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For my school's Law Review for 3Ls, there are the board, associate editors, and members. An associate editor is more or less a glorified footnoter- the job entails footnoting slightly more than other law review staffers, as well as potentially a few editing assignments. I missed out on the board and got an associate editor position. Would any judge care about an associate editor position? Or should I just be a member?

It's either Editor in chief or the one that you do the fewest things possible. No body cares that you were the treasurer and no one will care about LR if you're going corporate.

Is the difference between associate editor and member make and break for clerkship applications? Of course not. But in a world which each judges receives hundreds of applications and many applications from highly qualified applicants, fine distinctions get made about what applications get put in front of the judge and then who gets called in for interviews. Anything with "editor" in the title is going to look better than "member."

Associate editor also entirely consumes your 3L, whereas 3L could be one of the best years of your life, done right. If a year of comparative misery is worth the off chance it tips the scales to getting x % more prestigious of a clerkship (literally the only conceivable benefit), go crazy.

How does being an AE entirely consume your 3L year? Seems like an overstatement.

EIC or bust as far as journal position goes. 2/9/DC chambers and only one of us did a law review editor position (and not all of us even did law review). I think the more important thing is getting a note published. Use the other time to do things that add value: volunteer work, moot court, ACS/Fed Soc/ other orgs, internship etc.

Anonymous User wrote:How does being an AE entirely consume your 3L year? Seems like an overstatement.

RC error, I thought we were talking about ed board.

OP, nobody is going to know or care of the difference between "AE" and "member"; you should do whichever requires less work.

At my school AE's had a large enough scholarship and low enough hours requirement that AE was better than senior member, in my opinion.