The Journal of Law Reform seeks to improve the law and its administration by providing a forum for discussion that:

• Identifies contemporary domestic issues for reform efforts
• Proposes concrete means to accomplish change
• Evaluates the impact of law reform

In short, the Journal prefers a submission that not only describes an area of the law that warrants reform, but prescribes a means of accomplishing that reform. The Journal also welcomes multidisciplinary and empirical work as contributions to this discussion.

The Journal is currently accepting articles submissions for Volume 58!

Types of Submissions

The Journal encourages the submission of unsolicited manuscripts for publication. While the Journal primarily looks for unsolicited articles written by law professors, judges, practitioners, and academics from other disciplines, it also welcomes submissions of recent law school graduates whose pieces stem from their academic work as law students. However, the Journal only accepts unsolicited student writing on a limited basis and will do so when such work is deemed to be of exceptional quality.

Submit Online

The Journal strongly prefers to receive submissions electronically via Scholastica. If you are unable to create a Scholastica account, send an email to jlr-submissions@umich.edu with the following:

• Your name, phone number, and email address
• Title of your manuscript
• Manuscript
• Resume and any other supporting documentation
• Journal that has accepted your manuscript, if applicable
• Your deadline, if applicable

If an author is uncomfortable with sending manuscripts electronically or does not have the technological facilities to do so, the author can opt to mail the manuscripts to the Journal. Electronic submissions are preferable since they allow the Journal to process and distribute the manuscripts more efficiently and quickly. A manuscript (accompanied by any other supporting documents) should be in any version of Microsoft Word. It can be sent as an e-mail attachment.

Submission Requirements

Each manuscript should be double-spaced and conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed. 2020) and The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed. 2017). Please enclose a résumé, a list of previous publications, and/or a vita with the submission, which can be helpful for the Journal’s reviewers.

Deadlines

The Journal does not have strict deadlines per se and accepts submissions on an ongoing basis until a particular issue is deemed “filled” by the Editorial Board.

Expedited Reviews

The Journal’s review process normally takes up to a few weeks from the time an article is received to the time a decision is made. However, if an author would like an expedited review, please submit a request for an expedited review via Scholastica. If you are unable to create a Scholastica account, send an email to jlr-submissions@umich.edu with the following:

• Your name, phone number, and email address
• Title of your manuscript
• Journal that has accepted your manuscript
• Your deadline

Withdrawals

If an author decides to publish a submission with another journal or otherwise wishes to withdraw the submission from the Journal’s consideration, the Journal would appreciate notice of the withdrawal via Scholastica.

If you are unable to create a Scholastica account, send a notice of your withdrawal by email to jlr-submissions@umich.edu.

Benefits

By publishing with the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, you publish with a unique journal that

• has been publishing issues for over 50 years
• is found in most law libraries, as well as courts and law firms, throughout the country
• is one of the most cited specialized journals
• is available on WESTLAW and LEXIS
• has a circulation of about 500 subscribers
• provides authors with 25 complimentary reprints of a manuscript plus two free copies of the Journal

General Questions

General questions about submissions can be asked via e-mail at mjlr@umich.edu.