Types of Submissions Accepted

The WRLSI accepts submissions in the following forms:

Book Review

The purpose of a Book Review is to provide a short summary and evaluation of recently published (within the last three years) professional books, textbooks and course materials dealing with theory or practice in the field of law.

Book Reviews generally contain: the author’s qualifications and prior work, a description of the aim of the book and its thesis, its proposed audience, a discussion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses and an evaluation of the usefulness of the book in the field of law.

Length: Book Reviews will typically run 500 - 1,500 words, but may exceed this length, if necessary.

Case Digest

Case Digests are used to inform the reader of important recent developments in decisional law, and to describe practical consequences of the holding in a recently decided case. A well constructed Case Digest should lead the reader to examine other resources and consider the perceptual problems raised in the Digest.

The scope of a Case Digest is limited to the major issues presented by the case. The digest should address the small corner of the law and only discuss the issues within the particular case. The focus of the Case Digest is the court’s holding and its impact on the specific area of the law.

Length: Case Digests will typically run 1,000 – 2,000 words, depending on the length of the case being summarized.

Note

A Note is a detailed, critical study and analysis of a specific, narrow area of law. It is scholar-oriented, as opposed to being geared toward the practitioner's use (like a Comment), and should enable the reader to become intimately familiar with the subject matter of the paper. Discussion should include the pertinent legal theories, the apparent problems and the offering of a solution, all supported by sufficient legal authority. Pre-emption checking for a Note topic is necessarily more extensive than pre-emption checking for a Comment.

The purpose of a Note is to (1) present a comprehensive, reliable summary of existing law on an issue, and (2) suggest what the law on that point should or should not be in light of existing law. A Note should advance an area of legal scholarship beyond its current state, will provide persuasive evidence for each of its conclusions, and will acknowledge the limits of its arguments.

Beyond this general description, notes are quite diverse, both in terms of topic and style. Some are doctrinally focused analyses of particular legal questions. Others present normative arguments on how courts or legislatures should analyze a particular problem that they have not yet adequately addressed. Still others are historical or theoretical.

A Note will generally contain an Introduction, Background or History of the issue at hand, Analysis of the legal problem, and an original Conclusion supported by the preceding history and analysis.

Length: Notes will typically run 7,000 – 15,000 words.

Comment

The purpose of a Comment is to discuss the significance of a recent case, piece of legislation, law journal article or law related book. The Comment should show how the work being discussed relates to a particular area of law. A comment should show how the statute, decision, or piece of legal writing has changed or addressed the law, and indicate any trends or possible effects of the recent decision. The comment should be of particular value to the practitioner.

A Comment focuses on a precise area of law, problems associated with that area, and any possible solutions to those problems. Discussion should thus include the pertinent legal theories, the apparent problems, and the offering of a solution, all supported by sufficient legal authority.

A Comment should reflect thorough and exhaustive research, as well as imaginative analysis reflecting the original input of the author. While the scope permits the writer to be creative and distinctive, the Comment is a scholarly legal writing and, as such, is intended to be informative, authoritative and useful.

Topic sources include newspaper articles, trends in statutory/case law, proposed and recently enacted statutes, recent court decisions, and recent administrative rulings.

Length: Comments will typically run 7,000 – 15,000 words.

Research Article

The purpose of a Research Article is to allow the author free range to write about a topic that is pertinent to the mandate of the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues. Research Articles will be on a topic that relates to a legal or social issue, and more specifically, will show how a particular social issue may impact the law.

The Research Article should focus on a specific and relevant area of social or legal theory, while demonstrating how social issues interact with the practice, creation and administration of law.

Length: Research Articles will typically run 7,000 – 15,000 words.