Writing Competition Overview
To join one of the University of Miami School of Law’s journals, students can participate in the Law Review Writing Competition. For the Writing Competition, students use a substantial packet of source material, provided by the University of Miami Law Review, to write an in-depth academic article. Articles will be scored on the basis of writing ability, legal analysis, and Bluebooking skills.
Each participant must complete the casenote in compliance with the School of Law’s Honor Code. Anyone violating the Honor Code may be reported to the Honor Council for sanctions, including but not limited to disqualification from the writing competition or removal from the Law Review.
Membership on the University of Miami Law Review is prestigious, and competition for a spot on the Law Review is accordingly difficult. The University of Miami Law Review offers grade-on membership to rising 2L students ranked in the top 5% of their 1L class. Rising 2L students who have a 3.53 GPA and rising 3L students who have a 3.65 GPA after the Spring semester are eligible to participate in the Law Review Writing Competition.
Note that all University of Miami School of Law students are eligible to write on to the School of Law’s other journals through the Writing Competition. For more information regarding the other journals, please see the final memorandum.
Interviews with Past Competition Winners
We have available on our website interviews with past Writing Competition winners. In these interviews, current and former UMLR members discuss best practices for competitors to follow during the Competition and what pitfalls to avoid. You can read all of the interviews here.
The 2024 Writing Competition
The Rules and Instructions packet for the 2024 Writing Competition can be found here. Dates for the 2024 Writing Competition are below. Please note, late entries will not be accepted.
- Registration:
- Start: Monday, April 15, 2024, 8:00 a.m. (EST)
- End: Friday, April 19, 2024, 5:00 p.m. (EST)
- Competition:
- Start: Thursday, May 23, 2024, 12:00 p.m. (EST)
- End: Tuesday, May 28, 2024, 5:00 p.m. (EST)
- Announcement of Winners: Monday, June 17, 2024
How to Write a Casenote Workshop
In anticipation of the 2024 Law Review Writing Competition, the University of Miami Law Review (UMLR) will be hosting four sessions of its “How to Write a Casenote” Workshop where members of UMLR and representatives from the other law reviews will discuss expectations, Bluebooking for academic writing, the general evaluation standards, how the University of Miami School of Law’s Honor Code comes into play during the Writing Competition, and the Writing Competition experience. These sessions will not be recorded. Please come prepared with questions as we will answer them during the workshop. Also, remember to follow each law review on social media for information leading up to the Law Review Writing Competition.
As a reminder, attendance to one of these workshops is mandatory for write-on eligibility for UMLR. Attendance is highly encouraged for all competitors.
Information Sessions – Mandatory to attend one:
- Wednesday, February 28, 2024: 12:30 – 1:45 p.m. in E352
- Tuesday, March 26, 2024: 12:30 – 1:45 p.m. in E352
“How to Write a Case Note” Workshops – Mandatory to attend one:
- Wednesday, April 10, 2024: 12:30 – 1:45 p.m. in E352
- Tuesday, April 16, 2024: 12:30 – 1:45 p.m. in E352
If, due to extenuating circumstances, you cannot attend either of these sessions, please email Farah Barquero at fbarquero@law.miami.edu with an explanation and accommodations may be made.
