A number of studies concerning author diversity in legal scholarship provide the background for our discussion. This Discussion Group will explore some of the scholarship on diversity in legal scholarship, including an exploration of various aspects of what diversity means in that process. The Group will consider: 1) how faculty members and law journal boards can help increase the chance that an article written by women or people of color will be accepted; and 2) how journal leadership can adopt an agenda that results in a more diverse set of authors in its publication. The Discussion Group hopes to engage faculty to think about our many different roles: as scholars who submit articles for law review publication, as law review advisors, and as mentors to students and other faculty.
More specifically, participants will focus on a series of questions related to author diversity in legal scholarship, including: 1) Why is this discussion needed, and what prompted each person to want to participate on this panel?; 2) Why is author diversity important to the participants as well as more generally to the legal community and beyond?; 3) What do we mean by author diversity?; and 4) What changes are desirable, and what changes are feasible, at the personal, institutional, and law school levels?
In discussing what changes might be appropriate, participants will be encouraged to offer concrete suggestions for both faculty and students. For example, what are the benefits and drawbacks of the author-blind review process, and what changes can be implemented that both correct for the drawbacks while maintaining the benefits? What other strategies might be more appropriate? How can law schools support diversity in faculty scholarship? What conversations might faculty have with law review editors about the importance of author diversity? How should the law review publishing process affect our careers, and in what ways should it not affect them?
The participants for this Discussion Group consist of a mix of individuals identified in the original proposal and individuals selected from a call for participation. Attendees who are not formal participants, are welcome to attend the Discussion Group, space is limited. The moderator may open the discussion to include attendees at some point during the session.