September 26, 2005

Dear new Pac Rim members:

Let us be the first to welcome you to the Production component of the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal. During your first year on the Journal your responsibilities (outside of the daunting task of writing your own Comment) will be almost exclusively Production related. For 2Ls, Production involves two tasks that are integral to creation of the Journal: Source Gathering and Quality Assurance (QA). Verifying authorities and assuring that citations are in uniform format, however, are essential to producing a quality publication. As Managing Editors of Production (MEs for short), we are dedicated to assembling a journal of the highest editorial quality, which will reflect upon the excellence of its members and the Law School.

We invite you to take a few minutes now (and whenever you have questions) to consult this section of your binder for answers about Source Gathering and QA. The following pages will give you an overview of how and when source gathering and QA assignments will be assigned and how they should be completed.

We are also dedicated to making your experience with the Production Department a positive one. We understand that while Source Gathering and QA are time consuming tasks, they are not always the most exciting. Therefore, this year we will aim to be flexible, approachable, and understanding of your busy schedule. Most assignments will come near the beginning of the quarter so as not to interfere with exams. We will endeavor to provide you with advance notice of each assignment and be flexible when an unexpected emergency prevents you from completing an assignment on time. To facilitate the process we encourage you to seek our help whenever you need it. Coming to us early and often to discuss concerns will help make the production experience positive and valuable.

We hope that your work with the Production Department will sharpen skills learned during your first year. Completing these assignments will undoubtedly make you a more efficient lawyer and as well as help you polish your own Comment before publication. Once again, welcome! We look forward to working side by side with each of you.

Sincerely,

Chirs Mertens

Laura Norton

Josh Piper

Managing Editors of Production

Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal