Work Together (and Stand Out): Journals

Our student-run scholarly publications are among the most competitive and respected student organizations at Michigan State Law. Our three journals provide students with the chance to work closely with other law students, engage with legal academia, and impress prospective employers. Members can also build an area of expertise by publishing their own scholarship.

Why participate in a journal?
Many law employers prefer to hire journal and Law Review members, as they’ve honed their research, writing, and time management skills. Since writing is a critical skill for success as a lawyer, it’s valuable to demonstrate your commitment to solid mechanical and analytical writing.

Participants work extensively on mastering the profession-wide standards for legal citation (the Bluebook), which is great practice for the kind of work that new lawyers do. It’s particularly important for students who want to work for large law firms or who plan to clerk for judges.

MSU Law’s official school-funded and student-edited journals are:

Michigan State Law Review is MSU Law’s flagship legal scholarship journal and advances legal scholarship by publishing cutting-edge legal scholarship, and they host one symposia each year, hosting global experts on timely legal fields.

Previous Law Review symposia topics have included the legal issues associated with transportation, the quantitative analysis of the law, persuasion in civil rights advocacy, and the use of works in the public domain to further innovation in the information economy.

Law Review membership is limited and highly competitive.

Animal & Natural Resource Law Review is the second legal journal on animal law established in North America, and one of the only three in existence dedicated to the specialized topic. Each year, the Journal hosts a symposium to examine an emerging issue in animal or natural resource law.

Michigan State International Law Review publishes thought-provoking articles and organizes topical symposia on the most relevant provocative issues from around the globe. Part years' symposia topics include innovation in drug policy, global healthcare, immigration and migration, and human trafficking. 

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