The Tulsa Law Review is celebrating six decades of excellence as the flagship law journal for The University of Tulsa’s College of Law.
Third-year law students serve as editors and second-year law students act as associate editors to actively review and approve each issue and write notes or comments on topics of their choice. The journal publishes three times per year.
“Tulsa Law Review is really great for students,” said Gwendolyn Savitz, faculty adviser and professor in the College of Law. As 2Ls, students gain valuable experience learning to write a scholarly piece that interests them and work with a faculty member to fine-tune it. “Through their work on the article, they can get really deep into the nuances and see exactly what’s going on there,” Savitz said. “It’s a lot of time, but it’s also the single most prestigious thing you can do in law school.”
Stephanie Smith, a 3L from Tulsa and editor-in-chief of the Tulsa Law Review, said her participation shows employers that she is dedicated and unafraid to work hard to accomplish a goal.
“I have personally put in over 250 hours on the publication this semester alone, and I think that shows employers that I am capable of successfully juggling multiple responsibilities at one time, including work, school, and a personal life,” she said. “Perhaps, most importantly, tenure on any law review shows employers that you know how to write – a skill that is desired and valued.”
Taylor Pepperworth, a 3L from Indiana, is one of two symposium editors. She and her co-editor, Daisy Eklund, assist in organizing and planning an academic symposium to be held during the spring semester.
“My position consists of, in part, sending invitations to speakers who will provide meaningful insight to the topic of the symposium – this year, that is federal Indian law – and completing the logistical steps that accompany planning and executing a large event,” she said. “Additionally, I serve as a mentor for two associate editors. In this role, I provide feedback to the associate editors’ papers throughout their article writing process.”
This academic year, the symposium topic is The Trust Relationship: Re-examining the Tribal Trust Relationship in the 21st Century. The event, scheduled for March 28 in UTulsa’s Student Union, is open to all academics, students, and legal professionals. In fact, legal professionals who attend the symposium can receive continuing legal education credit.
UTulsa is home to the only law school in the United States located on a Native American reservation and boasts a significant legacy regarding the study of Native American Law. Therefore, the Tulsa Law Review has often focused on legal issues important to the tribal communities.
“This year’s topic is important and meaningful,” Pepperworth said. “As such, the Tulsa Law Review felt that holding a symposium focused on such a critical issue for the tribes and a contentious area in the legal realm – the trust relationship – was paramount given our geographic location.”
Eklund, a 3L from North Carolina, is the other symposium editor. She said the spring event will allow local practitioners, students, and scholars to engage with the topic and that it will foster discussion and potentially civil disagreement, which, she said, is healthy in today’s political climate.
Eklund said The Tulsa Law Review has improved her writing and expanded her network.
“The skills I’ve gained during my time on this journal will likely help me to be a good advocate through better brief and motion writing,” she added. “The people I’ve met will all likely be in the Tulsa law community, so those connections will give me an advantage in working with other attorneys and potentially open up more opportunities as I look to move up in my career.”