Writing About the Law: From Bluebook to Blogs and Beyond
February 16, 2007

The Program in Law & Journalism and the New York Law School Law Review co-sponsored this symposium on writing about the law. The day-long program included presentations on everything from the structure and future of legal scholarship to the increasing appetite of the mainstream media and American public for all things legal. Although the law can be maddening, the presentations are not. Lively, informed, energetic, and extremely relevant.

Morning Panel #1: Just Cite It! The Traditional Law Review Structure
Law reviews have been attacked as irrelevant and their student editors criticized as incompetent, yet legal scholars still need to publish in law reviews to get and keep their jobs. What role does the traditional law review play, what role should it play, and should it be continued?

See the video here

Morning Panel #2: Lost in Translation (?) Writing About the Law for a Non-Legal Audience
Writing about law for a lay audience poses its own unique challenges. What is lost and what is gained by having to translate complex legal concepts into concise news reporting, incisive commentary or compelling drama?

See the video here

Lunch / Keynote Address
The Keynote Speaker was John Osborn, author of The Paper Chase and Visiting Professor, University of San Francisco School of Law.

See the video here

Afternoon Panel: Beyond the Bluebook: The Future of Writing About the Law
In a world increasingly dominated by blogs and online publications, does traditional legal scholarship have a future? Will legal scholars abandon the traditional law review to write for a popular audience, and if so, why? What will this brave new world look like?

See the video here

Break-Out Session for Law Review Editors
Law review editors will discuss the pitfalls, problems, and perks of running a (mostly) student-edited academic journal. 

Panelists