General Membership Information

J.D. students at the University of Washington School of Law are invited to join the Washington International Law Journal based on their performance in the Melissa S. Landers Write-On Competition following their first year of law school. Selection of journal candidates is competitive, and based on writing competency and academic performance. In addition to J.D. students, the Journal also accepts LL.M. and Ph.D. candidates on a limited basis

Candidates for membership, in the J.D. program, serve on the journal for two years.  During the first year of candidacy, Journal duties entail editing and reviewing materials for publication.  During the second year, a candidate serves in either the Editor-in-Chief’s Office or one of Washington International Law Journal’s four departments—Articles, Comments, Managing Editing, or Translations).  The Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor-in-Chiefs, and Department heads serve on the Executive Board.  Full membership is offered after a candidate completes these duties and produces a comment suitable for publication on a topic of international law.

Melissa S. Landers Write-On Competition (1L-Write-On Competition)

First-year students and transfer applicants interested in joining Washington International Law Journal must participate in the Melissa S. Landers Write-On Competition held after the completion of first-year exams.  The Competition is comprised of a writing component and personal statement. The writing component is a closed-universe and time-constrained prompt that asks the applicant to produce a legal memo.  The memo seeks to test an applicant’s editorial skills, legal reasoning, and writing style. This writing prompt is universal to all four journals at the University of Washington School of Law.  While all four journals require an applicant to submit a personal statement, the Washington International Law Journal’s personal statement is specific to the Journal. 

Invitations to join the Journal are based on the quality of the applicant’s write-on submission, first-year grades, and personal statement.  Transfer students are invited to join the Journal based on the quality of their write-on submission and personal statement.

Second-Year Student Write-On Competition

The Washington International Law Journal hosts a competition for second-year students during the winter quarter.  This competition entails an applicant submitting a publishable quality manuscript about a topic related to international law to the Journal for review.  Candidates are selected based on the quality of the manuscript submitted. More about this

LL.M. & Ph.D. Candidate Selection

LL.M. & Ph.D. candidates are selected on a rolling basis.  Applicants are required to submit a publishable manuscript that is reviewed for writing competency, novelty, and relevance to international law.  Concurrent J.D./LL.M. students are not eligible to join the journal through this process.

First Year Students

The Washington International Law Journal, and all other journals at the University of Washington School of Law, do not accept potential candidates during their first year of law school.  However, first year students are encouraged to attend public Journal events and reach out to Journal candidates for information about the Journal.