Writing for J.D. Students

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 J.D. Written Work Requirement is a degree requirement for the J.D. degree, and students may satisfy this requirement in a number of ways, depending on individual interests and goals. Students interested in doing Additional Written Work Opportunities 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 publish papers through the HLS Student Paper Series in DASH, 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 J.D. Writing Opportunities at HLS, please be in touch with Lauren Chapman in the Office of the Registrar.