Law Review Elections
BACKGROUND
To be on Law Review next year, you must decide what position you would like. There are two categories of positions:
Executive Board, consisting of:
1. Editor-in-Chief (EIC)
2. Managing Editor (ME)
3. Executive Notes and Comments Editor (ENCE)
4. 9 Executive Article Editors (EAEs)
Senior Staff, consisting of:
1. Notes and Comments Editors (NCEs)
2. Senior Associates (SAs)
PROCEDURE
Step 1: Gather as much information as you need to make an informed decision about what you want to do next year. You’ve probably picked up throughout the year what responsibilities the various positions entail. At the end of this document is a thorough description of all positions and responsibilities. It is likely, though, that you will have additional questions, so please feel free to contact any Law Review member for more information about his or her position. We are all happy to meet with you to talk to you about these positions.
Step 2: Applying for an Executive Board Position. If you decide that you want to run for an Executive Board Position, you must:
1. Email the Managing Editor, Ilana Bamberger (ibamberger@kentlaw.edu), with the position(s) that you would like to run for, and include an updated copy of your resume, by 5 PM Wednesday, February 17. Note, resumes must omit class rank, GPAs, and CALIs. Also, be sure to include the phone number at which you can be reached on Election Results Day.
2. Schedule an interview with the Executive Board for Sunday, February 21st. Starting Monday, February 1, we will have sign-up sheet posted in the Law Review office with the interview time slots. You must sign up by 5 PM Wednesday, February 17. Note, if you have a conflict with the interview day that cannot be avoided, please contact Ilana Bamberger immediately.
3. Interview with the Executive Board on Sunday, February 21st. The interview will likely last about 20-25 minutes. The entire Executive Board will interview each candidate. Business attire is appropriate.
Step 2 (continued): Applying for a Senior Staff position. If you decide that you only want to run for a Senior Staff Position, and not an Executive Board Position, you must:
Email the Executive Notes and Comment Editor, Brian Kaunelis (bkaunelis@kentlaw.edu), with the position that you would like to run for, and include a 300 word (minimum) explanation of why you are best suited for the position you choose, by 5 PM Wednesday, February 17. No resume is required. The Executive Notes and Comments Editor may demand to meet with and interview any applicants he so chooses prior to making any decisions.
Whether you are running for an Executive Board or Senior Staff position, we strongly encourage you to participate in the pre-election social on Thursday, February 18. The social will be a great opportunity for you to talk to current Senior Staff and Executive Board members about their positions, and make a good impression before Interview day. It also promises to be a good time! More details about this will follow.
Step 3: Election results. Tentatively, Executive Board and Senior Staff positions will be announced on Wednesday, February 24.
Step 4: Start fulfilling your new responsibilities. Depending on which position you end up in, your responsibilities may begin almost immediately. You will almost certainly want to work with the person who had your position this year to mentor you into your new responsibilities. In fact, you may be called on to act in your new role to a limited extent on our current issues to bring you up to speed. Be aware that most positions require significant time commitments over the summer (mostly in running the summer candidacy program, but there will also likely be cite checking and editing work to do).
Final Note: Law Review is a full year commitment. If you intend to continue with the Law Review next year as either an Executive Board or Senior Staff member, you must fulfill your responsibilities to the Law Review each semester, regardless of whether you have signed up for Law Review credit. Failure to do so will result disciplinary action with the faculty board.
Overview of Law Review Positions
Executive Board Positions
The Executive Board makes all major decisions affecting the Law Review, including the selection of staff, which student articles will be published, etc. The Executive Board consists of the Editor-in-Chief (David Freedman), the Managing Editor (Ilana Bamberger), the Executive Notes and Comments Editor (Brian Kaunelis), and the Executive Articles Editors (Michael Borella, Ryan Gibson, Sarah Kaplan, Adam Kreis, Jeff Mikrut, Carolyn Sorock, Elizabeth Thompson, Rue Toland, and Ben Wilensky).
In addition, some of the more detail-oriented or practical decisions are made by a committee that consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editor, and the Executive Notes and Comments Editor. This would include such things as the rules for the Summer Candidacy Program.
Finally, the Law Review Oversight Committee consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editor, and the Faculty Board (Professors Perritt, Nahmod, Warner, Marder, and Schmidt) who act as advisors to the Law Review. The Committee’s principal responsibility is to select the symposia for the following year.
Senior Staff Positions
Staff positions are Notes and Comments Editors (NCEs) and Senior Associates. NCEs work closely with first year Law Review members on editing their student notes. Senior Associates have the same responsibilities as a first year Law Review member, but they are not required to write another paper.
Webmaster
The Law Review’s webmaster needs sufficient computer skills to be able to run the Law Review’s webpage. This position is normally held in conjunction with another position on the Law Review.
Descriptions of Positions
Editor-in-Chief (“EIC”)
The Editor-in-Chief has the ultimate fiscal, editorial, and administrative responsibility for the Law Review, including supervision and coordination of the activities of the editors and staff members so that the publication process flows smoothly and quickly. The Editor-in-Chief participates in the selection of material for the review and has the final editorial decision on all articles to be published by the Law Review. The EIC often interacts with the faculty and administration, fielding questions and requests, and providing status reports. The Editor-in-Chief also maintains contact with the faculty editors of the issues to resolve problems and provide status reports. Finally, the EIC acts as an EAE for certain articles.
The Editor-in-Chief should expect to devote a very substantial amount of time to the Law Review. The EIC will likely spend more time on Law Review work during the course of the year than on class work. The EIC also needs to spend a significant amount of time in the summer helping to run the Summer Candidacy Program. Further, the EIC will be responsible for publishing all three issues of Volume 86. If these are not done by the end of the academic year, the EIC will need to work during the following summer with the incoming staff to complete publication. The nature of the EIC’s responsibilities would also make it difficult to work outside of school or to be involved in another organization that requires a substantial time commitment.
A more detailed account of the Editor-In-Chief’s responsibilities follows:
1. Final editorial responsibility. The EIC is the final editor who reviews articles before publication. Thus, the EIC must have an excellent grasp of the principles of the Bluebook and the Chicago Manual of Style. The EIC will also serve as an EAE for some articles. The EIC is responsible for communicating with authors as necessary, and planning and organizing the symposia articles.
2. Staff management. The EIC needs to make sure that the staff is meeting deadlines, has the resources they need for cite checking, etc. The EIC is also responsible for reporting to the registrar what grade Law Review members should receive for their Law Review credit.
3. Management of the business of the Law Review. The EIC has the authority to enter into contracts that bind the Law Review. The EIC may need to interact with vendors, suppliers, and other third parties, most particularly our printer.
4. Head the Law Review “department” within Chicago-Kent. The EIC is responsible for setting, managing, and adhering to our departmental budget. The EIC must exercise discretion as to what expenditures the Law Review should make. The EIC may need to make hiring decisions as well.
5. Be an advocate for the Law Review. This means everything from helping to recruit new members to meeting with the Dean to resolve issues that are in the interest of the Law Review.
Skills that are important for the EIC to possess include attention to detail, organization, commitment to the Law Review and a desire to continuously improve it, and an ability to work with and manage people and to handle conflicts.
Benefits to the EIC position include a full tuition scholarship in your third year. You will also be eligible to register for 3 Law Review credits per semester. And, you get your very own desk in the Law Review office!
Managing Editor (“ME”)
The Managing Editor is the administrator of the Law Review. The Managing Editor acts as the library liaison and assigns work to staff members and tracks staff performance with respect to those assignments. It is the job of the ME to keep track of all cite-checking assignments and deadlines, to keep records of all sources ordered from the library, when those sources arrive, and when the sources must be returned. The ME must be in constant communication with cite-checkers regarding the status of assignments/when their next assignment will be coming.
The ME also coordinates the annual on-site symposia. This entails working closely with the faculty member running the symposium, helping all participants with travel plans, creating symposium information packets, making sure the Law Review’s webpage has all appropriate symposium information, and coordinating Law Review staff volunteering at the event itself. The ME also plans the annual banquet, the election process, and the summer staff orientation. And, the Managing Editor acts as an Executive Articles Editor for certain articles.
The Managing Editor needs to be willing to dedicate a significant portion of time to the Law Review. This position may require more time being spent on Law Review duties than on class work. The ME needs to be extremely well organized, must pay attention to detail, and must be able to work well with the entire staff. The ME establishes all due dates for cite checkers, and it is at the ME’s discretion if and when any extensions should be granted. Much of the ME’s time is spent on e-mail, answering cite-checkers’ questions, communicating with EAE’s regarding their sources, and making sure cite checkers and EAE’s are working well together.
The ME is eligible to receive 2 Law Review credits per semester, tuition-free, in consideration of his/her contribution to the Law Review.
Executive Notes and Comments Editor (“ENCE”)
The Executive Notes and Comments Editor manages the summer write-on candidacy program, which includes assisting the Executive Committee in selecting a write-on topic and writing the write-on question, scheduling the summer write-on program, establishing procedures for selecting qualifying write-on papers, and ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of the write-on program. The Executive Notes and Comments Editor also schedules the Legal Writing IV equivalency classes for staff members, manages the Notes and Comments Editors, and coordinates the selection process for deciding which student notes and comments merit publication.
The ENCE is eligible to receive 2 Law Review credits per semester, tuition-free, in consideration of his/her contribution to the Law Review.
Executive Articles Editor (“EAE”)
Executive Articles Editors edit the articles that are published in the Law Review. The process of editing symposium articles includes working with both authors and faculty editors, as well as overseeing the cite-checking, Bluebooking, and proofreading performed for each article. In addition, EAEs review and vote on all papers for the summer write-on candidacy program and for publication.
EAEs receive 1 Law Review credit per semester, tuition-free, in consideration of their contribution to the Law Review.
Notes and Comments Editor (“NCE”)
Notes and Comments Editors supervise individual staff members during the student writing process. Their supervisory functions include assisting staff members in selecting topics, critiquing drafts, and participating in the selection of the student articles for publication. In addition, NCE’s assist the Executive Notes and Comments Editor during the summer write-on candidacy program and may participate in selection and editing student notes and comments for publication in the Law Review. Notes and Comments Editors participate in cite-checking and Bluebooking assignments during the summer. NCEs are eligible to sign up for 1 Law Review credit, but that credit is not tuition-free.
Senior Associate
During the summer months and throughout the entire academic year, Senior Associates participate in cite-checking, Bluebooking, and proofreading articles. Senior Associates are eligible to sign up for 1 Law Review credit, but the credit is not tuition-free.
Webmaster
The Webmaster works with the Publication Assistant to maintain the Law Review webpage. The Webmaster should be familiar with the maintenance and operation of a Web Page and Internet-related issues. The Webmaster is responsible for running the Law Review’s webpage, placing new issues of the Law Review and other relevant information on the webpage, and helping to implement additions and improvements to the Page. The Webmaster’s goal should be to improve the Law Review webpage, making it user-friendly and helpful to all visitors. The current Webmaster is Executive Article Editor, Michael Borella. He is also the brain-child behind the new www.cklawreview.com.