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Everything You Need to Know About the
2012 Write-On Competition
Who We Are Katie Barnhill— Houston Law Review
[email protected] Wes McGuffey— Houston Law Review
[email protected] Courtney Walsh — Houston Journal of International Law
[email protected] David Hrncir— Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy
[email protected] Susannah Russell— Houston Business & Tax Law Journal
[email protected] Jordan Sanders — Environmental & Energy Law & Policy
Journal [email protected]
David Gantz — Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law [email protected]
What is the Write-On Competition?
Five journals collaborate on an entry competition by which eligible students may gain membership.
Each write-on participant anonymously submits a 20-30 page casenote analyzing an assigned court decision.
Eligibility
Eligibility requirements vary by journal.
All journals require that members Have completed their first two semesters, and Have at least two full years remaining in law
school
Houston Law Review
Katie Barnhill ([email protected]) & Wes McGuffey ([email protected])
Grade-On: Top 10% of class or section
Write-On: Top 30% of class or section
Houston Journal of International Law
Courtney Walsh ([email protected])
Grade-On: Top 20% of class or section
Apply-On: Top 35% of class or section, OR an A or A- in at least one semester of LRW
Write-On: Top 50% of class or section
Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy
David Hrncir ([email protected])
Grade-On: Top 33% of class or section, OR an A or A- in at least one semester of LRW
Write-On: Completed first two semesters
Houston Business & Tax Law Journal
Susannah Russell ([email protected])
Grade-On: Top 20% of class or section
Apply-On: Top 30% of class or section OR A or A- in at least one semester of LRW
Write-On: Top 50% of class or section
Environmental & Energy Law & Policy Journal
Jordan Sanders ([email protected])
Grade-On: Top 20% of class or section
Apply-On: Top 50% of class or section
Write-On: Completed first two semesters
Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law
David Gantz ([email protected])
Apply-On: Completed first two semesters
What if you’re interested in more than one journal?
You can submit the same paper for all five journals.
You must submit a separate copy of your paper for each journal you are interested in.
Make sure to have all copies made and turned in to Student Services by 5:00 p.m. on July 5th!
The Identification Form to be turned in with your paper contains a space for you to rank the journals you are applying for in order of preference.
Competition Dates
Saturday, June 16, 2012, at 8:00 am. Assigned case will be posted on the Competition
Website. http://www.houstonlawreview.org/about/write-on-competition
Thursday, July 5, 2012, at 5:00 pm. Papers due to Student Services Office, with
identification form. All copies must be made and the identification
form filled out no later than 5:00 p.m. Late submissions will be refused! If you’re out of town, your casenote must be
postmarked by this date (send to Student Services, not individual journals).
Winner Notification
July 13, 2012 Invitations extended to selected students. This gives you time to update your resume before
OCI.
Selected students must respond to the journal of their choosing by Friday, July 20, 2012, at 5:00 p.m.
Anonymity
Your submission is identified only by your PeopleSoft number. You will also submit an identification form with your paper, which Student Services will retain until the journals have made their selections.
Do not put your name on your paper or otherwise indicate your identity!
The names of selected candidates are only revealed when their papers are chosen. If your paper is not selected, your identity will never be revealed to the journals.
Getting Ready:
Refer to EUGENE VOLOKH, VOLOKH’S ACADEMIC LEGAL WRITING: LAW REVIEW ARTICLES, STUDENT NOTES, SEMINAR PAPERS, AND GETTING ON LAW REVIEW (4th ed. 2010).
Attend Professor Tabor’s Casenote Writing Workshop on June 9, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Room TBA).
Find and Read Examples of casenotes online. There are some available on the HLR website, as well as on the websites of many leading law schools.
Parts of a Casenote:
• Introduction• Case Recitation• Analysis• Conclusion
Writing the Casenote:
Read the case carefully
Research related case law
Start focusing your thoughts on one aspect of the case or tie in various aspects to support one unified idea.
Ex: case law the court relied on, legislative history, related opinions, patterns in the law, dissenting opinions
Use your research to assist you in taking a unique stance on that aspect through a strong thesis
Continue researching the issue—use cases, statutes, books, and scholarly articles
Analyze and evaluate the court’s approach to the issue and the types of arguments the court is making
Consider what might happen if the rule from the case is applied to various hypotheticals
Formatting Requirements
20-30 pages.
Double-spaced (text & footnotes).
Times New Roman 12-point font for both text & footnotes.
1” margins (top, bottom, left, right).
No tricks on word spacing, etc!
~50/50 text to footnote ratio (use Word Count to check).
Every verifiable statement must have a footnote. Make sure to properly use signals and parentheticals.
Tips for Writing the Best Casenote
Follow all formatting requirements.
Figure out your point of view, state it clearly, and argue it persuasively throughout (using a variety of sources).
Communicate your ideas efficiently.
Keep your legal theories simple – don’t try to overcomplicate the subject.
Research as thoroughly as you can and use a variety of sources in your paper.
Cite everything in proper Bluebook form and use parentheticals explaining your authority.
Citation, citation, citation!
Strategies for Success
MAKE SURE you update your access to Westlaw or Lexis for the summer! Do it now!
Limited timeframe—Start Early
Outline your thoughts early and often
Organization is Key
Check Bluebook Form
Proofread
Honor Code Rules
All work must be your own.
You cannot share research.
Don’t discuss research, legal theories, cite form, grammar, word choice, or any other aspect of your paper with anyone.
No one can proofread your paper.
It’s a violation of the honor code if this rule is not strictly followed.
THE ONLY EXCEPTION: You can use the Lexis/Westlaw aides (through the website) and the UHLC Reference Librarians, for “how do I find this” questions.
For more detailed instruction on casenotes
Attend Professor Tabor’s Casenote Writing Workshop! June 9, 2012, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
(Room TBA). A video of this presentation from 2010 is
posted on the website Professor Tabor’s slides will be posted on the
website
A packet of useful handouts on Bluebooking and casenote formatting is available on the website.
Why should I bother?
It’s not as bad as it sounds – really!
Participating on a journal has lots of benefits.
The more you write, the better you get.
Feeling Like This About the Write-On?
Take a Deep Breath...
It is totally doable.
You could grade on.
You could apply on.
The Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law offers students a chance to get the benefits of being on a journal without having to go through the Write-On Competition to join.
Any questions???www.houstonlawreview.org/about/write-on-competition
Who We Are Katie Barnhill— Houston Law Review
[email protected] Wes McGuffey— Houston Law Review
[email protected] Courtney Walsh — Houston Journal of International Law
[email protected] David Hrncir— Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy
[email protected] Susannah Russell— Houston Business & Tax Law Journal
[email protected] Jordan Sanders — Environmental & Energy Law & Policy
Journal [email protected]
David Gantz — Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law [email protected]
