Membership Selection
Law students may gain membership to the law journal through the Write-on Competition or through publication of a Note or Comment.
Write-on Competition
Law students may gain membership to the law journal through the Write-on Competition immediately following the final exam period in the Spring semester of the 1L year.
Please see below for information on the write-on process. For any questions that are not answered by the FAQ's below or a law journal information session, contact Membership Editor Nicole Truso at nfritz@stthomas.edu.
Note and Comment Process
Law students may submit papers for publication in the journal through the note and comment publication process. For details on this process, see the Note and Comment page.
Please contact Note and Comments Editor Boe Piras at bmpiras@stthomas.edu for more information.
Journal Membership:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the University of St. Thomas Law Journal?
The University of St. Thomas Law Journal is a student-run organization and is the only official legal scholarship publication of the Law School. The Journal staff currently publishes three issues per year and presents two symposia on topics selected by Journal members.
Why do I want to be a Journal member?
Journal membership provides significant research and editing experience, which employers value. You choose symposium topics you would like the legal community to discuss and build community with other Journal members.
How can I become a Journal member?
There are two ways to become a Journal member after your first year of law school:
(1) participate in the write-on competition and receive an invitation to join the Journal or
(2) submit a note or comment that the Journal decides to publish.
Every student selected for Journal membership receives academic credit. Associate editors (generally 2Ls) receive one credit per semester; senior editors (3Ls) receive three credits per year; editorial board members (3Ls) receive two credits per semester.
What is the write-on competition? When does it take place?
The write-on competition is the application process for Journal membership. All interested applicants must complete the write-on application, which consists of a closed memo and an editing exercise. Half of the invitations extended will be to those students with the highest grades who put forth a good faith effort; the other half will be based solely on the quality of the application packet. The write-on competition starts after the last 1L final on May 7, following the Foundations of Justice exam. Students must submit their competition registration materials in paper form (confidentiality and honor code statement and GPA release form) by the end of the finals period at noon on May 8. It is suggested that students do this in the Journal office at 4:00pm on May 7.
Students must electronically submit their application to Westlaw's TWEN, drop off paper copies in the journal office, or postmark their applications by 11:59pm on May 16.Students who have registered by May 8 and completed the write-on competition by May 16 will be notified of their acceptance after all 1L grades are submitted and ranks are calculated. In the past, this has been in mid-July.
Do I have to be in the Twin Cities to complete the write-on competition?
No. The packet can is posted on Westlaw's TWEN website and can be submitted electronically. Additionally, the write-on application can be submitted in hard copy via US Mail.
What would my Journal duties entail?All second-year students on staff are associate editors; their most important responsibility is ensuring the accuracy of all citations in articles before the Journal publishes them. Associate editors also have the critical and fun responsibility to collaboratively decide the symposium topics for the following year. Third-year students on staff are either senior editors or serve on the editorial board. They work on the substantive and technical accuracy of the articles, supervise associate editors, and manage the Journal.
What is the time commitment?
Your time commitment to the Journal will vary. Some weeks will be very busy and you may be expected to put in 15-20 hours. Other weeks, you may need to dedicate only 1-2 hours.
Can I participate in Clinic or Moot Court while working on the Journal?
Absolutely. Many students participate in Clinic or Moot Court while serving as Journal editors.
Additional questions?
E-mail us at lawreview@stthomas.edu or stop into the Journal office.
