No Journal in Law School?

[hanabana]

Hello everyone, I am new here, and I just wanted some advice on whether I should try to get on a journal.  I am going to be in a clinic next semester, if I get on a journal, would that be too much work to handle? Besides from the clinic, I will also be taking 4 classes. (With a journal, then probably 3 classes) Would my schedule then be insane?  Has anyone here participated in a clinic and was on a journal at the same time and can share your experiences?

If I do not get on a journal, I will then most likely work part-time or try out for moot court next semester, asides from the clinic and classes. In my case, would there be a point to try out for the journal competition? Would not trying out for it be a big mistake? Would not getting on any journals during law school be a huge problem for me later? Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated.

[jack24]

Unfortunately law journals and law reviews differ wildly from school to school.  I was a staffer on law review my 2L year and I took 5 classes.  I was a board member my 3L year and I took 3 classes per semester and worked 25 hours a week.   I found that most people involved with Law Review spent between 10 and 14 hours a week on it, with the occasional burst of 30+ hours in a random week.    I may not have been that dedicated, but I believe I averaged under 10 hours a week as a staff member and less as an editor (I wasn't that high up on the board).

I thought LR was interesting part of the time and I made friends with some very smart people.  I feel like it helped me to get a few interviews but I'm not entirely certain whether most employers really cared.  The partners at the firm I work for didn't know I was on law review until 6 months after I was hired.

I think the cost outweighed the benefit in my case, but not by a lot.