Student Journals: How to Join
All Moritz journals have a common membership notification date in late July. Each student has one week from the notification date to accept or decline an invitation to join a journal. A student who receives an invitation from more than one journal may accept only one offer. The annual writing competition presents an exciting opportunity for Moritz students to perfect their writing and editing skills while becoming involved in a prominent college organization.
Ohio State Law Journal
Ohio State Law Journal is the official law review of the Moritz College of Law. The Law Journal offers approximately half of its staff member positions to students ranked in the top 10% of the first-year class, and the other half to the top performers in the annual writing competition. Because the competition occurs shortly after the end of final exams in May, and class ranks are not available before late June, all students who are interested in Law Journal membership should plan to participate in the writing competition.
The writing competition lasts about 10 days and is held in conjunction with the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution. By participating in the competition, students apply to both journals at the same time, but each journal independently judges the entries. The competition requires a 10-page paper and a brief editing assignment. The paper must be written on one of two approved topics, and must be based on a list of approved sources (cases, statutes, law review articles, etc.). The editing assignment tests knowledge of Bluebook rules by requiring the identification of errors in about three pages of text and footnotes.
Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution
The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution (JDR) is the official law journal of the American Bar Association's Section on Dispute Resolution and a major component of the Moritz College of Law's nationally recognized program on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Now in its twenty-first year of publication, the student-run JDR continues to publish information about alternative methods of dispute resolution including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, summary jury trials, and mini-trials. As the ABA's journal on dispute resolution, JDR is the most cited journal in the field.
Those students who receive the top two grades in each of the college's first-year legal writing sections and the top performers in the annual writing competition held jointly with the Ohio State Law Journal are invited to join JDR. The writing competition occurs in May - shortly after final exams, but before grades have been released. Therefore, all students interested in JDR membership should plan to participate in the writing competition.
The writing competition application for both JDR and the Ohio State Law Journal includes submission of a brief Bluebook editing assignment and a ten-page paper on one of two pre-approved topics. Students will receive writing competition packets which include the editing assignment, the two pre-approved writing topics, a list of approved sources for each topic (cases, statutes, law review articles) and writing competition instructions at the general journal meeting held every spring. The date, time, and location of the general journal meeting are announced several weeks in advance so that all interested students may plan to attend this mandatory meeting.
Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law
Current law students may become members of the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law in one of two ways.
(1) Most students receive an invitation based on their journal application score. In general, to apply to OSJCL, students must complete an editing assignment and submit a resume, writing sample, and statement of interest. The editing portion is an identical sample for all five journals (applicants may submit copies of the same editing assignment used for all other journals), involving a three-page excerpt of an unpublished law review article. The editing assignment tests knowledge of Bluebook rules by requiring the applicant to identify errors in article text and footnotes. The writing sample may consist of any example of previous legal or non-legal writing, including a paper the applicant prepared for the OSLJ/JDR writing competition, legal writing class work, or any undergraduate or graduate work that displays the applicant's writing ability. In addition, applicants must submit a statement of interest (three double-spaced pages or less) discussing specific interests in OSJCL and highlighting personal qualifications.
(2) Students may also obtain an OSJCL invitation based on their first-year criminal law grade. Generally, the top two students in each small criminal law section and the top three students in each large criminal law section will receive an invitation. While students will be notified of this invitation shortly after fall grades are released in the winter, they will not be required or permitted to accept or reject until all other invitations have been extended in the summer.
I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society
I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society is an interdisciplinary journal of research and commentary concentrating on the intersection of law, policy, and information technology. It represents a one-of-a-kind partnership between The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and the nation's foremost public policy school focused on information technology, Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz III School of Law and Public Policy. Recently, the I/S Journal has also partnered with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), the world's largest association of privacy professionals, resulting in an overall subscription base of more than 3,000 subscribers.
There are two ways to become a member of the I/S Journal.
First, students are invited to take part in the Joint Summer Application Process. The Application Process requires students to (1) complete a supplied application, (2) provide a writing sample, (3) provide a resume, (4) complete an editing assignment, and (5) submit a statement of interest. This process takes place over a two-week period at the beginning of the summer. The writing sample may consist of legal or non-legal writing papers, including papers submitted for the journal writing competition, materials from the candidate's legal writing class, or any undergraduate or graduate work that displays strong analytical and writing ability. A candidate's prior work experience and educational training as it pertains to the I/S Journal will be taken into consideration. The writing sample and editing assignment are evaluated anonymously. Upon completion of the evaluation process, the candidates receiving top overall scores will receive an invitation to join the Journal. Others receiving high scores will be placed on the wait-list.
Second, students may grade-on to the journal. The I/S Journal will extend invitations to first-year students in the top 30% of their class at the end of the academic year. Candidates who anticipate grading-on only need to complete the first portion of the Application Process providing the Journal with your contact information and a grade release form.
Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal
The Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal (EBLJ) is the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law's newest journal started entirely by student initiative. In order to become a member of the EBLJ, students participate in a writing competition at the end of their first year. The writing competition occurs simultaneously with the writing competitions for the other journals. The writing competition requires students to submit a writing sample, a brief editing assignment, and a personal statement indicating their interest in business. Students need not have a background in business, but the EBLJ actively seeks those with a strong interest in business law.