Law Review

One of the distinctive traditions of American law schools is the student-edited law review. The UNT Dallas College of Law recognizes the important benefits that such journals have for students and the law school community: extensive writing and editing experience; interaction with practitioners and scholars on legal issues; intensive collaborative work with peers; and the personal, academic, and professional development gained through the intellectual and practical challenges of producing a publication. 

Currently, over 800 student-edited law journals are published. Most follow the format of publishing, in each issue, a few primary articles by law professors (and, to a lesser extent, judges and practitioners), with several student-authored papers. The journals are the primary source for the academic publications of the legal professoriate, and the content, scope, and length of articles tends to reflect this.

Given this backdrop, the College of Law aims to start and support journals that provide a unique contribution while retaining, for students, the benefits of student-led journals. The UNT Dallas College of Law will publish two journals: one focused on practice-relevant articles and one focused on civic education about law. These journals will be student-led publications with active boards of advisors drawn from the faculty, the practicing bar, and the civic community. The journals will be electronic and will be published in a digital repository format that aims at wide accessibility, including papers in downloadable format, for the practicing bar and for the civic community. The details of governance, publication, student membership, and advisory contributions will be specified in bylaws of each journal. In general, students will be eligible for membership on the journals after completion of their first year; selection will be by application and by demonstrated ability and interest.

ON THE CUSP PRESENTED BY THE UNT DALLAS LAW REVIEW

On the Cusp will be a digital law journal, published online by members of the UNT Dallas Law Review. It will publish articles of high value to practicing lawyers, especially on legal topics and fields of interest to small and solo practitioners. On the Cusp will include articles written by external authors (practitioners, professors, and judges), and student-written comments. On the Cusp will emphasize concise analyses that advance useable legal knowledge and understanding. Students will serve as editors for articles written by external authors and by other students. To reflect the College of Law’s commitment to the important mission of such a publication, and to draw on the faculty’s practice and writing experience, On the Cusp will have several faculty advisors.

Faculty advisors and founding board members of On the Cusp will draft the Constitution and Bylaws of the Journal. Founding board members of On the Cusp will develop editorial processes, create and manage the online publication business, solicit articles from external authors, set membership and editorial board standards, and publish the first online editions of On the Cusp.

ACCESSIBLE LAW PRESENTED BY THE UNT DALLAS LAW REVIEW

Accessible Law will be a multimedia journal, published online by the members of the UNT Dallas Law Review. There will be four primary types of content: articles, columns, media, and forms. The process for publishing articles will resemble a more traditional journal, with students serving as editors for articles written by other students, faculty members, and external authors. All articles will be published online and hosted by the UNT Digital Library. Columns content will resemble blog entries focusing on various categories. Students will be selected to write specific columns, and students will also be selected to solicit and edit faculty-written columns. Media content will be developed and produced by students and hosted on the Accessible Law site. It may take the form of photos, videos, audio, or other media, as determined by the selected students. Forms will be created in coordination with CALI and the Center for Access to Justice & Technology, through CALI’s A2J Author project. Students working with forms will not be required to produce or edit regular content, since the form development process can be lengthy. All projects on Accessible Law will be managed and coordinated by the board of the UNT Dallas Law Journal. To reflect the College of Law’s commitment to the important mission of such a publication, and to draw on the faculty’s practice and writing experience, Accessible Law will have several faculty advisors.

Faculty advisors and founding board members of Accessible Law will draft the Constitution and Bylaws. Founding board members of Accessible Law will develop editorial processes; create and manage the online publication business; solicit questions from the community regarding law and legal processes; solicit articles and columns from students and faculty; develop, edit and publish multi-media pieces extending access to the justice system to lay-people; set membership and editorial board standards; and publish the first online editions of Accessible Law.