Co-Curricular Activities
USC Law hosts three journals: The Southern California Law Review (Law Review), The Interdisciplinary Law Journal (ILJ), and The Review of Law and Social Justice. USC Law also hosts one in-house Moot Court competition: The Hale Moot Court Honors Program. Each of these programs is considered an "Honors Program." Students who are selected may participate in one honors program only in any one academic year.
Each program requires students to meet certain deadlines. It is the responsibility of each student participant to be aware of — and to comply with — these deadlines. Students should not rely on rumors that the deadlines will not be enforced. A student who takes a Leave of Absence does not maintain "rights" to participation in an honors program.
Southern California Law Review
The Southern California Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship managed and edited by students and published six times each year. Founded in 1924, the Review's circulation is among the largest in the nation. The student members of the Review conduct independent legal research, prepare notes and comments for publication and edit the works of their peers and articles and book reviews submitted by faculty members and other scholars. New members are elected by the student board of editors on the basis of outstanding academic ability exhibited either through first-year grades, or through a writing competition. The "write-on" competition is generally held the first two weeks following the end of each academic year. Students choosing to participate are given a package of resource materials, instructions, and specific questions that must be answered in a journal-style article. Authors of the best submissions, as evaluated by the editorial board, will be invited to join the Review staff. (The same competition is used by the Interdisciplinary Law Journal and The Review of Law and Social Justice.) Second year students serve as Law Review staff and complete a written note; third year students serve as editors. Second-year students must complete both the Staff and Writing (note) portions of the journal to receive credit for either part; students may not serve on the Law Review without registering for the appropriate units.
Members from the editorial board and staff of the Southern California Law Review sponsor the annual Southern California Law Review Symposium. Professors and practitioners from throughout the country participate in, and attend, this conference. Topics that have been covered include: property; legal interpretation; legal implications of human error; and judicial selection.
The faculty adviser is Professor Jean Rosenbluth.
- To register for the Law Review, second year students register for: Staff (1 unit) and Writing (1 unit) in the fall, and Staff (1 unit) and Writing (2 units) in the spring.
- To register, third year law students must register for: Editing (3 units) in the fall and spring. The Law Review is an honors program.
Interdisciplinary Law Journal
The Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal publishes scholarly articles analyzing the law through other fields of study. ILJ publishes the work of law professors, economists, medical doctors, anthropologists, and others who apply the latest findings in their field to legal issues. Almost all law journals publish interdisciplinary work to some extent, but ILJ tries to publish ideas which have not yet been introduced to the legal academy and may reflect the direction the articles in other law journals will go in the future. Staff members are selected from the second year class on the basis of outstanding legal analysis and writing ability exhibited through excellent academic performance in the first year and/or standout performance in the write-on competition (described above).
Staff members edit the journal and write notes of their own for publication. Third-year board members and senior editors are selected from the staff in March of each year. Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal is an honors program. Second-year students must complete both the staff and writing (note) portions of the journal to receive credit for either part. Students may not serve on ILJ without registering for the appropriate units.
The faculty adviser is Professor David B. Cruz.
- To register for ILJ, Second year law students must register for: Staff (1 unit) and Writing (1 units) in the fall, and Staff (1 unit) and Writing (2 units) in the spring.
- To register, third year law students must register for: Editing (3 units) in the fall and spring.
Hale Moot Court Honors Program
The Hale Moot Court Honors Program, in existence since 1948, provides students with an opportunity to develop written and oral appellate advocacy skills. During the first year, each student writes an appellate brief and presents an oral argument before panels of student judges. On the basis of their written and oral performance, a selected number of students are invited to participate in the second year Hale Moot Court Competition. During the Hale competition, students write an appellate brief, attend an oral advocacy clinic, participate in video-taped practice rounds and present their arguments before panels of judges from state and federal courts, practicing attorneys and faculty members. The Hale competition culminates with a final round of argument before a panel of distinguished judges. Winners of the Hale competition represent USC Law in national and state competitions in their third year. The entire program is administered by third year students. The Hale Moot Court program is an honors program.
- Third year students must register in the fall for: Moot Court Supervision (3 units). In the spring, third year students must register for: Advanced Moot Court to reflect their participation in the Moot Court National Competition.
The faculty adviser is Professor Scott H. Bice.
Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice
The Review of Law and Social Justice has as its purpose the exploration of legal issues from a social justice perspective. The Review focuses on an interdisciplinary examination of social legal issues and solicits papers from scholars in a variety of fields. It was launched by an inaugural symposium, Reconstructing Motherhood: Merging Theory and Practice. In keeping with its founders' commitment to a non-hierarchic structure, The Review employs a seven-member senior editorial board instead of the traditional editor/staff arrangement. Selection and registration for The Review of Law and Social Justice follows the same procedures and unit requirements as the other two journals. The Review of Law and Social Justice is an honors program.
The faculty adviser is Professor Lee Campbell.
