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At HLS, students have excellent opportunities for writing in many different areas of the law, in a variety of different formats, and under the supervision of, or in collaboration with, many HLS faculty members. Faculty encourage and actively support student writing, working closely with students on papers written for academic credit, journal articles, and books.

The Written Work Requirement is a degree requirement for the LL.M. degree. Students interested in doing additional writing beyond the requirement may choose to write optional papers for writing credit.

In addition to writing for academic credit, HLS students may collaborate with faculty members, often serving as co-authors for books and law journal articles. Students also work closely with faculty to publish articles of their own. Students may also publish papers through the online student paper series sponsored by the HLS Library.

Many of our students are involved in reviewing, selecting, and editing faculty work for publication in Harvard’s sixteen student-run law journals. Journal participation is a central part of the intellectual life of many HLS students; over 800 students work on journals each year.

For questions on LL.M. Writing Opportunities at HLS, please contact the Graduate Program.