Ethan Brown ‘25
Features Editor
1Ls had the opportunity to kick off February by attending one of two sessions last week about one of the most quintessential UVA Law experiences—journal tryout. Led by the Virginia Law Review’s Membership Development Editor Mia Smutny ’24 and Membership Inclusion Editor Shontae Salmon ’24, the sessions provided valuable insight into how the journal process works, its two (writing and editing) components, and important dates on the horizon. Because I clearly exist on this planet to serve the 1Ls who can’t seem to make it to these meetings,[1] here is a helpful recap of all things 2024 Unified Journal Tryout.
First, while all interested 1Ls should read on for my acerbic wit, I highly encourage everyone to review the Journal Tryout Toolkit, too. This packet—developed each year by the tryout administrators—goes into more granular detail of the tryout than I could hope to in a single article. I relied heavily on the toolkit during my own tryout last year. If you have any questions about specialty journals, tryout timeline, or contact information when problems run up, I guarantee it’s in the toolkit.
The most important thing to know now is the tryout dates: February 23–26 and March 1–4. The whole process takes about a weekend to complete. The editing component runs from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning, in which participants have eight (self-timed) hours to Bluebook their way through an actual, real-life law review article purposefully littered with citation errors. Then, starting on Saturday afternoon and through Monday, participants do the writing component. In it, students will read roughly 200 pages of law review articles, cases, and other sources to ultimately write a persuasive argument about the topic therein, operating in a “closed universe” where only the materials provided may be used.
It sounds like a lot—and it is—but this year’s tryout is already more humane than in years past. This year, 1Ls can choose to divide their tryout across two weekends, doing the editing component on one and the writing component on the next (or vice versa). Or, for the old-fashioned experience, participants can still do both portions in one fell swoop, and pick either weekend to complete the entire thing. It was a polarizing decision last year whether to do the first or second weekend, but I chose to do my tryout the first weekend it was offered. I was nervous and wanted to get it over with, and I also did not want to sacrifice three days of spring break. But as with most things in law school, your mileage may vary.
After speaking with some of my 1L friends about journal tryouts, all their questions essentially seem to fall into the same two refrains: What, if anything, can I do to prepare for journal tryout? And is it worth it—will I even get on a journal anyways?
To answer the first question, there are certainly some things that participants can do to prepare for the tryout, but my main advice would be to think about what will best recharge you during the weekend. The tryout is not meant to take up all your waking hours—indeed, the editing component has a time limitation that prohibits you from doing so! Plan out time to sleep, eat, relax, exercise, and talk to your friends.[2] It is eminently possible to do an excellent job on the tryout without making yourself miserable in the process. Last year, I went for two runs, made myself food, FaceTimed my sister to whine, and watched four episodes of Outer Banks during the tryout. I have no shame.
Still, insofar as actual preparation is concerned, I recommend taking a gentle stroll through the Bluebook to refamiliarize yourself with the main rules and tables you might have seen last semester in LRW, and get access to the online Bluebook through the library’s complimentary subscription. Try out some of the exercises on Lexis’s online citation workspace. And if you have time, you can “tab” your physical Bluebook. This—like outlining—is something you should do for the process, not for the final product, because you probably won’t flip through your physical book much during the tryout itself if you have an online version. But I did find it very helpful to take an hour last year and force myself to remember each of the Bluebook’s main rules, something you must do when literally writing out their names on a sticky note.
And finally, with respect to the second question: yes, 1Ls, you will get on a journal and things will be okay. After you complete the tryout, you should first celebrate your hard work (yay!) but then consider which specialty journals you would like to apply to. You will have the option to rank your top three choices, at least one of which will hopefully extend you an invitation to join. I say this not in any official capacity, but I am unaware of anyone who—after putting in a good faith effort at the tryout and abiding by the tryout’s rules—did not eventually end up joining a journal. If you follow the rules and do your best, you should not let this process panic you.
Much more information about the journal tryout will be forthcoming. As the incoming membership development editor for VLR, I will be one of this year’s unified journal tryout administrators, so I am very happy to field any questions about the process as they come up—as are Mia and Shontae. But for now, all I can say is good luck!
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bwj2cw@virginia.edu