The Virginia Law Review will be accepting submissions for its October Notes Pool from 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 25th until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9th. Late submissions will not be accepted. Students who would like their Note to be considered for publication in the Law Review should carefully read the following submission instructions:
- The recommended length for a Note is 10,000–14,000 words including footnotes (approximately 35–40 pages in double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font). Notes longer than 14,000 words are strongly discouraged. Notes longer than 15,500 words will not be considered without prior approval of the Notes Development Editor. Students may not submit Notes shorter than 10,000 words without approval.
- Submissions must be emailed to vlr_7f30@sendtodropbox.com in .docx format by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9th. Please use double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font for the body of your submission. Please use single-spaced footnotes rather than endnotes for citations and references. Please use Bluebook style for your footnotes, rather than any other style guide.
- The document must include the cover page, the file name must be the [Note Title], and the subject line of the email must be “October Notes Pool.” Please remove any identifying information from the body of the document as well as 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, Notes Advisors, or professors that assisted in the drafting and editing of the submission. Correctly following all instructions will maintain each author’s anonymity.
- In 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.
- In Word for Mac 2016, 2018: Go to Tools, select “Protect Document” or select “Protect Document” button on Review tab. Save document.
- While your name should not appear on your submission, nor should any other identifying information, each copy should have an attached cover page which includes only the following pieces of information:
- The title of your submission.
- An abstract of approximately 250 words or fewer, single-spaced, which briefly summarizes the argument of your submission.
- A table of contents.
- A list of the five (5) secondary sources cited that are most related to your work. Please do not list cases or statutes.
- The word count for your submission, both with and without footnotes.
- If you are resubmitting a Note that you previously submitted to the Virginia Law Review, a brief description of any substantive changes that you made.
- Though not required, it may also be advantageous to include a paragraph on the cover sheet, (or subsequent page, if necessary), that addresses the following criteria. This information may be especially useful if your note addresses a topic that is niche or not widely taught in the law school’s core curriculum.
- A very brief summary of your topic’s doctrinal landscape and a clear articulation of your note’s central argument, including how your note advances existing scholarship.
- Finally, in addition to the document above, all submissions must include in a SEPARATE DOCUMENT the following information, which must also be emailed to vlr_7f30@sendtodropbox.com in .pdf format. This document should be titled “[Title].Confidential” (e.g. “Breaking Bad Law.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 Note
- A signed statement (an electronic signature will be accepted) that your Note was substantially written during law school
- The name(s) of the professor(s) with whom you worked when writing your Note
The results of the October Notes Pool will be announced at www.VirginiaLawReview.org. If you have any questions, please contact Notes Development Editor, Amy Vanderveer (fvu2tr@virginia.edu).