Journal makes debut

Liberty Legal Journal due out in April

A team of students from the Liberty University School of Law has been working diligently for months in preparation for the release of the spring issue of the Liberty Legal Journal.

The Liberty Legal Journal is a student run publication which includes an impressive collection of articles, photographs, reviews and other information. The journal was officially founded in 2010 by third year law school student Doug Waters and three other law students.

“I think it’s a very new avenue for Liberty University School of Law. We haven’t done anything like this before,” senior staff member Jeremy White said. “What we’re shooting for is something on par with the ABA Journal but with a distinctively Christian worldview.”

The team is striving to write the journal in such a way that it is available and helpful to a wide range of individuals. The diversity of the topics covered has the potential to be appealing to a broader audience, in comparison to some journals which target a more specific group.

“Our goal is to reach out nationwide to the law community, but also in a format that would appeal to outside the law community,” faculty works editor Jessica Marlowe said.

The current journal team is composed of nine individuals. The group of students has put countless hours into the composition of the spring issue. This issue will mark another milestone for the Liberty Legal Journal as it continues to grow at a rapid rate. It will be 13 pages longer than the issue released in the fall.

“Each participant brings something unique to the table,” online editor and second year law student Karlee Shelton said. “We’ve been working together really well.”

Judge Paul Spinden and professor Rodney Chrisman have taken on the role of faculty advisors to help guide the team as they work to further advance the journal.

“I’m here to provide some guidance to the board concerning major decisions, as well as reviewing article submissions,” Spinden said.

The first issue of the Liberty Legal Journal was released in the fall of 2010. The team plans on publishing 20,000 print copies of the spring issue which will be available in April.

The online edition of the Liberty Legal Journal is currently undergoing construction. These changes will make the website more user friendly, according to editor- in -chief and second year law student Katherine Charapich.

The only significant difference between the two editions is that the online version is constantly updated as articles are submitted while the print version is biannual.

“The mission of the Liberty Legal Journal is to be the premier print and online student initiated conservative, Christian legal journal, providing legal expression and legal thought based on truth,” Charapich said.

The Dean of Liberty University School of Law Mathew Staver and Spinden both stated that they are unaware of any other Christian student run legal journal.

Watching the idea unfold and take off has been a very enjoyable experience, according to Spinden. The law school’s administration provides support and resources to the students to publish the journal.

“We are 100 percent supportive of the journal and its student leadership team,” Staver said.