The Washington University Law Review is holistically committed to diversity, both in the scholarship it publishes and in its student membership.
The Law Review recognizes the entrenched historical inequities pervading the profession at large, as well as the role that legal institutions like ours have played in perpetuating these inequities. It believes that journals like ours have a duty to counteract these inequities. Additionally, the Law Review believes it holds a powerful position to influence legal scholarship—and by extension, equality under the law—by promoting a cross-section of scholarship, including historically underrepresented along with more traditional perspectives, in both the articles and notes it publishes. It understands that legal scholarship is enriched by a complex exchange of ideas and life experiences and seeks to improve this exchange each year.
The Law Review is equally committed to expanding journal membership as an educational opportunity for students who experience barriers to entry based on life experiences including, but not limited to: race, gender, ability/disability, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, immigration status, family education level, socioeconomic background, and political beliefs.
It seeks to make the process of attaining journal membership more equitable to end its complicity in systems that have failed to be inclusive of people from all backgrounds. It understands that journal membership is an accomplishment that opens career paths to individuals who have historically been excluded and underrepresented in the field.
The Law Review affirms WashU Law’s commitment to diversity and seeks to further that commitment by turning words into action. The Law Review has undertaken numerous diversity initiatives so far and will continue to do so, including:
- Creating a Chief Diversity Editor position, who along with the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, influences the success of the publication as a whole
- Modifying Write-On to include more comprehensive assessment of students, including a mandatory Personal Statement
- Training our staff to objectively grade Write-On submissions in hopes of minimizing grader biases influencing the grading process
- Developing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (headed by the CDE) tasked with challenging the status quo and holding the Board accountable to its diversity commitment
- Partnering with other WashU Law organizations to expand its recruitment and membership
Prospective members are encouraged to reach out to any current members for information about journal membership.
The current Chief Diversity Editor can be reached at: cde@wustl.edu