What is the Thurgood Marshall Law Review?
The Law Review is an academic journal that publishes articles written by professors, students and legal experts on various topics. The journal covers a wide array of topics, and some issues are dedicated solely to topic of the last symposium. Students selected from a write-on competition are in charge of running the Law Review.

Who is on the Thurgood Marshall Law Review?
The Law Review is composed of three groups: the editorial board, senior staff members, and associate staff members. If a student is selected for membership on the Law Review, they are inducted as an associate staff. In order to become a senior staff member, the associate staff must complete a series of assignments, including writing a note or comment of publishable quality. Among the senior staff, the outgoing editorial board elects certain senior staff members to serve as members of the incoming editorial board.

What are the positions on the editorial board of the Thurgood Marshall Law Review?
The editorial board consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Executive Editor, the Managing Editor, the Notes and Comments Editor, the Lead Articles Editor, the Research Editor, the Business Editor, two Articles Editors, and a Symposium Editor. Additionally, each Editor may choose a member of the senior staff or the associate staff to serve as their assistant. For each of the Editor’s duties, please consult the constitution and bylaws.

What do Thurgood Marshall Law Review members do?
There are three tasks that Law Review members must accomplish each year: managing the write-on competition, publishing the journal, and conducting a symposium based upon a topic agreed upon by the editorial board. Editorial board members, senior staff members and associate staff members aid in assuring that all of these tasks are accomplished by the end of the spring semester of each year.

How can I become a member of the Thurgood Marshall Law Review?
If you are a student that will be completing your 1L year at the time the competition begins, you may participate in the write-on competition. The competition is conducted every spring upon the completion of 1L comps. The student must write a casenote based upon one of three cases that are chosen by the editorial board of the Law Review, and the competitor must complete a blue book citation exam. The student is also required to attend all cite checking workshops and other meetings, and follow all instructions as indicated by the Managing Editor. Based upon a combination of grades, results from the citation exam and the quality of the casenote, a student will be chosen for membership as an associate staff. Membership is extended to the chosen students at the beginning of the following fall semester. For more detailed information, please consult the constitution and bylaws.

If I choose not to join after my 1L year, can I wait and join later?
The Law Review only allows membership for applicants that will have completed their 1L year at the time the competition begins.

If I’m in the top 5% of my class, do I automatically become a member of the Thurgood Marshall Law Review?
While other schools may allow for automatic membership based on grades, the Law Review only accepts members through the write-on process. A higher GPA may allow for a greater chance for membership to be extended to you.

If I’m not one of the top students in my class, is there any hope for me to become a member of the Thurgood Marshall Law Review?
Although our staff is composed of some of the best and brightest students in the school, grades alone will not determine your membership. While grades will increase your chances of becoming a member, the bulk of your membership is based upon your ability to write a casenote of publishable quality during the competition.

If I transfer in or out of the law school, may I obtain or retain my membership on the Law Review?
Since membership is extended only to those students who have completed their 1L year at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, transfer students are not allowed to participate in the competition. Likewise, should membership be extended to you but you transfer to another law school, your membership is revoked.

Why would I want to be on the Thurgood Marshall Law Review?
Becoming a member of the Law Review is a prestigious accomplishment. Every law school has a law review or a law journal. However, only a small percentage of law students are chosen as staff members. Also, many firms prefer students who are members of a law review or journal. While becoming a member of Law Review does not guarantee that you will get a job, it is an excellent resume booster.