Membership on the Iowa Law Review is not only a high honor for law students, but also one of the most valuable forms of legal education. Serving on the Iowa Law Review enhances research and writing skills, stimulates creativity, and fosters resourcefulness in legal study. The Iowa Law Review consists of no more than 40 Student Writers, 22 Editorial Board Members, and an undetermined number of Contributing Editors. The Iowa Law Review is completely student-run. Student Writers are chosen from applications in the all-journal Write-On Competition. Board Members are selected by the outgoing board after successful completion of a Student Writer position.
Write-On Competition
A Write-On Competition is held each spring after final exams. All first-year students and dual degree students who have not participated in a prior Write-On Competition can apply. The Write-On Competition shall consist of three components: (1) the Writing Exercise; (2) The Bluebook Exercise; and (3) the Résumé. The Writing Exercise requires applicants to analyze a single case and place it in context with previous court decisions and other legal authorities. Applicants must advocate for a position on the issue and discuss the impacts the decision may have on a particular area of law. The Bluebook Exercise requires applicants to check a wide variety of citations for errors, testing proofreading and resourcefulness skills. The ability to work with The Bluebook is an important skill for journal work and legal practice. The Résumé must exclude any reference to GPA or academic achievement. The entire Write-On Competition is blindly graded and anonymous. Iowa Law Review remains committed to fostering diverse and inclusive membership. Applicants with the top scores from the entire Write-On Competition will be offered positions as Student Writers for the Iowa Law Review.
Student Writer Program
The Student Writer Program consists of a writing program component and a publication support component. The writing component requires Student Writers to complete a 40-page Note of publishable quality on a novel legal issue. The Note must contain a thorough analysis of relevant cases, statutes, and secondary sources. The publication support component consists of Authority Checks and office projects. Authority Checks involve verifying the substantive and technical accuracy of citations on pieces selected for publication. Office projects consist of a variety of tasks that prepare Articles and Notes for publication, including compiling sources as well as conducting both substantive and technical edits on the Articles or Notes.