Diversity

The Northwestern University Law Review is fundamentally committed to diversity, in both its membership and its scholarship.

We believe that a diverse membership is integral to our tradition of excellence. The Law Review aims to represent our broader student population through our membership in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic background, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, gender orientation and identity, and ideological perspectives. The Law Review recognizes that diversity of backgrounds and perspectives in its membership creates a richer exchange of ideas to produce outstanding and innovative scholarship. A diverse membership also strengthens the community within the Law Review and generates unique learning and mentorship opportunities. Finally, because law review membership is a stepping stone in the legal profession, striving for diversity ensures that institutions like the Law Review and its many opportunities remain accessible to all. We expect our members to promote our values of diversity and inclusion; we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or disrespect.

The Law Review is also committed to publishing a diverse range of scholarship. Articles focusing on a wide variety of legal issues promote diverse perspectives throughout the legal community. Varied perspectives also provide scholars and members the opportunity to delve into new and exciting areas of study, broadening their legal knowledge. The Law Review therefore encourages submissions of scholarly works that communicate diverse perspectives often underrepresented in legal scholarship and written by authors traditionally underrepresented in legal academia.

In order to implement these values, the Law Review has undertaken numerous diversity initiatives, including:

  • Elevating the Diversity & Inclusion Editor to the Law Review’s Senior Board as the Senior Equity & Inclusion Editor, who​se responsibilities include also serv​ing on Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Diversity Advisory Board;
  • Establishing a Equity and Inclusion Committee to create and shape our diversity-related policies and programs;
  • Modifying the Write-On competition for membership to include more comprehensive assessments, such as personal statements and editing packets;
  • Collecting and maintaining demographic information for Write-On participants;
  • Integrating diversity workshops into our orientation examining the importance of diversity in legal scholarship;
  • Partnering with other Northwestern Law student organizations to cosponsor events that promote diversity within our membership.

The Northwestern University Law Review continues to examine its efforts to promote underrepresented viewpoints, and we hope to implement effective future initiatives to make our membership and scholarship more diverse.