Each year the Review selects approximately 42 members from the rising Columbia 2L and Transfer Student class through its annual Writing Competition. The Competition, traditionally held the week following the conclusion of spring semester finals, asks participants to use a closed set of materials to analyze a legal problem. No outside research is expected or permitted. The Writing Competition Problem has varied from year to year – in the past students have been asked to write an essay justifying a position recently taken by a judge on a cutting-edge legal issue; write a bench memorandum; complete a classic law school issue spotter; or do something completely different. There is not a Bluebooking component to the Competition.
On the opening day of the Writing Competition, participants may pick up the materials in person at the law school or download the packet online through Lawnet. The Review accepts Competition submissions either by hand delivery to the law school’s information center or by overnight mail. No electronic submissions are accepted. Students need not be present in New York City to participate in the Writing Competition. General instructions for registering for the Writing Competition are made available in late April or early May of each year, and specific instructions regarding logistics and format are provided in the Writing Competition materials.
Of the approximately 42 students invited to join the Review as editors, 10 are selected solely on the basis of their Writing Competition Scores. Next, 25 students are selected on the basis of a combination of their Competition Scores and 1L grades. Finally, 7 students are selected based on a combination of their Competition Scores, 1L grades, and a personal statement.
Transfer students are likewise eligible to apply to the Review through the Writing Competition. The Competition must be taken at the same time as rising Columbia 2Ls. Transfer students, however, are considered for membership only on the basis of their Writing Competition scores, and therefore are eligible only for the slots reserved for the Competition’s 10 highest scores. Please note that any offer of membership is contingent upon a transfer student’s admittance to Columbia Law School. While it is the Review’s policy to notify the law school’s admissions office when a transfer applicant is invited to join the Review, this invitation does not guarantee a transfer applicant’s admittance to the law school.
The Review typically has made membership offers in early July. The Review’s editorial staff is required to return to the Review’s offices to begin full-time production in early August of each year.
Students not selected to join the Review through the Writing Competition may still gain membership through participation in the Review’s Publishable Notes Program.
