SMU Law Journals

Over 240 second- and third-year law students serve on the journals’ staffs under the guidance of faculty advisors and distinguished community members who serve on their respective Boards of Advisors. These students solicit, edit, and publish more than 150 articles each year, including student-authored pieces. In addition, the journals host several symposia events each year, bringing together legal scholars and practitioners from across the globe.


Journal students receive up to five hours of academic credit for their service. Students can elect up to three hours of class credit in their first year of participation with remaining hours taken in the second year of participation.

SMU Law Review Association

The SMU Law Review Association oversees the following journals: SMU Law Review, SMU Law Review Forum, the Journal of Air Law and Commerce, and the SMU Annual Texas Survey. For questions related to any of the SMU Law Review Association journals, please contact the Association student president, Ellie Johnson at eleanor@smu.edu

The International Law Review Association

The International Law Review Association oversees The International Lawyer and The Year in Review, both in partnership with the ABA International Law Section. For questions related to either of these journals, please contact the Association student president, Rebecca James at jamesrk@smu.edu

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

For questions related to this journal, please contact the journal's student president, Isabela Possino at ipossino@smu.edu

SMU Law Review Association sponsors two symposia

The Corporate Counsel Symposium is planned by student members, together with the SMU Rowling Center for Business Law & Leadership, faculty, and senior legal officers of major corporations. This symposium is held annually every October and brings together general counsel and attorneys from companies nationwide. The one-day symposium joins in-house and outside counsel together with judges and regulatory agencies for a survey of legal developments and best practices. The symposium features panel discussions addressing timely legal issues, such as corporate social responsibility, blockchain transactions, shareholder activism, institutional shareholder interfacing, and executive compensation.

The association also hosts the SMU Air Law Symposium. This event is the oldest and largest annual aviation law symposium in the world. Each spring, more than 500 aviation lawyers and industry representatives attend annually for continuing education credit, superb networking opportunities, and the exploration of a wide variety of aviation law topics.

 

The Science & Technology Law Review Symposium

The Science & Technology Law Review Symposium is planned by student members, together with the SMU Tsai Center for Law, Science and Innovation and faculty. The symposium is held annually every February and brings together academics and attorneys from across the globe. The one-day symposium joins in-house and outside counsel together with judges and regulatory agencies for a survey of legal developments and best practices. Past symposia included panel discussions addressing timely legal issues such as healthcare and AI, antitrust concerns in BigTech, and the disruptive effects of blockchain and cryptocurrency.

The 2024 Write-On Competition is now closed. 

Service on law review provides invaluable editing experience, broadens your understanding of the law, and improves your research and writing skills. Former journal members report that their time on a journal deeply improved their attention to detail and ability to work with long, dense pieces of writing, which is a crucial skill in legal practice. See the competition FAQ page for more information.


  • Journal of Air Law & Commerce

    Journal of Air Law and Commerce

    The Journal of Air Law and Commerce is the oldest scholarly periodical in the English language devoted primarily to the legal and economic problems affecting aviation and space. The Journal of Air Law & Commerce publishes articles by distinguished lawyers, economists, government officials, and scholars that deal with domestic and international problems of the airline industry, private aviation, and space.

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  • SMU Annual Texas Survey

    SMU Annual Texas Survey

    Since its establishment in 1967, the SMU Annual Texas Survey serves as a tool to legal practitioners by providing annual developments of Texas Jurisprudence. Each issue of the Annual Texas Survey contains articles from law professors, attorneys, and judges which provide a thorough, yet concise explanation of the present state of Texas law. Student members of the SMU Law Review Association edit and produce this exclusive publication of legal developments in Texas.

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  • SMU Law Review

    SMU Law Review

    SMU Law Review, the flagship journal at SMU Dedman School of Law, publishes four issues a year. The publication includes articles by prominent legal scholars and practitioners with international reach. One issue each year is a Symposium issue that focuses on a timely legal topic. Our next Symposium issue will explore the wide-ranging impact of overruling Roe v. Wade.  SMU Law Review also sponsors the annual SMU Corporate Counsel Symposium, attracting corporate practitioners from throughout the United States to discuss current developments in corporate law.

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  • SMU Law Review Forum

    SMU Law Review Forum

    The SMU Law Review Forum is a brand new online journal edited by the students of the SMU Law Review Association. The Forum was established in 2019 as a counterpart to the SMU Law Review and Journal of Air Law and Commerce. The Forum specializes in short-form, timely articles that are reviewed and published on an accelerated schedule.

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  • Science & Technology Law Review

    SMU Science and Technology Law Review

    The SMU Science & Technology Law Review is a journal produced twice a year by the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law’s Science and Technology Law Review Association. Each issue includes articles authored by leading scholars and practitioners that address current issues within science and technology and the intersection of these areas of law with other disciplines.

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  • The International Lawyer

    The International Lawyer

    As the official triannual publication of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law, The International Lawyer provides cutting-edge legal research and analysis of international law with a focus on trade, licensing, direct investment, finance, taxation, litigation, and dispute resolution. Since its inception, The International Lawyer has grown to become the world's most widely distributed U.S. international law review, enjoying subscriptions of approximately 11,000 readers in more than 90 countries.

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  • The International Lawyer

    The Year in Review

    The Year In Review is an annual international law survey that provides a comprehensive summary of the germane legal developments, key pieces of legislation, and landmark decisions that helped shape the international legal tapestry of the year. The objective of The Year In Review is to publish high-quality articles on international subjects relevant to each Committee of the American Bar Association International Law Section.

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