Point of TTT Law Review? Forum

(Please Ask Questions and Answer Questions)
Post Reply
User avatar
Liberal Theory

New
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2017 1:31 pm

Point of TTT Law Review?

Post by Liberal Theory » Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:57 am

Not that I am at the point of being in law school yet or anything, I thought of a question that I just can't seem to a find a satisfactory anwer for. What is the meaning in doing LR at a TTT anyway? I don't exactly imagine a school full of TTT students gunning for adding that sort of workload on their plates or even being all that interested. (I also wonder if even the profs care about publishing in a TTT Journal.) If going to a 4th/3rd tier school is so dismal with little to no hope of clerkships or whatever, why does anyone put LR on their resume if no one who would even look at it particularly cares; or is it actually more than putting icing on a shitcake?

User avatar
A. Nony Mouse

Diamond
Posts: 29293
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:51 am

Re: Point of TTT Law Review?

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Thu Aug 03, 2017 10:17 am

Some law profs won't be able to publish anywhere else, and also if a law prof has an offer from a crappy journal, they can use it to get better offers from better journals.

Also the very tip top students at those schools often have some options, and LR is one of the signals for being tip top. (It's a tiny number, but still.)

Which isn't to say it has *much* of a point, but not that much less than in other schools.

User avatar
sam91

Bronze
Posts: 144
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:03 pm

Re: Point of TTT Law Review?

Post by sam91 » Sat Aug 19, 2017 8:43 pm

Liberal Theory wrote:Not that I am at the point of being in law school yet or anything, I thought of a question that I just can't seem to a find a satisfactory anwer for. What is the meaning in doing LR at a TTT anyway? I don't exactly imagine a school full of TTT students gunning for adding that sort of workload on their plates or even being all that interested. (I also wonder if even the profs care about publishing in a TTT Journal.) If going to a 4th/3rd tier school is so dismal with little to no hope of clerkships or whatever, why does anyone put LR on their resume if no one who would even look at it particularly cares; or is it actually more than putting icing on a shitcake?
Some would argue Law Review IS the point of a 3rd/4th tier school. If you are in certain regions (say, N.Y.), and you are gunning for biglaw, Law Review is an absolute MUST with big firms (there are exceptions, but very few). Many 3rd tier LR students, at a handful of third tier schools, will end up in biglaw.

Also, w/r/t "the point of publishing in the journal" is partly what nony said, and partly that academics just want to publish, and publish often. Also, often times LR rankings don't equate to a particular law school's ranking. They are ranked on an entirely different scale.

User avatar
rpupkin

Platinum
Posts: 5653
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:32 pm

Re: Point of TTT Law Review?

Post by rpupkin » Sat Aug 19, 2017 9:20 pm

Liberal Theory wrote:Not that I am at the point of being in law school yet or anything, I thought of a question that I just can't seem to a find a satisfactory anwer for. What is the meaning in doing LR at a TTT anyway?
What do you think the meaning is of doing law review at a non-TTT?

User avatar
Vursz

Bronze
Posts: 126
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:31 pm

Re: Point of TTT Law Review?

Post by Vursz » Sat Aug 19, 2017 9:24 pm

rpupkin wrote:
Liberal Theory wrote:Not that I am at the point of being in law school yet or anything, I thought of a question that I just can't seem to a find a satisfactory anwer for. What is the meaning in doing LR at a TTT anyway?
What do you think the meaning is of doing law review at a non-TTT?
This is the credited response.

LR is the single biggest waste of time I've ever encountered in my life. It's almost offensive to me that so many hours of my existence were spent un-italicizing commas. The institution exists purely for prestige: if "legal scholarship" was really what law reviews are about, the professors would run them themselves. But let's not kid ourselves: it's all about prestige.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


Post Reply

Return to “Ask a Law Student”