Submission Guidelines
What we look for in Submissions :
Above all, we are in search of honesty. We are looking for the humanity inside our system of laws. Where does it come up? When is it overlooked? How can the law self-correct for the human element? How can the law truly furnish equality? We are looking for submissions from members of the legal community, but we want the writing to appeal to a general audience. Don't get bogged down in trying to impress us, instead try your best to make the writing engaging, fun, and educational.
Maybe you know of a law or a system of laws that you think should be altered; we want to hear your thoughts about it; tell us your perceptions of the malfunction. Then tell us what you might do differently. How making a change would be better, and who for? We love sourced and cited support for any theories. We also love ideas in the making. Start the conversation, let us keep it going.
It’s possible you’ve had an experience with a client, a judge, a lawyer, or the system that you’d like to share. Maybe it is an uplifting story, perhaps it’s heartbreaking—either way, we want to hear true accounts of the system in practice. Names can be left anonymous for confidentiality and conflict purposes, we are here to help with the narrative.
If you want to submit but are lacking inspiration, keep reading this page, there are other types of submissions we are looking to publish. The idea is to shake the trees a bit, make a splash, open up, and let the words speak for themselves. We are looking for artwork to publish alongside the written submissions; we are looking for poetry, photography, anything that you think is relevant to the type of conversation we are trying to create, send it in. Preference will be given to marginalized voices, and voices that have been overlooked in the past.
As you are preparing your submission remember that each issue is themed, familiarize yourself with our current theme here before submitting.
Send Us a Pitch !
Don't want to go to the trouble of writing a whole article before you know we want to publish it? We get it. send us a pitch idea. Give us a basic outline of what you want to write, and include a short writer's bio. We will be in touch!
SEND PITCHES TO:
Jaime.Donis@law.nyls.edu and Thomas.Barranca@law.nyls.edu
General Guidelines
Send an email with your piece attached in word doc to: TheMarginsMagazine@gmail.com.
In the body of the email tell us who you are with a short bio.
Follow the guidelines on the rest of this page to make sure you are following our format.
-All submissions should be entered on a Word.doc or comparable file
-12 pt font
-Times new roman is suggested but not required
-double spaced
-one-inch margins
- There is no word limit for submissions, just note we are busy law students so use your discretion here.
- Number your pages at the bottom center
- Place your name and contact info on the cover page
- give a title for your submission but be aware we may suggest a change for editorial consistency.
- all submissions should include a short bio in the body of the email. Tell us who you are, any relevant experience, publishing credits, hobbies, hometown, etc.
Lacking Inspiration? Use one of our Legal Formats.
The Margins is many things, but at the end of the day we are a law magazine with a twist. We have created what we think are fun takes on traditional legal writing forms that allow writers some room to explore. You can submit a Memo of Law or A Court Opinion, but with our own spin. As a general note, we love and encourage humor and a sense of wit.
MEMORANDUM OF LAW
You may be familiar with the traditional law school memorandum (issue presented, facts, discussion, conclusion). This submission is not meant to be that.
Although the memorandum should follow a similar format based on the traditional memorandum, mirroring that structure isn’t necessary. That is, some sections may be left out and the memorandum should be formatted at your discretion. We stress, here, that new categories can be invented and reinvented. For example, you had a personal experience that matches the issue at hand. You have the freedom to create a category named “personal experience” and explain how it connects to the issue. Do not limit yourself to the traditional four corners of a memorandum. If, the traditional memorandum format makes sense to the type of writing you are submitting, then feel free to use it.
These types of submissions are meant for support/opposition to legislation, or critiques into particular legal concepts. Writers are encouraged to explore the real-world consequences of the law or laws in question.
THE OPINION
Take an old, historic, or seminal case you disagree with and write your own opinion as if you were the judge. You can reference the case law as needed, but if the case was decided under a particular statute or statutes they must be included for context. You should aim to write the opinion in plain language suitable for the average reader. We encourage re-writes of Supreme Court decisions. Note that submissions of this type may invoke another author to write a dissent to your opinion to be published alongside. We love humor here.
What other kinds of submissions do we accept?
STORIES:
This is a section of the magazine that seeks to highlight the real-world experiences of people and their interaction with the law. We strongly encourage practicing Lawyers, Judges, Jurors, Paralegals, and any Law related worker to submit here. These submissions are meant to humanize the law. How did the law affect you or your client? What emotions came up? What moral quandaries did this experience force you to explore? We ask that submissions be as honest and transparent as possible. If the author needs to remain anonymous, or names need to remain anonymous we understand that Confidentiality rules may apply. Please contact us directly if you have any questions concerning this type of submission.
OP-EDS:
Yes, the good ol op-ed is welcome here. Try to refrain from a general rant (unless you really need to pop off, in which case submit it and we'll see) we love op-eds that offer both sides of an argument.
Other types:
We are still in the process of finding what we would call "the sweet spot" for what we like to publish in the margins. As of now, we are open to really anything at all that is rationally related to the theme, and to the law. This includes but is not limited to: Poetry, fiction, Art, Photography, etc. We want your work, no matter how you package it to us.