membership on the Texas Tech Law Review is obtained only through participating in the annual spring multi-journal write-on competition. Participating students must pick up the write-on packet on the date of their last final. Picking up the packet will not obligate any student to finish the packet or be a member of any journal.
The application in the packet will allow those students who are seeking membership to rank participating journals by membership preference. The packet will include information regarding the competition requirements and the selection process. It will also include all information necessary to complete the casenote and editing portions of the competition. Upon completion of the write-on competition, the current members of our law review will grade the submitted packets. Membership invitations are typically extended in early July.
Who qualifies?
Participation on Law Review requires a two-year commitment. As such, the only opportunity a student has to be considered for Law Review is after their first year in law school. Only upcoming 2Ls are allowed to enter the write-on competition. Law Review selects its members based on applicants’ participation and performance in our write-on competition. Twenty-eight members are selected annually from the first-year class.
What are the components of the write-on?
The write-on involves completing a writing exercise and an editing exercise. Packets are ranked according to a score derived from the grading of the casenote and editing exercise. Students who pick up the packet are under no obligation to complete it or be a member of any journal.
Editing Assignment:
The editing portion of the competition will consist of an editing exercise where the student will edit the assignment for errors in Bluebook form to citations, and for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Students may use the following reference tools in completing the exercise: the latest edition of the Bluebook (A Uniform System of Citation), the Green Book (Texas Rules of Form), the Texas Law Review Manual on Usage & Style (a/k/a the MOUS or MUS), a legal dictionary, and an English dictionary.
Writing Assignment:
The Writing Assignment is a closed research project. To that end, students may only use the research materials provided in the packet. The Texas Tech Law Review allows and encourages the use of THE BLUEBOOK: A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF CITATION, 21st Edition (the “Bluebook”), the TEXAS RULES OF FORM, 14th Edition (the “Greenbook”), THE TEXAS LAW REVIEW MANUAL ON USAGE & STYLE, 14th EDITION (“MOUS”), and any English dictionary.
The Writing Assignment, called a casenote, contains student analysis of a recent court decision. For an example of how a casenote should be written, please view our sample casenote.