The Michigan Law Review is an American law review that was established in 1902 and is completely run by law students. It is the flagship law journal of the University of Michigan Law School and one of the top law journals in the United States.
History
The Michigan Law Review was established in 1902, after Gustavus Ohlinger, a student in the Law Department of the University of Michigan, approached the dean with a proposal for a law journal. The Michigan Law Review was originally intended as a forum in which the faculty of the Law Department could publish its legal scholarship. The faculty resolution creating the Michigan Law Review required every faculty member to submit two articles per year to the new journal. From its inception until 1940, the Michigan Law Review's student members worked under the direction of faculty members who served as editor-in-chief. The first of these was Floyd Mechem, the last Paul Kauper. In 1940, the first student editor-in-chief was selected. During the years that followed, student editors were given increasing responsibility and autonomy; today, the Michigan Law Review is run with no faculty supervision. The current editor-in-chief is Sophia Montgomery. Day-to-day production operations are overseen by the current managing editor, Alexander Bau, and executive production editor, Loren Lee. Seven of each volume's eight issues ordinarily are composed of two major parts: "Articles" by legal scholars and practitioners and "Notes" written by the student editors. One issue in each volume is devoted to book reviews. Occasionally special issues are devoted to symposia or colloquia.
Rankings
In 2016, PrawfsBlawg ranked the Michigan Law Review as the 6th best law journal by weighing its Google Scholar Metrics law journal ranking, US News Peer Reputation Ranking, US News Overall Ranking, and the W&L Combined Ranking. Based on data from 2009 through 2016, Washington and Lee University School of Law ranked the Michigan Law Review as the 7th best law journal. According to Google Scholar Metrics, the Michigan Law Review was the 7th best law journal in 2015 and the 6th best law journal in 2014. According to Washington and Lee University School of Law's Law Library, the Michigan Law Review is the 7th most cited law journal in academic works, being cited in journals 3888 times between 2009 and 2016, and the 6th most cited law journal by courts, being cited in 128 cases between 2009 and 2016. As of 2012, the Michigan Law Review has published 4 of the 100 most cited law journal articles of all time—the 5th highest of any law journal. Of the 95 articles that constitute the 5 most cited law journal articles from each year between 1991 and 2009, 9 of them were published by the Michigan Law Review—the 5th most of any law journal.
James D. Zirin, lawyer, writer and cable TV talk show host
Parody
The Michigan Raw Review, a parody of the Michigan Law Review, was published annually by the Barristers Society, a self-styled honorary at the University of Michigan Law School. The Raw Review used the same cover, layout, and typeface, but contained content totally dissimilar, leaning to the "insulting and semi-pornographic".
