Florida State University Law Review Prospective Members

What is the Law Review?
The Florida State University Law Review is the flagship legal journal at the Florida State University College of Law. It publishes four issues per year, each containing scholarly articles authored by judges, scholars, clerks, attorneys and law students from all over the globe. The Review is staffed and edited by current students of Florida State Law.

What is expected of Law Review members?

Publication of each issue of the Review entails many hours of article selection, research, legal analysis, preliminary editing and substantive and technical editing. Every member is involved in at least one, but usually more of these processes. Therefore, being a member of the Review requires dedication, discipline and self-motivation. Academic credit is available for many Law Review positions.

Additionally, each member is expected to maintain a GPA of 77 or higher, to serve on at least one committee during each year of membership, and to submit a paper of publishable quality before their final semester of law school.

A more comprehensive listing of all membership responsibilities may be found in the Florida State University Law Review Bylaws available here.

How do I become a member?
Membership in the Law Review is limited to students selected on the basis of their performance in their first-year classes and/or their participation in the Law Review’s annual writing competition. Students also have the opportunity to join during their second year by participating in a separate writing competition or if they write a scholarly paper that is selected for publication. The following policy describes the current provisions for membership, extending through the 2011-2012 academic year. This policy is subject to change.

The 1L Write-On Competition
The earliest you can join Law Review is during the summer after your 1L year when the Law Review holds its annual 1L Write-On Competition. You will have the opportunity to write a maximum 15-page paper based on a CLOSED research universe (i.e., we will provide the only cases/authorities you may cite). The Law Review will select approximately 30-35 new members at this time, in three different ways:

Best Grades — The top 15 students from the 1L class based on 1L class rank will be invited to join the Law Review. These students are not required to participate in the Write-On Competition.

Grades & Writing — The Law Review will select another portion of its new members based on two components: the student’s 1L GPA and the quality of the writing and Bluebooking in the student’s paper in the Write-On Competition.

Best Writing — Additionally, the Law Review will extend invitations to the students with the top five writing scores in the Write-On Competition. This means that even if you are not at the top of your class but you score highly in the writing competition, you may be invited to join the Law Review based on your competition score alone. NOTE: All Law Review members must have a minimum GPA of 77 on a 100 scale.

The 2L Write-On Competition
During the winter break, the Law Review holds its annual 2L Write-On Competition. This competition is open only to transfer students with at least three semesters remaining and 2Ls. You will have the opportunity to write a scholarly piece that will require more independent research than the 1L Summer Write-On Competition.

The Law Review will select new members based on the quality of the research, writing, and Bluebooking in the student’s paper.

Writing a Piece Chosen for Publication
You may also join Law Review if you write a scholarly paper that is selected for publication. The Law Review calls for student pieces four times each year. To be eligible to join, the writer must:

Have at least two semesters remaining (including the semester of nomination); and

Have a minimum GPA of at least 77 on a scale of 100.