Academic Policies Guide

Journal and Moot Court Credits

Academic Journals

  • Academic credit is available for journal work
  • For law journal and Moot Court credit, the faculty advisor will evaluate the educational achievement of each student awarded credit to ensure that both the quantity and educational quality of the student’s work on the journal or Moot Court was commensurate with the number of credits awarded and comparable to the quantity and quality of work in an ordinary course or seminar carrying that same number of credits

Student Journals and Publications

  • Annual Survey of American Law
  • Environmental Law Journal
  • Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law
  • Journal of International Law & Politics
  • Journal of Law & Business
  • Journal of Law & Liberty
  • Journal of Legislation & Public Policy
  • Law Review
  • Moot Court Board
  • Review of Law & Social Change

Journal Staff Selection

  • At the end of the first year, the various student publications begin their staff selection process
  • In most cases, selection is made by the Board of each publication on the basis of academic achievement during the first year of Law School and a student-administered writing competition for which the first-year student is eligible
  • Students may NOT receive credit for a note or problem
  • A third-year JD student is entitled to either one or two ungraded academic credits for their work on a student journal or the Moot Court Board (“journals”). The number of credits to which a student is entitled is determined by the amount of hours of academic work attributed to each position on the journal. Students who participate in the Marden Competition may earn 1 credit per semester. In September, the Editors-in-Chief of the journals (including the Moot Court Board) will supply a list of students eligible for credit for journal work or Marden to the Office of Academic Services, and the Office of Records and Registration will register students.
  • Student publications hold a limited number of spaces for students who transfer to the law school in their second year
  • The writing competition for these students is conducted immediately prior to the start of the fall semester

Marden Moot Court Competition 

Students who participate in the Marden Competition may earn academic credit towards the JD degree as follows:

  • All JD students who participate in the Fall Elimination Round are eligible to earn 1 credit. Moot Court Board members that participate as competitors are eligible to earn 1 credit
  • The Spring Open Round will no longer be offered. Only students who advance to the Spring Final Round will be eligible to earn academic credit for Marden Competition in the Spring semester
  • The Fall Elimination Round and the Spring Final Round will be based on two distinct problems
  • Moot Court Board members will be permitted to advance to the Spring Final Round, subject to any limitations imposed by the Moot Court Board's Executive Board