Making Law Review: The Expert's Guide to Mastering the Write-On Competition

by Wes Henricksen

Every year, law students across the country participate in the write-on competition for a shot at the most highly coveted prize in law school: membership on the law review. But until now, law students... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594605203
• ISBN13: 9781594605208
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Carolina Academic Press
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

a cheat sheet for getting onto law review

The other reviewers have pretty much covered most of what I would say. But I'd like to add this: reading Making Law Review is like having a cheat sheet on exactly how to get onto law review. It spoon-feeds all you need to know to write the best possible submission paper. I highly recommend you read this book if you're even thinking of joining law review. -G, T10 2L law review member

Most helpful guide of its kind

I don't know what I would have done without this book. I picked it up because I was thinking about trying to write on to law review, but I wasn't too sold on the whole idea at the time. After reading it, I decided I would definitely give it a shot. And now I am a member of my law school's law review. In my opinion, law review is well worth it (though many believe it is only useful if you want a job at a top tier law firm, with a judge, or as a professor). I just got accepted onto law review, so I can't speak from experience. But talking with members of the class ahead of me, there appears to be a consensus that being on law review serves two important purposes: 1) it boosts your resume in a way no other single accomplishment can; and 2) it gives members the opportunity to greatly improve their legal research and writing skills. I'm looking forward to it. And I likely would not have succeeded in the write-on competition (and may not have even participated in it) were it not for this book.

Little book with a big impact

Fact No. 1: I read this book about three weeks before the write-on competition. Fact No. 2: I received a call last week from the Editor in Chief of my school's law review inviting me to join. Fact No. 3: I said, "YES!" I made law review and I'm still in a bit of a haze of disbelief. I'm not sure how much responsibility for me making law review can be attributed to this book. (I'd like to think it was all me.) But I did learn a lot about the write-on competition from reading it. Making Law Review is an unassuming little book with a big impact that many law students read but few admit it. Most--like me--wait until they find out whether or not they made law review to disclose that they cared enough about the whole process to actually read the book. In my opinion, if you want to make law review, you should read it. I actually checked the book out from my law library, so you may want to see if that's an option before buying it.

Read this book before doing the law review competition!

I wish I'd had this book in law school. It breaks down what the write-on competition is all about and even discusses what the graders are looking for in submission papers. It demystifies the whole write-on process and gives a comprehensive lesson on how to maximize your chances of making it onto law review. That said, the first third of the book appears to be "filler." Who really wants to know about the "history of the law review" or "why you should be on law review"? I'm guessing that with the book's short length the author needed some filler material. Regardless, Chapters 5 (preparing for the write-on competition) and 6 (writing your submission paper) make the book extremely valuable for anyone interested in getting onto law review who does not already know the ins and outs of the write-on competition. Most 1Ls don't have this information. I know I didn't when I was a 1L! I highly recommend this book because it contains vital information that every student should have before going into the write-on competition, such as how to prepare for the competition and how to write the best submission paper possible. (Just skip over the first third of the book unless you have an extra hour to kill.)