Prospective Members

LAW REVIEW MEMBERSHIP SELECTION

Membership in the University of Hawaiʻi Law Review is based on academic merit or exceptional writing performance.  Membership is open to second- and third-year full-time students, and part-time students who have completed their 1L curriculum requirements.  The membership application period occurs at the immediate end of each Spring semester.  Students are notified of their selection status during the summer.  Those invited to join Law Review at the end of their 1L year must commit to a minimum of two years on Law Review.

There are three (3) ways that students will be invited to join Law Review:

GRADE-ON

  • The top 10% of first year students from the full-time program AND the top 10% of students from the part-time program ranked for the first time in the Spring semester will receive an automatic invitation to Law Review.

  • The number of students that make up 10% of their respective programs shall be rounded to the nearest whole number.

  • Class rank for students from the full-time program shall be determined by the cumulative grade point average of students, based solely upon grades earned for the second semester of the first year, who have taken the standard course load for that semester, as prescribed by the law school administration.

  • Class rank for students from the part-time program shall be determined by the cumulative grade point average of students, based solely upon non-advisory grades, who are being ranked for the first time.  These students will be invited to join Law Review.

CASENOTE WRITE-ON COMPETITION

  • Following the determination of memberships by class rank, the remaining membership positions shall be filled by those students who submitted the best casenotes to the Casenote Write-On Competition.

  • During the week following Spring final exams, law students have the opportunity to participate in the Casenote Write-On Competition to attain an invitation to join Law Review.

  • Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better at the end of their first year are eligible for membership.

  • The Casenote Write-On Competition consists of two parts: (1) a written casenote and (2) a timed technical editing exercise.  The casenote is scored based on analysis, structure, Bluebooking, administrative precision, and creativity.

  • A casenote is scholarly legal writing, unlike the papers written for legal practice. Students will be provided with a topic and directed to advocate for a position. Papers are not evaluated based on which position students choose to advocate. Nor is it necessary to have a prior understanding of the relevant substantive law, as this is a “closed universe” competition with all of the necessary legal sources provided. As such, outside research is prohibited. Students may not discuss the Write-On questions with professors, attorneys, or other students, but students may look at other Law Review articles for style and format guidelines.

  • TRANSFER STUDENT ADMISSION: The University of Hawaiʻi Law Review encourages transfer applicants to apply for membership onto the journal. If you wish to be considered for membership, you must participate in the Casenote Write-On Competition. All prospective transfer students may participate in the competition, including those who intend to apply and have not yet done so and those who have applied and have not yet received a decision.

SECOND-YEAR SEMINAR WRITE-ON COMPETITION

  • Students who have submitted their Second-Year Seminar (SYS) paper may participate in the SYS Write-on Competition.

  • Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better to be eligible for membership.

  • The Technical Editors will review submissions and invitations to join Law Review as a Staff Writer will be discretionary.

  • Students invited to join Law Review through the SYS Write-On Competition must commit one year to Law Review. 

  • Winners of the SYS Write-On Competition may be invited by the Law Review to publish their SYS papers in the journal, but selection to become a member does not guarantee publication.