Submission Guidelines

Section Review is a journal that is published three times a year. Each section is encouraged to submit up to three articles per issue (or possibly more, with the editor's approval). Articles must be under 2,500 words and authors are encouraged to refrain from heavy citations or discursive notes, as all notations run as endnotes in this publication. Submissions are made directly to the publications liaison/editor of each section council or division. Section editors will have the relevant deadlines.

Lawyers Journal is a monthly newspaper (except in July and December). Members are invited to submit pieces under 1,000 words to their section editor. Submissions are contingent upon space, and it's ideal to have some advance notice of a submission. For recurring features, such as Mind Your Own Business, proposals for the feature can be made through the section editor to the editor.

Massachusetts Law Review is a journal that the Massachusetts Bar Association publishes four times a year containing articles, case comments and book reviews of interest to MBA members. The editorial board comprises lawyers, judges and academics representing a variety of legal disciplines and specialties. The Law Review board is always looking for submissions from members of the bar and invites proposals either in outline form or completed manuscripts.

As to the subject of an article, the author should discuss applicable case law, statutes, rules or regulations. Articles may run anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 words. We look for topics that are timely and likely to be of interest to Massachusetts practitioners. In judging submissions, we particularly value those that are insightful and well written.

Case comments are confined to a discussion of a recent civil or criminal case with relevant cites and a brief description of related cases. The comments run 2,500 to 3,000 words. Whether the piece is a comment or article, we are looking for pieces offering a deeper analysis of a legal issue, rather than a bare description.

Book reviews discuss recent books of interest to practitioners and run about 2,000 words.

All article submissions are subject to peer review and to a vote by a majority of the editorial board members at the monthly meeting. If an article is accepted for publication, an editor is assigned and the editing process begins. Authors may either submit proposals or full articles to the editorial board by sending them to Periodicals Manager Bill Archambeault at [e-mail barch].

In evaluating submissions, the editorial board considers several factors, including, but not limited to:

• Will the article be of interest to our membership?
• Is the topic relevant to Massachusetts practice?
• Is the topic timely?
• Does the author offer new insight?
• If the article attempts a balanced explanation of the law, does it offer critical insight? That is, does it have depth or is it too superficial?
• If the article offers a specific point of view or argument, does it educate the reader about all points of view, giving legal and, if appropriate, historical or social context, and if not, should it reflect other points of view.
• Is the article well written? Logical? Accurate?