Does Law Review Actually Matter for Hiring?

Law review is the most prestigious extracurricular in law school. But whether it actually helps with BigLaw hiring is more complicated than the blanket advice suggests.

For initial hiring: it is a signal, not a requirement

Most BigLaw associates were not on law review. The firms in the firm directory hire thousands of associates each year, and law review membership is common but not expected.

Law review helps because it signals:

• Strong 1L grades (since most law reviews are grade-on or write-on with a grade component)
• Commitment to legal scholarship
• Ability to handle an additional workload

But if you have strong grades and other meaningful activities (moot court, clinics, a journal editorship), law review is not the difference between getting a BigLaw offer and not getting one.

For clerkships: it matters more

If you want to clerk, law review is significantly more important. Many federal judges expect or prefer law review membership, and it is close to a prerequisite for the most competitive clerkships.

For partnership and beyond: it does not matter

Once you are practicing, nobody cares whether you were on law review. Your work product, client relationships, and business development skills determine your career trajectory. Law review membership on your resume becomes irrelevant within a few years.

The real question

The real question is not whether law review matters but whether the time investment is worth it. Law review is a significant commitment, often 10-15 hours per week of editing and cite-checking. That time could also be spent on:

• Clinics that give you practical skills
• Moot court that develops oral advocacy
• Networking and relationship building
• Substantive coursework in your practice area
• Research assistantships with professors

If you get on law review, do it. If you do not, it is not a career-ending miss. Focus on building the strongest overall profile you can. Read more about what firms look for in hiring.