Membership Selection – A Look into the 1L Candidacy Process

Every year students in their first year of law school are invited to participate in the candidacy process for Tennessee Law Review (TLR). TLR is proud to utilize a write-on process that is grade-blind. Thus, every 1L student has the opportunity to become a staff editor.

Students who successfully complete the candidacy process are offered membership to TLR and remain on staff for both their 2L and 3L years. The candidacy process is facilitated each spring by the rising Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor.

While many law schools feature a grade-on candidacy route for their law review—which allows a certain percentage of students to automatically waive onto law review if they are in the top of the class after the first semester. The Tennessee Law Review, however, has elected to not employ a grade-on because it is our position that all law students should be provided an equal opportunity to become a staff editor, as the first semester of law school is not indicative of future performance.

Although the University of Tennessee College of Law allows students to be members of more than one law journal, TLR encourages students to participate in only one, even if that decision leads them away from Tennessee Law Review.

TLR Application Process

To be extended an invitation to join Tennessee Law Review, candidates must successfully complete a three-part application during the spring semester of their 1L year. This process includes:

(1) a signed Candidacy Commitment Form;

(2) a Uniform Bluebook Exam (UBE); and

(3) a Write-On Submission.

The Uniform Bluebook Exam is a comprehensive test that covers the white pages of The Bluebook. Candidates are required to complete the exam, which aims to test every rule that a student may see in a law review article. To pass the UBE, candidates must receive a satisfactory score, which may vary each cycle but is typically 80% or above.

Students also must submit a Write-On that is of publishable quality. Write-On topics may vary from year to year, but typically address current events or unsettled legal authority. In past candidacy cycles, students have been asked to write a mini law review article, a judicial opinion, or an essay on a current legal issue. 

Transfer Student Application Process

At the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief, TLR may also consider rising 2L transfer students for membership through a separate process, which involves receiving a satisfactory score on a shortened UBE exam and writing sample.

Staff Editor Role

After a candidate completes the application process and is selected for membership on Tennessee Law Review, they step into the role of Staff Editor in their 2L year. Staff Editor responsibilities include checking forthcoming articles for Bluebook accuracy, drafting blog posts, and completing a case note or comment. As 3Ls, TLR staff will step into an executive position, an editorial role, or an articles review position.  

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Please feel free to reach out with additional questions about the candidacy process to the current Managing Editor, Naudia O’Steen (nosteen1@vols.utk.edu) or the incoming Managing Editor, [name here] [email here].