About the Iowa Law Review
Since its inception in 1915 as the Iowa Law Bulletin, the Iowa Law Review has served as a scholarly legal journal, noting and analyzing developments in the law and suggesting future paths for the law to follow. Since 1935, students have edited and have managed the Law Review, which is published five times annually. The Law Review ranks high among the top “high impact” legal periodicals in the country, and its subscribers include legal practitioners and law libraries throughout the world.
Alumni of the Iowa Law Review have gone on to become successful lawyers, federal and state judges, law professors, politicians, and business people. The Iowa Law Review Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes former members of the Iowa Law Review for outstanding personal and professional achievement.
For a complete history of the Iowa Law Review’s first ninety years, see Willard Boyd & Randall P. Bezanson, Ninety Years of the Iowa Law Review, 91 Iowa L. Rev. 1 (2005).
Other articles discussing the history of the Law Review include:
- Mason Ladd, The Iowa Law Review: Maturity of Fifty Years, 50 Iowa L. Rev. 5 (1964).
- Willard L. Boyd, Judging the Iowa Law School, 75 Iowa L. Rev. 819 (1990).
- N. William Hines, The Iowa Law Review: A Tradition of Excellence, 75 Iowa L. Rev. 821 (1990).
- Randall P. Bezanson, Reflections on the Iowa Law Review Past and Future, 75 Iowa L. Rev. 829 (1990).
- Frank R. Strong, The Iowa Law Review at Age Fifty, 50 Iowa L. Rev. 12 (1964).
- Richard A. Matasar, In Celebration of Seventy-Five Years of the Iowa Law Review, 75 Iowa L. Rev. 833 (1990).
The Law Review has earned a reputation for publishing superb IP-, patent-, trademark-, and other technological-related notes and articles. Recent and forthcoming publications include:
- Christina Bohannan, IP Misuse as Foreclosure, 96 Iowa L. Rev. 475 (2011).
- Henry N. Butler & Jeffrey Paul Jarosch, Policy Reversal on Reverse Payments: Why Courts Should Not Follow the New DOJ Position on Reverse-Payment Settlements of Pharmaceutical Patent Litigation, 96 Iowa L. Rev. 57 (2010).
- Jessica Litman, Real Copyright Reform, 96 Iowa L. Rev. 1 (2010).
- Jacqueline D. Lipton, “We, the Paparazzi”: Developing a Paradigm for Digital Video, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 919 (2010).
- Mark A. Hall, Property, Privacy, and the Pursuit of Integrated Electronic Medical Records, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 631 (2010).
- Mark P. McKenna, Testing Trademark Law’s Theory of Harm, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 63 (2009).
- James Grimmelmann, Saving Facebook, 94 Iowa L. Rev. 1137 (2009).
- Jeanne C. Fromer, Patent Disclosure, 94 Iowa L. Rev. 539 (2009).
The Iowa Law Review is also committed to publishing scholarship that focuses on important issues facing the state of Iowa. Recent and forthcoming publications include:
- Drew A. Cumings-Peterson, Note, Out-of-State Civil Unions in Iowa After Varnum v. Brien: Why the State of Iowa Should Recognize Civil Unions as Marriages, 96 Iowa L. Rev. 297 (2010).
- Brett F. Roberts, Note, Judicial Federalism and the Legacy of Racing Association of Central Iowa, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 1731 (2010).
- Evan L. Seite, Note, Language Legislation in the State of Iowa: Lessons Learned from the Enactment and Application of the Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 1369 (2010).
- Jacob E. Meusch, Note, Equal Education Opportunity and the Pursuit of “Just Schools”: The Des Moines Public-School District Rethinks Diversity and the Meaning of Minority Student, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 1341 (2010).
- Kevin D. Sherlock, Note, Clearing the Air: Analyzing the Constitutionality of the Iowa Smokefree Air Act’s Gaming-Floor Exemption, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 347 (2009).
- Cassie L. Peterson, Note, An Iowa Immigration Raid Leads to Unprecedented Criminal Consequences: Why ICE Should Rethink the Postville Model, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 323 (2009).
- Lindsay C. McAfee, Note, Making Taxes More Certain: Iowa State Legislators’ Guide to Combined Reporting, 95 Iowa L. Rev. 245 (2009).
Joining the Iowa Law Review
Because the Iowa Law Review is among the top fifteen most-cited American legal publications for student notes, writing for the Law Review is among the most challenging but rewarding experiences available to students at the University of Iowa College of Law. Among the benefits of joining the Law Review are:
- Substantive Projects. Students writing for the Law Review perform substantive tasks critical to producing a top-notch legal publication. We publish five issues per year—more than any other journal at the law school—which allows student writers ample opportunity to edit works by both students and professional writers.
- Get Published. Each year, the Law Review publishes roughly twenty student notes from our writers.
- Sharpen Your Legal Skills. Student writers come away with comprehensive legal research experience, the ability to analyze complex legal issues with enhanced critical-reasoning skills, and a firm command of The Bluebook citation system, a standard in the legal community.
- Build Marketability. Competitive employers, both public and private, understand that Law Review experience is a sign of a student who shows initiative, patience, and legal ability. The Law Review also sees many of its alums go on to state and federal clerkships.
- Write About Anything. The Law Review is the only journal that accepts student-written notes on any legal topic.
Rising second-year students who have at least two years remaining until they complete their law degree and are interested in writing for the Law Review shall participate in a Write-On Competition, which is conducted after final exams in the spring semester. The Law Review selects its student writers based solely on the Write-On Competition. Students transferring to the University of Iowa College of Law after their first year are also eligible to participate in the Competition.
The Write-On Competition typically includes the following components:
- Comment. Write a closed-universe comment on a recent case.
- Bluebook Exercise. Edit an excerpt from a student note for Bluebook compliance, style, grammar, and spelling.
- Personal Statement. Write a short essay that will help us get to know you and what sets you apart.
The Law Review usually accepts between thirty-six and forty student writers. Applications are graded anonymously, and past applications are on reserve in the Iowa Law Library.