APPLY AS AN EDITOR
APPLY AS AN EDITOR
Vol. 26 Call for Editors
For all the opportunities there are to engage in legal writing as undergraduates, there are probably even fewer for legal editing. Meanwhile, editing is an essential skill for a wide variety of fields, many of which intersect with the legal field, such as business, communications, and education. For those who are interested in grappling with complex legal issues, working alongside a writer and refining their work is a great place to start.
Working with a writer is also a profoundly satisfying and fulfilling experience in its own right. In helping writers to best express their passion for their chosen subject, editors appreciate the opportunity to deepen their own passions as well. The Journal provides editors with resources to enhance their skills in the writing process, including organization and argumentation. Editors additionally have the unique opportunity to work closely with the Bluebook, a legal citation system used in legal documents and by law reviews.
Students with strong organizational and teamwork skills are encouraged to apply, and, while prior editing experience is helpful, the Journal is committed to supporting prospective editors who show promise and drive with the necessary resources to produce excellent articles for publication. Selected writers and editors are paired in December and work collaboratively from January to March to compose one article for publication.
Position Description
Editors support writers during the research and editorial process and help elevate their ideas and refine their articles. Each editor will be paired with a writer, reflecting, as far as possible, the article in which each individual editor is the most interested. In providing feedback, comments, and suggestions on a variety of aspects of writers’ articles, including but not limited to argumentation, structure, organization, clarity, depth of research, readability, grammar, and originality, editors form an integral part of the Journal’s editorial process. In addition, editors will be responsible for ensuring writers’ citations conform with the referencing style of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed. 2020). Editors will ensure their writer’s argument is grounded in reputable sources and thorough research. There are no requirements that applicants have previous editorial experience, although prior exposure to writing, research, or journalism may be an asset for prospective editors.
Qualifications
You need no special qualifications to write for the Journal. The only requirements are that you are either of the following:
A current undergraduate student (B.A., B.S., LL.B., B.Sc.) enrolled at any university; or
A recent graduate who completed their undergraduate studies no more than a year prior to the application deadline and who are not currently enrolled in a graduate degree-awarding program (e.g., M.A., M.S., J.D., LL.M., M.L.S., M.D., Ph.D.).
While the Journal is based at UCLA and its Executive Board is comprised of UCLA students, we are open to applicants from any recognized university in the world. We particularly value diverse perspectives and encourage applications from universities outside California and the United States to apply. Your university affiliation will not have an impact on the consideration of your application. Applications from non-UCLA students are given equal consideration as those from UCLA students. The following skills would be desirable for a prospective editor applicant:
Teamwork and collaboration skills
Interpersonal and written communication skills
Organizational skills
Flexibility and an openness to change
Time management skills and ability to meet deadlines
Willingness to perform tasks that may be tedious and time-consuming
Thorough and detail-oriented
Interested in learning the ins and outs of The Bluebook legal citation system
Application Form and Deadline
Editor applications must be submitted through the application link below. Note that you may only apply as either a writer or editor.
The application for Vol. 26 is not live until Fall Quarter of the 2026—2027 school year.
Application Materials
The application launch is TBA. Follow our Instagram (@ucla_ulj) to stay up to date.
You do not need to submit a resume, CV, cover letter, or academic transcript for this position.
In order to apply to be an editor, you will need to complete the following in the application form.
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The short answer questions provide an opportunity for you to showcase past experience in a collaborative setting, elaborate on your interest in writing for the Journal, and offer your views on the value of undergraduate legal scholarship more broadly. Your answers should be well written, clearly answer the questions, and also convey your own personality through them. More details on the questions can be found in the provided in the Application Form linked above.
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Your writing sample does not need to be related to law. The purpose of the sample is to assess your writing and editing abilities in the context of editing pieces of legal scholarship for the Journal— pieces that discuss legal, political, social, or policy issues may be a better reflection of these abilities. We are open to any writing sample you feel accurately conveys your writing skills.
Papers written for a previous course tend to serve as particularly good writing samples given that they showcase your writing in an academic setting. If you chose to submit a paper written for a class please include the prompt of the assignment it was written for. This assists us in better understanding your argumentation. If you do not have access to the original prompt please summarize it to the best of your recollection.
Your writing sample should be no longer than six pages. You are welcome to submit a portion of a longer piece so long as you indicate it somewhere in the document. If you are submitting a portion of a longer document, also try, to the best of your abilities, to ensure the excerpted section can be understood as a free-standing piece.
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Your editing diagnostic forms the core of the application: it represents the most direct measures of applicants’ editing skills in the specific context of a Journal article.
The diagnostic simulates a rough draft you may encounter as an editor for the Journal. You will make a copy of the document, edit in Suggesting mode on Google Docs, and provide feedback through comments. You will attach your copy to the application.
Approach this as if it were a writer’s first draft. Your feedback should be constructive and mindful that the author will read and rely on your comments. Because this is an early draft, focus on big-picture elements: the strength and clarity of the argument, organization of ideas, and logical flow. Grammar and spelling should be corrected where necessary, but remain a secondary priority, as later drafts will allow further refinement.
Your mix of comments and suggestions is up to you, but the goal is to show the writer specific ways to improve and expand their work: not simply to list errors. Feedback should encourage growth by highlighting how the draft’s argumentation, structure, and clarity can be strengthened. Your editing should leave the writer feeling not that they have a list of mistakes to fix, but that you have identified concrete areas where they can sharpen their reasoning, better organize their points, and build a more persuasive and coherent argument. Comments on citations or footnotes are not required.
The Editor application deadlines are TBA.