Legal Commentary

We are nearing the end of the fall law review submission season.  We already have a post to share information about this, but I wanted to make three notes.  Both of them relate to the "back of the book."  Law reviews often fill up the "front of the book" with principal articles quite quickly -- and seemingly more quickly than ever.  But many of them also find that they end up having a few remaining slots they are looking to fill.  So:

1) If you are such a law review, you are welcome to post here and let everyone know that.  It may be that there is a short article or essay or book review that would fit your missing pages exactly and fit neatly in the "back of the book" section of an issue.  This would be a good time, if I can supply an icky metaphor, for you to get your law review chocolate mixed up in an author's peanut butter, and vice versa.  Consider this one place where journal can meet author.  (As always, self-interest rears its ugly head:  If you are looking to fill the back of your book,  I just happen to have a lovely, timely, and discrete essay on the relationship between religion and politics, seen through an examination of speeches by John Kennedy, Mitt Romney, and Barack Obama, looking for a home.  Timely enough for you?  Seriously -- anyone?  Bueller?)

2) I've said here before that book reviews are often the best-written and most engaged pieces in a journal: they're trimmed of lots of fat and they directly confront an important set of ideas rather than try to cover the whole waterfront.  If the back of your book still needs filling up, you might consider looking for book reviews, or even commissioning them.  Again, if you think you might be interested in doing so, consider this one place to let readers know.

3) Finally, let me undertake a happy duty as faculty advisor of the Alabama Law Review and announce that it is still looking to fill up four or five spaces in the volume.  If you have a space you think deserves consideration, by all means let the editors there know.