The Utah Law Review board busied themselves this summer selecting the junior staff members for the upcoming academic year and diving straight into the editing process for their first issue, which will be published this fall.
A student-run organization, the Utah Law Review publishes five issues each academic year on national and international legal topics. Two issues focus on general-interest topics. The board also publishes one issue each on environmental law, social justice topics, and the annual Lee E. Teitelbaum Law Review Symposium held each fall.
Selecting the team of editors and contributors
Students interested in joining the Utah Law Review must complete the write-on competition (overseen by the associate manager editor and the note and comment editors), which involves multiple steps:
- The Bluebook quiz: This tests a candidate’s ability to identify sources and follow citation rules.
“I actually really like the Bluebook, and it has served me well in other classes. I like the uniformity of it. There’s a rule for almost everything, and there is an answer you can find.”
Kate Menlove, executive managing editor of the Utah Law Review
- Development: Candidates write a paper on an original legal thought.
- Grades: The candidates must have the required grades to participate in law review, particularly in legal writing and research courses.
“Those who complete the write-on competition after their 1L year and are selected to join law review go on to expand their Development paper into a longer, more threshed-out work called a Note,” explains Landon Evans, editor-in-chief for the 2024–2025 Utah Law Review board. “Every new member of the Utah Law Review completes this step during the following academic year after they’ve been accepted onto the law review staff. From these Notes, we select student pieces for publication. One rewarding Utah Law Review tradition is that everyone is automatically considered for publication.”
The note and comment editors will review the 2L Notes and recommend serious contenders to the executive board for publication. For this upcoming year, the board is happy to announce that they will publish six different student pieces throughout the Utah Law Review’s issues.
The executive board also chooses articles written by professional authors and did so in February for this next academic year.
“Personally, this has been one of my favorite parts of law review! During article selection, we came across fascinating academic writing on all kinds of legal issues. On top of that, we communicated with authors from all around the country who were eager to publish with us,” Evans explains. “Because of the diligence and professionalism of past law review editors, the Utah Law Review is viewed as an exceptional journal to publish with, and that makes article selection all the more exciting. It also presents a crucial reminder about the work we do each day and the impact that will have on future members of the Utah Law Review.”
Benefits of participating in the Utah Law Review
Students have several incentives to participate in law review. First, it allows them to hone writing skills and gain editorial experience.
“I wanted to do law review because I have always been a strong writer and am passionate about editing and making things look good. I also liked the opportunity to have a say in what we pick and publish,” Menlove says.
The law review also allows students to mentor other students—not only with the law review, but also as teaching assistants for the 1L legal writing classes or the academic success program.
“Before becoming editor-in-chief, I had two memorable mentors who both were members of law review: Victoria Carrington (’23) and Maddy Woolf (’24). Because of their guidance, I am in a place as a writer, editor, and law student where I can be confident about the work I am doing,” Evans says. “I am grateful that they chose to give up time in their busy schedules to answer my questions, review my work, and provide support. It has made all the difference.”
Third, students feel a sense of ownership when they take on a senior staff position during their third year of law school as well.
“When one is a junior staff member, the articles have already been selected and the majority of the edits take place after you complete your work,” Evans explains. “During your second year of law review, you find yourself calling the shots. You help pick the articles, and you provide feedback that goes straight to the authors. At this stage, we get to decide the destiny of that year’s Utah Law Review, and it’s exhilarating!”
Finally, participating in law review helps open career opportunities for students once they graduate because they learn to pay attention to details and research. Evans says that since he’s taken on the role as editor-in-chief, he feels more confident in pursuing a clerkship upon graduation.
“On top of that, law review provides a behind-the-scenes perspective of legal academic scholarship, which can encourage those who aspire to publish works of their own one day,” he says.
Working at the Utah Law Review makes networking easier as well.
“Being a member of law review provides students with the opportunity to work with scholars who are writing articles that can have a major impact on the law,” says Professor Jonas Anderson, Utah Law Review faculty advisor. “It also provides students with a chance to write an article and have it published in a journal that is widely read by employers. It is perhaps the most recognizable and admired extracurricular one can pursue while in law school.”
Creating exciting and insightful publications
Overall, Evans explains, the executive board hopes that readers will be inspired by the articles selected for publication this year—that the selection reflects students’ priorities as incoming members to the legal profession and adds “positively to the ongoing dialogue to improve the legal system and society as a whole.”
Rachel Prickett Passey, one of the executive articles editors, says the Utah Law Review is simultaneously innovative and traditional.
“I want any of our readers (from whatever viewpoint they represent) to pick up a volume and find something within the covers that excites them and brings a renewed love for the law and optimism in its future,” she says. “I want readers to be at once galvanized to further action and reassured in the work of other professionals, which is a tricky balance and a tall order, but the kind of intellectual stimulation that prompted me to join law review in the first place.”
For Adam Snow, executive environmental editor, the Utah Law Review contributors (many of whom call the West home) offer profound insights into the unique challenges the western United States face.
“Their articles illustrate how legal frameworks can foster creative solutions to wicked problems, protect communities, and sustain the region’s unique way of life,” he says. “Navigating these complex legal issues, our readers will gain insights into innovative legal approaches and realize that the West can, is, and should be a leader in environmental conversations.”
And the board has also learned a thing or two about leadership.
“Since being in my position, I have learned that there are many right ways to get something done. I’ve learned that it’s important to collaborate and hear ideas, but it is also important to make a final decision. I have been really glad I decided to write on law review!” Menlove says.