The law review essay is one of the most important writing assignments for law students in the United States. Law reviews represent the flagship publication of nearly every law school and are composed of essays on legal issues authored by law students. While the exact requirements of a law review essay will vary between schools, there are some common characteristics:
Length and Structure: Most law review essays are between 25-40 pages double spaced, or approximately 7,000-14,000 words. The essay has a defined structure including an introduction, body, and conclusion. An appropriate length allows for an in-depth analysis of the topic.
Research Requirements: Thorough legal research is required using primary legal sources like cases, statutes, and regulations. Secondary sources like law review articles, treatises, and restatements should also be cited. A law review essay must demonstrate mastery of the existing legal scholarship and precedents related to the topic.
Thesis: The essay must have a clear, sophisticated thesis asserting an arguable position on a narrow legal issue. An effective thesis identifies both sides of a debate and articulates the author’s stance. The thesis is more than a descriptive statement and guides the structure and analysis.
Analysis: The bulk of the paper is an analytical discussion proving the veracity of the thesis through legal reasoning. Key cases are closely read and distinguished, statutes are carefully interpreted using techniques of statutory construction, and counterarguments are dismantled. Public policy considerations may also factor into the analysis when relevant.
Citation Format: Essays must comply with Bluebook citation guidelines without exception. Footnotes are positioned correctly and provide full citations for every proposition or reference cited in the text. Citation errors undermine an essay’s credibility.
Editing: Given the extensive length, law review essays require time-intensive drafting, revising, proofreading and line editing to refine the analysis and remove errors. The final product must be polished and publishable quality without issues like typos, punctuation mistakes, transitions, or awkward phrasing.
Originality: A student’s analysis and scholarly contribution to a legal issue must be novel and advance understanding beyond existing literature. Plagiarism checking software may be used to ensure ideas are original and not improperly appropriated from other works. Building on precedent versus recycling it is key.
As evaluating a law review essay submission is subjective, the process is typically blind and anonymous. Students submit final drafts without identifying information to the editorial board who assess entries based on the above criteria. Essays are judged on the depth and lucidity of research, strength of the thesis, quality of legal analysis, technical writing proficiency, and original scholarly value. Evaluation may involve several rounds of review, feedback, and revision.
Law review membership at elite schools is highly competitive, with acceptance rates regularly below 10% of the applicant pool. Writing a successful law review essay therefore requires significant investment of time over the course of an academic year. For students, the process cultivates invaluable skills in legal research, reasoning, and writing that translate well to practice. Publishing on a prestigious law review also boosts a resume for securing high-paying post-graduate jobs, clerkships, and further academic opportunities. While laborious, investing effort into crafting a compelling law review essay can significantly impact one’s legal career.
Those are the core components of a law review essay based on commonly accepted standards across U.S. law schools. Meeting rigorous requirements for length, structure, analysis and citation allows students to demonstrate mastery of legal scholarship and hone critical skills necessary for practice. With extensive research, a well-articulated thesis, and polished writing, aspiring law students can gain membership and recognition through publication in a prestigious law review.