Does law Review/Journal really have an impact in the job market?

I still see jobs posted referencing it for people with 3-5 years of experience. And these are LA jobs, so not even real Biglaw like you'd find in legit metro areas.

There are some firms that will interview only Coif/Law Review applicants and if no one impresses them, they will pass on hiring until the next cycle.

So, it is a real thing.

Law Review matters. Other journals don’t.

s/ a snobby Law Review alum

In all seriousness: journals, and law review in particular, are basically prerequisites for judicial clerkships. Otherwise, a journal looks good on a resume.

But law review is going to be something you will have on your resume and attorney bio forever, and it presents opportunities for friendships with other people at the top of the class.

The litigators in my firm seem to care, but they also only ever hire federal clerks.

The transactional group doesn’t care at all.

Best law school advice is don’t go

I think that with respect to clerkships and positions in the mega-firms law review experience is a plus, but for the everyday, run-of-the-mill law firms, that is hardly a factor.

At my school, everyone competed in a “write-on” competition after 1L second semester exams, which comprised of writing a short paper (~15 pages) using only the research materials provided. They graded on writing obviously, but also analysis and citation. The competition also had a separate blue-book competition where you had to correctly cite provided sources or correct given citation.

Only the top 50% of the class (based on GPA) was eligible for law review, but in reality, only the top 20% actually got on. There were about 5 other journals that took other students writing on who didn’t make law review.

I think law review is helpful for the majority of big law jobs and certainly for clerkships. But if you know you don’t care about research or litigation, I wouldn’t do it.

If you don’t make law review but you want to clerk or do big law litigation, you can still do a journal, but the most bang for your buck will be moot court, trial advocacy, and networking.

My brother didnthe review and journalnrhing at UVA. Between his positions on the Review and Journal and a law diploma saying UVA, he was an immediate top candidate in patent law anywhere he wanted to go in the country.

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Being on Law Review usually means you were in the top 10% of the class so yeah, it has an impact on your job prospects, especially at major firms and clerkships.

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It should be noted that the quality of the school is a major factor here too.

Not making Law Review at Harvard or Yale is no big deal - most doors outside of a select few will still be wide open.

Not making Law Review at a bottom feeder school means you will be hanging a shingle and teaching yourself how to scrounge out a living under circumstances that are far removed from what most people envision when they apply to law school.

Mostly no. First job yes more so but totally depends on the type of firm