Law Review - How stupid was it not to petition for law review?

[wustl3l]

So what reason for not doing law review beyond "I tried but failed" would you find compelling?

Probably something like needing the time to do significant pro bono work. It'd obvious be a case-by-case basis.

[jimmyjohn]

If all jobs just picked the person with the best interview, there'd just be a lot of friendly but incompetent people. 

Besides, as wonderful as you think you are in an interview, you're probably on par with just most people.  That's encompassed in my "roughly equal." 

Actually, rather than waste my time with a journal I took jobs as a research assistant and a law clerk during my 2nd and 3rd years.  I learned a lot more about how to research/write and about the practice of law than any journal or law review would have taught me. 

Since you are advocating giving out jobs based on tiebreakers such as journal membership, you must also believe that such membership is in part indicative of competency as an attorney. 

Perhaps you didn't read my post, but I said that I would pre-screen for competency prior to the interview. I would look at grades, reputation of school and experience in similar legal environments.  Membership on the law review honestly wouldn't mean much to me because I don't think it teaches you how to do much of anything related to the actual practice of law.  I'm sorry to deflate your inflated sense of self-worth. 

[goaliechica]

I find that, despite the many rationalizations, most people who didn't apply for journals just didn't think they'd get on.

 

ETA:

Look, at the very real risk of evoking sour grapes, I just want to say that while law review is a tremendous honor and will stay with you throughout your career like few other things you have the opportunity to do in law school, I cannot tell you how many people - people at my current job, where I would love to end up working, professors, people I know with clerkships that I would love to get, others I know in the profession - have told me that law review is not the be-all-end-all and counseled me not to bother with it. I honestly was at a career panel last week where a guy from a large prestigious law firm said he'd almost rather not see law review on a resume, because everyone he knew who'd done it hated it. Now I'm not saying that's the prevailing opinion, and I recognize that for many employers and judges it's just something they expect of the "best" students, but there are plenty of employers out there who feel differently. You never know how much it's going to matter, and erring on the side of having it rather than not having it is always going to be your best bet, but I think the idea that only a long commute or family obligations would "excuse" a top student from not doing law review is absurd.

[flyaway]

I find that, despite the many rationalizations, most people who didn't apply for journals just didn't think they'd get on.

That might be true to some degree, but it's also way too black and white. 

If I had somehow known that if I tried for law review I would definitely make it, would I have done the competition?  Yes, because it is an important honor to have, and if it's there for the taking, you should take it. 

If I had really wanted to be on it, would I have tried?  Yes, for the chance to have the experience.

But (1) I knew that odds were that I wouldn't, AND (2) I didn't particularly want to be on it (time commitment much larger than that for other journals) or to do the competition (was about to leave country for 2.5 months, and wanted to spend time with husband).

At a certain point, you have to make the choices that are going to make you happy.

[T2Loser]

"Perhaps you didn't read my post, but I said that I would pre-screen for competency prior to the interview. I would look at grades, reputation of school and experience in similar legal environments."

Well then the OP is clearly fine. I mean, if you wouldn't care about law review/ journal, then nobody would. It's basically the biggest honor you can have in law school, but if you aren't interested, then I'm sure it doesn't actually matter.

Get over yourself. Your decision not to try for law review is TTT and stupid. Clinic, moot court, etc DO NOT carry as much weight. If you don't try out for it, it is because you are being lazy and immature. You are simply saying, "I don't think that'd be fun, so I'm not doing it." HTH. End of thread.

[jimmyjohn]

No offense, but it doesn't really matter what "you'd do." Lots of employers, particularly big firms, want to see law review. They value it much more than they value any of the things you listed.

I don't think YBR has an inflated sense of self worth as much as you are hypersensitive about the fact that you weren't on law review. Just my two cents.

No, unlike most of the people posting on this thread, I have finished law school and I no longer give a rat's ass about any of the shallow, self-perpetuating hierarchies  created by law review and journal membership.  I have never once regretted my decision not to do the write on competition after my 2L year. 

Most of you probably secretly hate your life on a journal but you are doing it anyway because someone told you that joe blow at the biglaw office in the primary market might spare you 15 minutes of his precious time for an OCI if he sees that you have law review on your resume.   

Oh, and if YBR doesn't have an inflated sense of self-worth, then I don't know who does.  Read some prior posts and you will see that there is absolutely nothing that YBR does does not know about 1. law school, 2. job interviewing, and 3. the practice of law. 

[OK Law]

Thanks for all the feedback. I appreciate the insights and what I am reading is about what I expected. I am adding a few things to my resume, such as a research assistant, a good summer job where I am doing a lot of writing and will be on a moot court team next year as well. However, I definitely understand the draw to LR and the importance that employers and clerkship opportunities put on it. I agree that just being able to interview well is not good enough to land you a job and it shouldn't be, however, being on law review should not either, but then again what do I know? and more importantly, what I think is right, really doesn't matter.


 

[Thistle]

If you don't try out for it, it is because you are being lazy and immature. You are simply saying, "I don't think that'd be fun, so I'm not doing it." HTH. End of thread.

thats idiotic

[T2Loser]

Brilliant response. Thanks for the insight.

[Thistle]

Brilliant response. Thanks for the insight.

yawn