About the NYU Law Review Masthead

What is the NYU Law Review Masthead?

The NYU Law Review masthead is a component of the academic publication process that gives insight into the composition and function of the editorial board at a law review, a traditional journal of legal scholarship. The term "masthead" refers to the persons listed at the top of the publication, identifying the editors and faculty advisors who hold editorial and policy-making responsibilities. It is a term borrowed from the world of publishing that carries over into legal writing.
Many law reviews, such as the Yale and Harvard Law Reviews, do not publish a masthead, although it is a In the case of the NYU Law Review, the masthead breaks down the editorial board into categories , with the editor-in-chief, executive editors, articles editors, editor in charge of book reviews, public editor, articles committee, editors emeriti, and editorial advisors constituting the masthead.
The NYU Law Review masthead thus provides a complete accounting of the composition and structure of the editorial board. It also identifies the faculty advisors who oversee the editorial policy of the publication, including its decision of what articles to publish. Unlike the result reached by the NYU Law Review, some law reviews run mastheads that do not list faculty advisors, in an attempt to present the view that faculty members have no control over the individual articles that are eventually selected.

A Short History of the NYU Law Review

As the NYU Law Review approaches its 100th birthday, it is important to take a moment to understand how its roots and how it developed. It is the second oldest student-edited, legal scholarship journal. The Law Review began in 1922 as the Journal of Legal Studies. It was then changed to New York University Journal of History, Economics and Finance. In 1934, under the leadership of then editors-in-chief Norman Dorsen and Raymond A. Pearson II, the Law Review expanded its scope to address any issues of legal concern. In 1935, under the editorial board of the Editors’ Committee, the Law Review officially became the New York University Law Review. The first issue of the Law Review published in November of 1935. Over the past 80 years, the Law Review has grown from 29 members in its inaugural year to more than 120 members today. The initial issues published, both written and published, by the student members were "extended memoranda." Since then, the Law Review has evolved, foreshadowing broader developments in the legal publishing world. By the late 1940s, the growth of law schools in the United States had spurred the publication of large numbers of law reviews with a wide diversity of editorial and organizational structures. The century following the establishment of the "Columbia Law Review" in 1901 saw dramatic changes in the prevalence and social function of legal periodical literature. Within this period, The Law Review itself expanded to include extensive articles that could stand on their own and legal commentary, therefore leading to broader to an audience beyond the law school community.

The Significance of the Masthead

When it comes to law reviews, the masthead plays a crucial role in identifying the key personnel involved in the publication. While larger law reviews often have more elaborate mastheads (complete with subtypes like "Senior Writers," "Notes Editors," and "Administrative Editor"), smaller law reviews may name only the Journal’s "Editor," whose role encompasses all aspects of the Journal’s operations. The NYU Law Review, always striving for innovation, has opted to replace the traditional Editor-along-with-Senior-Writers arrangement with the Journal’s "Executive Committee," which is made up of a faculty advisor, the Editor in Chief, the Executive Editors, the Politics Editor, and the Managing Editors. Maintaining a conventional "Editor-Plus" masthead would be a missed opportunity to maximize the masthead’s potential.
Firstly, within the law review triennium – or the "toga era" as it’s lovingly known at NYU Law Review – the masthead serves as the first point of contact for all communications about general membership, including inquiries for the application window and follow-up emails. The names on the masthead are the first things rising 2Ls (or third-years, but it’s not a rule) will see in their inboxes when they’re looking for information on "triennial traditions," such as which toga they should wear to the toga party, or why they should fire off their individual law review applications at noon on the dot on the designated deadline day. It’s no secret that Law Review triennium culture can be a bit overbearing, and the masthead is the players’ touchstone to answer any questions they may have. Or so they think! (As an aside, I’m certain that [email protected] was the email address of every Editor who had to add senior writers to their contacts in the first weeks of each application cycle.)
Secondly, the masthead helps the masthead – mainly because, between triennial "policy debates" and the NYU service requirement, there’s not much left in the tank at the end of the day. The working days of NYU Law Review are long, to say the least – some members’ days drag on from 8:00 AM to well past midnight, and triennial "traditions" take a toll on all of us, both physically and emotionally. I’ll do my best to avoid the Tiananmen Square parallels, but the fact remains that we aren’t all living in Marx’s vision of the next stage of history. There’s no "withering" here, and it’s crucial that the masthead be both visible and accessible at all times, lest we forget our purpose.
Thirdly, the masthead adds a layer of transparency for our readers, which is vital to our credibility as legal scholars. Having a clear and openly-accessible chain of command – similar to the stamp of approval inherent to a Supreme Court Clerkship – is crucial in establishing the reputation of a law review as a credible scholarly authority. While our masthead may be open to a higher level of scrutiny than those at other law reviews, we remain transparent, available, and communicative, whether in the extra space carved out for special notes in Volume 93, or via the increasingly elaborately-formatted blog posts.

Responsibilities and Duties

The NYU Law Review masthead is a critical component of the publication process for each issue. However, for those who may not be familiar with the various roles and responsibilities of members of the law review community, it may seem a bit unfamiliar. While the roles and responsibilities outlined below correspond to generally established practices at the NYU Law Review, practice does vary and is thus subject to official NYU Law Review policy. Chair: Generally the head of the editorial board, the Chair is responsible for conducting meetings, overseeing internal and external communications, and leading the editorial decision-making. Editor-in-Chief: The Editor-in-Chief is designated as the final appellate review level for drafting decisions, and has final authority to request re-review of a draft (in which case it goes back to the Board of Articles Editors). In addition, the Editor-in-Chief is the person who meets with authors in order to create the final layout of the printed edition. The Editor-in-Chief is also responsible for overseeing the Senior Editors. Senior Editors: Typically the most senior editors of the Staff Editors , Senior Editors oversee the content of entire sections of an issue. They are the primary internal liaisons for the Staff Editors, and are responsible for managing the work product for the issue and ensuring the issue is published according to the schedule. Staff Editors: Staff Editors are responsible for the review and editing of articles. The Staff Editors form teams, with a Senior Editor overseeing several Staff Editors who work together on a single article or series of articles. Staff Editors communicate with the authors during the editing and proofreading process, and are charged with thoroughly editing and revising the text through various rounds and edits (under the guidance of their Senior Editor). Technical Editors: Technical Editors are responsible for reviewing articles for proper citation in accordance with citation requirements. Depending on scheduling, Technical Editors may or may not be involved in these reviews from the very outset, and may be tasked with reviewing drafts of final proofs before publication.

How the Masthead is Chosen

The process of selecting members for the masthead of the NYU Law Review is not known until the day of publication. Each year in February, the Law Review publishes a brief essay that details only the Article candidates and the publication date, leaving the selection of Essay and Note and Comment editors a mystery. The process for each class of editors is the same: Current first-year staff members are invited to apply for a leadership position on the Article, Essay, or Note and Comment desk. Current members of the LLM class are welcome to apply, also. The entire first-year class is welcome and encouraged to apply for the two Research and Writing Coordinator positions. Desiring to ensure a committee formed by peers rather than faculty members, the first-year class selects candidates for the Article, Essay, and Note and Comment desks. All current members are welcome to apply for the position of Executive Editor, and all third-year members are welcome to apply for the position of Editor-in-Chief.

Significance to NYU Law Students

The change cited above has a potential impact on the academic careers and future training of NYU law students. As many of you know, in the past law review service at NYU Law was weighted into the academic profile of most 2Ls applying for 3L summer associate positions. Published articles by student members of the NYU Law Review could definitely give an applicant a leg up. From three (or so) word starting to Masthead, to published article: Wow, what a journey. And what an impact that could have on your career.
But now it isn’t quite so simple. The process has become longer and more competitive. Now there are theoretically hundreds of students who might be able to get that valuable Masthead addition; back in the day the pool was 1:20 or better for membership. You still have our going in your favor: NYU Law students still have some of the best odds of getting on a law review at this point. And you have the fact that pretty much only NYU Law students will get the benefit of the familiarity with the process from a few years back. But don’t take that for granted.
So how would an NYU Law student work towards getting the benefit of a Masthead addition?
If you make junior editor, you must have done something right. Rookie law reviews are where every publishing requirement, citation style and general writing style guidance are explained to you in depth. Read all of it. Actually read the Legal Writing Chapter. You could use it as a study guide for the writing competency exam to get Law Review credit . It is written with the assumption that you, as a potential Law Review member, are about to be made a junior editor. Why lose out on those tips and tricks that can only make you a stronger writer?
Now that you know what works, do it. Track down some materials on how to get published articles and edit them. Yes, not just your buddies’ articles. With two years of experience, you are probably more than qualified to work on some of those big students-only initiatives. And if those interests you, then take on a role on the staff of those projects. If you work on an LGBT Rights Journal, then look into publishing in a GBLT Law Review. Same for a Criminal Law Journal, and the criminal law review. Or immigration, or civil rights. While those projects may not have higher prestige levels, and those might be the projects that people regard as less favorable; they are also exactly the type of thing NYU Law Students like to highlight on their resumes. So do those projects, and you can highlight them on your resume.
On those projects, start editing. Editing is more important than writing those days. You won’t have that senior editor hand-holding you when you take on that editorship over a publication. You will have to figure it out on your own. That will actually teach you how to do edits, and why those edits are so important to the work product.
Push yourself, and push yourself hard. It is worth it in the end.