April 2007

Classmate,

The late Father Robert Drinan, upon founding our journal, wrote that “[No] journal has been established as the central forum for the discussion and development of the ethical and professional dilemmas confronting the lawyers of America . . . . The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics hopes to be that forum.” Today, The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics (GJLE) is the nation’s only student-run journal devoted exclusively to the subject of legal ethics. We attract submissions from a broad range of top legal ethics scholars and we are the third most cited student-run journal at Georgetown as well as one of the most cited specialty journals in the country.

Your membership on the GJLE will be a source of pride and a professional credit for you later in your legal career. We publish articles about the legal profession, and our members are exposed to many issues in legal ethics. Employers appreciate our focus; as ethical dilemmas proliferate in business and the law, employers realize the importance of hiring individuals who have a solid grounding in legal ethics.

Furthermore, our journal offers a well-rounded academic and community service experience. An important part of our experience on the GJLE is our annual Current Developments Issue. It is a compilation of student work outlining recent changes in legal ethics rules or related law. As a GJLE staff member you will be a published author by the end of your 2L/2E year. You should know that, like most worthwhile undertakings, writing a publishable note is difficult. But also know that the GJLE has a dedicated staff of editors already in place to shepherd you through the authorship and publication process.

In addition to writing a publishable note, you will assist with source verification and citation checking and participate in pro bono/volunteer projects throughout the year. We are committed to community service and so we are a great journal for service-oriented students who are interested in contributing to the community beyond Georgetown. You will complete thirty hours of community service or pro bono work during your first year of journal membership.

Our selection criteria are intended to attract members who have a combination of strong academic and writing abilities as well as an interest in ethics. Admission to the GJLE will be based on the quality of your Write-On submission (40%), your first-year grades (40%), and a one-page personal statement outlining your educational background, experience, and/or any reasons you would like to be a member of the GJLE (20%). We realize that you probably do not have significant experience in legal ethics at this point in your legal career. We just want to know something about you beyond your writing abilities and grades.

We would also like to help you make an informed preferencing decision. Look at our masthead on our website and see if you know any of our members or editors, or contact us directly. Our e-mail address is GJLE@law.georgetown.edu and our office is in the basement of Williams Library.

To quote Father Drinan once more, “The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics will endeavor to express and embody the mission and mandate of the legal profession that was so aptly described in the Canons of Professional Ethics approved by the American Bar Association in 1908. Canon 32 of that document states that the lawyer ‘advances the honor of his profession and the best interest of his client when he renders service or gives advice tending to impress upon the client and his undertaking exact compliance with the strictest principles of moral law . . . .’”

We hope you will join us.

Very respectfully,

Tonio D. DeSorrento

2007-2008 Editor in Chief

Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics