Students Publish 5th Annual Law Journal

For the past five years, undergraduate students with an interest in law have been publishing the Holy Cross Journal of Law and Public Policy, in conjunction with law students from across the country. Holy Cross may be the only strictly undergraduate institution that publishes a law journal on record.

Since approximately 100 students a year go on to law school after Holy Cross, the College began the practice of a law journal to better expose these students to the intricacies of legal research, writing and of law school in general. At the time, students in the pre-law program and their advisor, Scott Sandstrom, associate professor of accounting, met with a team from Suffolk University in Boston for ideas on how to get involved with such a journal.

The group ultimately decided to solicit law papers from approximately 90 law schools around the country. Then, over the summer, Holy Cross students read the law students’ work for readability and comprehension. After deciding which pieces to use in their journal, the pre-law students meet with the authors in the fall. They work together on editing, condensing and copyright issues involved in publication.

Holy Cross students then do site checking of each piece, both online and at the Worcester Law Library. Such practices give the pre-law students an excellent opportunity to learn directly from the law students about writing and studying law. The pre-law students also do all the layout work for the journal in PageMaker.

According to Sandstrom, "The journal provides students with a great opportunity to do legal research, writing and editing; a very rare opportunity for undergraduate students. And they get to work and interact with law students who can give them advice and guidance as they determine if law school is right for them."

The journal covers a variety of timely issues, with the most recent issue covering the Microsoft Anti-Trust case and stem cell research. Past issues have focused on human cloning, Title IX, and homosexuals and adoption.

Although the majority of the pieces are authored by law students, submissions are also welcome from undergraduates, and in the past, pieces have been written by Holy Cross pre-law students.