main content Law Review Rises in the Rankings

Lewis & Clark Law Review(LCLR) saw another year of gains in the recently released Washington & Lee Law Journal Rankings for 2021, rising to 51 among all law journals, and 44 among general journals.

As the only law journal ranking tool of its kind, the Washington & Lee Law Journal Rankings are highly influential. The rankings are determined by quantifying the number of times a law journal is cited in U.S. court cases and other law journals. To reduce bias in favor of long-published journals, the rankings only count journal volumes published in the preceding five years.

Founded only 26 years ago in 1996, LCLR is one of the youngest law journals to establish itself in the Top 50. LCLR has steadily risen in the rankings over the past four years–from number 61 in 2018, to number 53 in 2019, to number 46 in 2020, and most recently to number 44 in 2021.

Victoria Bejarano Muirhead ’22, editor in chief for the 2021-22 academic year, says, “LCLR’s climb in the rankings suggests that the articles we publish are being discussed and cited by legal scholars, practitioners, and judges, and are having an impact on both legal theory and practice.” She credits the rise in the rankings to the thoughtful submissions selection and editing work of the past LCLR editorial boards, noting in particular the work of Connor McDermott ’21, former editor in chief, and Colin Bradshaw ’21, former submissions editor, in organizing a timely spring 2021 symposium entitled, “Justice, Race, & Reform: Examining Proposals for Responsive Change,” as well as the work of Audrey Davis ’20, former editor in chief, and Professor Robert Klonoff in organizing a high profile fall 2019 symposium entitled, “Class Actions, Mass Torts, and MDLs: The Next 50 Years.”

The 2021-22 LCLR published articles that were originally prepared for the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Conference on “Rebuilding Democracy and the Rule of Law.” Written by prominent scholars, the six articles analyze how U.S. democracy has eroded over the past years, and present novel solutions for change.

Talia Brumfield, editor in chief for the 2022-23 academic year, says, “I am so excited to see LCLR continue to climb the ranks! The past boards have worked incredibly hard to put out excellent, cutting-edge scholarship, and our new team is honored to carry on that legacy.”