Law Review Write-on how hard?

[ionisnotme]

Exams are over and everyone is burned out including myself. Any advice on how hard it is to write a 8-10 page paper in just a week. Generally hard?

[mutual_biscuit]

Not so much hard as tedious. Certainly not fun.

[jacy85]

Law review write on, personally, was one of the most difficult time I'd had at that point in law school.  The motivation for me just wasn't there.  We had I think 10 days, and I dove right in.  Within a two days, I became overwhelmed, demoralized and the burnout from all 1L was nearly too much to bear.

But I got it done.  I took a day off, finished writing my note, and then took another day off.  I edited it in short spurts, and turned in something I actually felt pretty good about.

I can't say how successful my write on submission was, as I ended up grading on (something unexpected).  But I survived, and turned something in I wasn't completely dissatisfied with.  That's more than a good number of people who pick the write on packet up can say, as a good percentage never even finish.

So advice is just to plug away steadily.  Don't leave it till the last minute, but don't push yourself so you get completely sick of it.  Use time wisely, and don't deny yourself needed breaks.  If you don't hit every single minor point, that's ok.  It's most important to hit the major points of analysis, try to make sure you're paper makes sense, and, from someone who had to grade write-ons last summer, papers that are well written piss off graders LESS and may make them more generous.

[Dxion]

Don't WASTE any time. Take breaks if you have to, but try to spend as much time on it as you can. Every minute you waste you will wish you had back as the deadline approaches. This is one of those times where you just have to grab your balls and go.

[Astro]

You should also consider how necessary or desirable Law Review is for you.  It's a great resume booster, but it's not for everyone.  Don't do it just because everyone else is doing it.  Do it because you either want to or need to do it.

[plex]

In what situations, short of already being in your dream firm, would law review not be worth the effort, at least for having the ability to state you were accepted to law review?

I really really need some motivation to get this thing done, when it essentially is going to take time away from making $35/hour for every hour I spend doing the write-on for it. There is also a chance I may stick with part-time school/part-time work, in which case, every hour I spend doing law review stuff will be keeping me from making $35/hour.

[Astro]

In what situations, short of already being in your dream firm, would law review not be worth the effort, at least for having the ability to state you were accepted to law review?

I really really need some motivation to get this thing done, when it essentially is going to take time away from making $35/hour for every hour I spend doing the write-on for it. There is also a chance I may stick with part-time school/part-time work, in which case, every hour I spend doing law review stuff will be keeping me from making $35/hour.

Come on, don't be short-sighted.  I didn't mean Law Review isn't always an awesome line on your resume.  It certainly is. 

I meant that there is a lot of effort involved, beyond just the write-on.  Some legal fields look for very specific types of work/classes in law school, and there may be better options for spending your time than Law Review.  There may also be a similarly prestigious journal at your school which either requires less effort or is more geared towards your interests or both.  Or, through networking contacts or internships, you may have a novel track towards employment which doesn't necessitate Law Review and requires you dedicate your (severely limited) time to other causes.


I didn't mean to decry Law Review, if that was the perception.  I think, in the majority of cases, Law Review is well worth the effort.  But for some people, looking at the big picture, it may be more effort than it's worth.

[plex]

Eh, I wasn't being sarcastic, I really do need some motivation to get this write-on done, I already have 12 hours of classes + 15 to 20 hours of homework and readings + 40 hours of working/commuting each week  .

[Astro]

Eh, I wasn't being sarcastic, I really do need some motivation to get this write-on done, I already have 12 hours of classes + 15 to 20 hours of homework and readings + 40 hours of working/commuting each week  .

 

Sorry.  That really does suck.  Law Review write-on is a siege on the system. 

But you know it's really important to you, and it's only a week at most, so you'll kick its ass!


(As if that will help.)

[ionisnotme]

Thanks for all the replies, but I mean in terms of how hard do they grade the paper. Anyone have to do bluebook critiques as well?

Anyone here who tried and failed?