Membership
JILP is composed of a Senior Board, 3L Article/Notes/Symposium/Book Annotation Editors, 2L Staff Editors, and LL.M. Graduate Editors.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Staff Editors are second-year J.D. candidates who are selected from participants in NYU's annual writing competition. (JILP membership is also open to a select number of transfer students through a separate competition.) JILP seeks students who are dedicated to producing a superior scholarly publication. When evaluating Staff Editors, we consider performance in the spring writing competition and a required personal statement, and we also give some consideration to grades. We also look for students with a demonstrated interest in international law, which students may show through having taken International Law as a 1L elective, ranking the Journal highly, or discussing international work, study, or travel experiences in their personal statements. In keeping with the stated mission of the Journal, we have a strong and continuing commitment to recruiting Staff Editors and other members who bring with them the widest possible diversity of experiences and backgrounds.
THIRD YEAR
Board Positions: In the spring, Staff Editors may apply for Senior Board positions which become effective following Spring Break. The Senior Board is selected by the previous Board, and is responsible for the management of the Journal. This year, the board consists of the following positions
- Editor-in-Chief and two Managing Editors: Responsible for general operations.
- Book Annotation Editor: Oversees the editing and selection of short book reviews.
- Developments Editor: Responsible for the logistical operations of the journal, and for planning the writing competition.
- Four Executive Editors: Oversee the work of the 2L staff editors, focusing on citation and source checking.
- Three Senior Articles Editors: Responsible for content selection.
- Two Senior Notes Editors: Run the notes program (see below).
- Senior Symposium Editor: Plan and execute the annual JILP symposium
Non-Board Positions: Third-year students who do not work on the board assist the Book Annotation, Senior Articles, Senior Notes, or Senior Symposium editors.
LL.M. STUDENTS
Selection: Graduate Editors are LL.M. students selected in September based on their personal statements and resumes.
Opportunities: Graduate Editors may submit Notes and Book Reviews, read and evaluate articles submitted for publication, act as advisors to JILP members writing Notes, contribute to the ongoing updates of the Guide to Foreign and Interntional Legal Citation, and participate in other Journal activities, including working with students on their Notes and organizing the symposium.
LIFE AT JILP
JILP sponsors a number of social and scholarly events during the academic year, culminating with a banquet in the spring. All Journal members are invited and encouraged to attend these functions.
JILP NOTES PROGRAM
The Journal of International Law and Politics takes student scholarship very seriously and encourages all of its editors to publish their written work. In addition to reserving spots in each issue for student notes, JILP has a Notes Program that supports interested staff editors in their efforts to write and publish innovative arguments on international law. The program begins in the fall semester of an editor’s 2L year, when the Senior Notes Editors work with 2Ls to:
- Identify and refine their topic of interest
- Make contact with a professor to guide the research process
- Form a peer group of other 2Ls, 3Ls and LLMs who have relevant expertise
- Get substantive feedback on their topic, research progress, and outline
In the spring semester, the Senior Note Editors arrange a Note Committee for each editor participating in the Notes Program, to review and give substantive feedback on the editor’s first draft. The Senior Notes Editors will continue working with the editor until his or her work is of eligible quality for consideration at JILP and other journals. When the journal hosts issue release parties, the author is invited invited to present their argument. Notes that are published in JILP are also eligible to win the JILP Student Note Competition, which is a cash prize for the journal’s best student note.
Although the Notes Program is the most direct route to publishing, the journal is committed to supporting all of its editors in getting their work published, even if they have not participated in the program. The Senior Notes Editors hold Publishing Meetings once each semester to assist editors to:
- Identifying substantive next steps towards turning their written work into publishable articles
- Finding a peer group that can provide substantive feedback
- Identifying international law journals who are willing to publish student work
- Understanding the process and calendar for submitting articles for publication
The JILP Board strives to foster an academically engaged atmosphere and strongly supports any of its editors who with to contribute to the field of international law through publication.