About the St. Thomas Law Review
The St. Thomas Law Review, a scholarly publication at the St. Thomas University School of Law, was founded in 1986 with the purpose of promoting dialogue among the legal community and encouraging legal scholarship. By organizing conferences, publishing topical issues, and providing a forum for student writers, the Law Review stands as an integral part of the Law School . As an academic journal, the Law Review not only furthers the institution’s mission but also contributes to the process of learning. The St. Thomas Law Review is one of the few law reviews to be included in the United States Supreme Court Library, and it is indexed by several legal databases.
Scholarship
The academic significance of the St. Thomas Law Review, a journal of legal scholarship produced by law students at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, comes from the depth and breadth of the research and writing completed by the authors and from the topics examined in their articles. Like most law reviews, the St. Thomas Law Review publishes articles on a variety of different, pressing legal topics in essays that aim to influence future legal thought and practice. The most recent issue of the St. Thomas Law Review, Volume 8, Issue 1, October 2010, includes articles on consumer debt and failed companies, the constitutionality of warrantless GPS tracking, the ever shifting standard between public-school students and their constitutional rights, international law, state virtual searches, transparency and the federal budget, unprivileged conversations with doctors, legal ethics, and the impact of shifting standards of care in the medical field. Law reviews, like the St. Thomas Law Review, are an important part of scholarly discourse in the field of law, focusing attention on the new developments in legal theory and the newest dilemmas in legal practice.
Peer Review and Editorial Process
The St. Thomas Law Review seeks to publish articles of the finest quality. Toward that end, the Law Review engages in a much more rigorous review process than most law reviews at other schools. After accepting articles for publication, members of the editorial board review each submission. The entire editorial board reads each selection to assess the quality of the articles, the depth of the analysis, and the novelty of the presented ideas. After this careful review by the student board, the editorial board members select quality articles and make publication recommendations to the larger faculty committee of selection and advancement.
The editorial board members then recommend various changes and edits to articles selected for publication. In some cases, the authors of the accepted articles may be required to make significant revisions to their manuscripts. Overall, the Law Review does not accept manuscripts for publication until it is confident that the material meets its high-standards for excellence.
Benefits for Law Students
Law students at St. Thomas School of Law have various opportunities to get involved with St. Thomas Law Review, the student-edited Journal of Legal Commentary. First of all, St. Thomas students must have an excellent academic record in order to become part of any law review. Additionally, to make editor, you have to complete the editorial write-on process. This year, the May 2013 graduating class has completed the process. Law students on campus will have the next opportunity in their Fall 2013 semester at St. Thomas. This process can be demanding, but those who are willing to accept the challenge have shown in the past to be in excellent position to potentially become selected as editors of St. Thomas Law Review. Working on a law review can be a boost for those students interested in the legal profession. According to Robert McGuire, comment editor for the May 2013 class, "Law review is a great way to learn how to research complex topics and make an interesting argument about the subject matter." In addition, McGuire feels strongly that membership on a law review consequently looks strong on your resume. He feels members look strong and competent for instant hire positions after graduating. "Law Review creates a strong resume bullet that says, ‘I can accomplish complicated, multi-step process, I can conduct research, I am a valuable member of a team, and I am ready to go.’" St. Thomas law students staff the Law Review by writing student comments, or shorter articles, and serving on the editorial board. Comments usually center on school related issues, including disability policy, immigration, or even the Minnesota Vikings. The subject usually does not require extensive research. The primary task of the writer is to analyze the issue and write it in a manner that relates it back to existing case law or previous commentary. The Law Review offers a unique networking opportunity for law students. Law Review editors and members work with judges, authors and even the legislature. By the time editors graduate, they have met some of the major players within the local and state government as well as the legal community. Law review editors must learn about the law, politics, academic writing, and more, in order to fulfill their task. A law review is much more involved than simply reading and editing articles prior to submission for publication. Editors must ensure articles are correctly annotated, cite checked, and many times reviewed by law review professors for accuracy. Few people can state that they edit an academic journal, and that’s what makes St. Thomas Law Review so significant. McGuire continued and stated that "It took a lot of work and extensive reading to learn how to do all this, but when I look at what I can put on my resume now, it was 100% worth the effort." Those looking to make a career in the legal arena, or just increase their education and knowledge, should apply for St. Thomas Law Review.
Influence and Impact
The intellectual contributions made by the published works of St. Thomas Law Review are frequently cited by courts, practitioners and other law reviews. In fact, more than 300 cases have cited scholarship published by the Law Review in the past five years alone. For example, in its opinion overruling both Merriam’s compromise offer and the arbitration decision in the State of Florida, the Supreme Court of Florida cited Crespo-Salgado v. T&T Constr., Inc., 723 F.3d 48 (1st Cir. 2013), a case discussed by St. Thomas Law Review student staff member Amanda Denny in "Because The Raving Widow’s Chief Executive Officer Rejects Settlement Offers Does Not Implicitly Resuscitate Her Crib Provider’s Privileges: RICO Practice Tips and Lessons From the Subprime Mortgage Meltdown," 27 St . Thomas L. Rev. 297 (2015). At the federal level, administrative agencies have also used St. Thomas Law Review as supporting. For example, in a case resolved as an unfair labor practice, the National Labor Relations Board cited as supporting materials Davidson v. NLRB, 530 F.3d 721 (D.C. Cir. 2008), a case discussed by St. Thomas Law Review student staff member Peter V. Stang in "My Car Was Stolen; Do I Still Get My Bonus? : A Look at the NLRB’s Decision in IBP, Inc./ Tyson Foods, Inc.," 26 St. Thomas L. Rev. 487 (2014).
Access and Availability
As with most law reviews, limited copies of the St. Thomas Law Review are available in many university and research libraries, particularly those that have extensive collections relating to Caribbean law. The print version is distributed primarily to members of the Florida bar. Practitioners from jurisdictions such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and Washington should ask the law library in their particular areas or states to subscribe to the St. Thomas Law Review. The digital version is published and archived on the law review’s website at www.stthomaslawreview.org.
Future Plans and Innovations
As the St. Thomas Law Review looks to the future, there are several potential avenues for growth and development. One key area is the continued expansion of law review content, which may include additional special features or themed issues that reflect current legal trends and themes. By remaining responsive to the evolving legal landscape, the Law Review can ensure that its content remains relevant and valuable to practitioners and scholars alike.
Another area for future innovation is the potential growth in digital initiatives. As technology continues to reshape the legal industry, the Law Review may seek to expand its reach through online publication platforms or enhanced digital accessibility. This could involve developing a blog or online forum for legal discourse , or creating infographics and other visual aids to supplement traditional article content.
Additionally, the future of the St. Thomas Law Review may involve increased alumni engagement and support. By forging partnerships with alumni, the Law Review can leverage additional resources and expertise, helping it to grow and evolve as an influential voice in legal scholarship.
Finally, the Law Review may choose to explore new areas of legal scholarship that have not been addressed in prior editions of the journal. For example, there may be opportunities to devote issues or special features to exploring emerging areas of law, such as artificial intelligence or virtual reality in legal practice. By delving into new and uncharted areas of legal scholarship, the St. Thomas Law Review can continue to remain at the forefront of legal thought.