Announcement: The Virginia Law Review Online is currently accepting submissions for its Fall evaluation. We look forward to reviewing your pieces.
Online offers a quick turnaround for timely, relevant pieces. Please review submission guidelines below to submit a piece to the Virginia Law Review Online. Please note that students at the University of Virginia School of Law must follow different submission procedures than all other authors. For further information and guidance for students, please refer to the Student Scholarship Manual here.
Online Submissions
Virginia Law Review Online is the Virginia Law Review‘s exclusive online publication. VLR Online features short essays and responses by law professors, judges, practicing lawyers, scholars from other disciplines, and current law students.
We welcome any submission that would meaningfully contribute to academic legal discourse. Submissions may respond to the articles and essays that we publish in both our print edition and VLR Online. Submissions may also explore new ideas that are unrelated to our print content, or comment on legal issues that are of current interest.
When reviewing submissions, Virginia Law Review Online considers whether the pieces are topical, intuitive, and important.
- Topical
- Does the submission address a contemporary legal issue?
- Intuitive
- Is the issue easy to understand in 3–5 sentences? Due to the length of the pieces published in VLR Online, pieces that require more explanation tend to have less legal analysis.
- Important
- Is the piece and/or topic likely to have a practical impact, either on practitioners, the legal academic community, or society as a whole?
Submissions selected for publication will undergo an expedited editing process. Assuming author compliance with the editing schedule, VLR Online guarantees a quick turnaround between acceptance and publication.
Professor/Practitioner Submission Guidelines
Essays: Pieces published in VLR Online are lightly-footnoted and generally between 6,000 to 9,000 words in length. VLR Online does not have a maximum word limit; however pieces longer than 10,000 words will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.
Comments: Comments are responses to a recent case or cases, generally cases that have been decided in the last two years. The Comment should analyze the case’s holding and reasoning, arguing that the court reached the right result with the right reasoning, the wrong result with the right reasoning, the right result with the wrong reasoning, or the wrong result with the wrong reasoning. Comments are not limited to this framework, however, and may criticize or explicate the recent case or cases in an original manner the student sees fit. Comments must be at least 5,000 words, and should generally be no longer than 8,000 words.
Format: We only accept electronic submissions to VLR Online. Submissions should be sent by e-mail to valawrev.online@gmail.com in Microsoft Word format. The subject line of the email should read “Online Submission.” Submissions should be in Times New Roman 12 or a larger sized font, should utilize footnotes instead of endnotes, and should have numbered pages. All submissions must include a copy of the manuscript and the author’s most recent resume or C.V.
Timing: VLR Online accepts pieces year-round, with exceptions noted on our website.
Expedited Review Process: Expedites should be sent via e-mail to valawrev.online@gmail.com. An expedite request should include: the author’s name, e-mail address, and daytime telephone number; the date by which an answer is required; and the name of the journal that has offered publication. Although we make every effort to review expedited material, we cannot guarantee a reply given the high volume and rapid turnover of submissions.
Student Submission Guidelines
Students whose pieces are accepted for publication before March 1 of their final year of law school will be extended invitations to join the Virginia Law Review. To be considered, the deadline for submission of such pieces is February 21, 2025, at 11:59pm. If you are a current student or recent graduate (within one year) of the University of Virginia School of Law, submissions must be emailed to valawrev.online@gmail.com in .docx format. The document must abide by these guidelines:
- The document should include cover page, which should contain the following:
- the title of the piece,
- an abstract of 250 words or less,
- a table of contents,
- a word count for the piece, both with and without footnotes.
Though not required, it may also be advantageous for the abstract to explain why the submission addresses an issue that is topical, intuitive, and important, under the criteria set forth above.
- The file must be the [Piece Title], and the subject line of the email must be Online Student Submission.
- Any identifying information must be removed from the body of the document as well as the personal information embedded in the digital file by following the instructions below. This includes removing identifying information typically included at the beginning of a Note in a * footnote, such as class information, Online Advisors, or professors that assisted in the drafting and editing of the piece. Correctly following all instructions will maintain each author’s anonymity.
- Word 2010, 2013, 2016: Go to File, select “Info”, click on Check for Issues”, click on “Inspect Document”. In the dialog box, click “Remove All” and close box. Save document.
- Word for Mac 2016, 2018: Go to Tools, select “Protect Document” or select “Protect Document” button on Review tab. Save document.
In addition to the document above, all submissions must include in a SEPARATE DOCUMENT the following information, which is to be emailed to valawrev.online@gmail.com in .pdf format. The PDF should be titled “[Piece Title].Confidential”. This separate document should be a single page and include:
- Your name, phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address
- The title of your submission
- A signed statement (an electronic signature will be accepted) that your piece was substantially written during law school
- The name(s) of any professor(s) with whom you worked when writing your piece
Student Advising: The Law Review offers advising to all students who are interested in submitting an online piece for publication, whether or not those students are current members of the Law Review. Student advisors are available to answer questions about the submission process and meet with students at any stage of the writing process (selecting a topic, reviewing an existing draft, etc.). However, pursuant to the University of Virginia’s Honor Code, we are unable to give substantive advice on any paper that will be submitted for a grade until the student has turned it in to his or her professor. Students interested in receiving advising may fill out this form and will be contacted promptly by an advisor. For further information and guidance for students, please refer to the Student Scholarship Manual here.