Call for Notes

A note is a short piece of original legal analysis. It begins with a specific legal question, examines the relevant law and evidence, and reaches a conclusion the author can defend. It may recommend a change to the law, but it does not have to. Explaining a disagreement between courts, a gap in a statute, or the likely effect of a recent decision can also make a strong note.

We welcome topics involving law, government, and public policy, as long as the note has a substantial legal question at its center. You could:

• Analyze a recent court decision and its likely effects.
• Compare how two states address the same legal problem.
• Examine whether a law achieves its stated purpose.
• Explore an unanswered legal question raised by new technology.
• Evaluate a proposed law and recommend a specific change.

Choose a question narrow enough to answer in a short paper. “The future of free speech” is too broad. “Whether a particular state’s law protects student speech at public universities” is a question you can research and address.

Notes should be 1,500–3,000 words, excluding footnotes. Use headings to help the reader follow your argument. You do not need to use the exact headings below, but your note should generally cover these four parts:

1. 1. Introduction: State your question and answer.
   Tell the reader what legal issue you are examining, why it matters, and what you conclude. Your main argument should be clear by the end of the introduction.
2. 2. Legal background: Explain the law the reader needs to know.
   Identify the relevant cases, statutes, regulations, or constitutional provisions. Define unfamiliar terms. Focus on the background that is necessary for your analysis rather than recounting everything you learned during your research.
3. 3. Analysis: Make and support your argument.
   This should be the largest section. Explain how the legal sources bear on your question and walk the reader through your reasoning. If the law is unclear, explain where the uncertainty comes from. If you propose a reform, explain what problem it addresses and consider a reasonable objection. Do more than summarize sources: show what conclusion follows from them.
4. 4. Conclusion: Explain what follows.
   Answer the question you raised at the start. Briefly explain the practical importance of your conclusion without introducing a new argument.

Use Bluebook citation format in footnotes. Cite the legal authorities you discuss and the sources supporting factual claims. Whenever possible, work directly from primary legal sources such as court opinions, statutes, regulations, and proposed legislation. You may use academic writing and credible reporting for context.

If Bluebook is new to you, start with your university library’s legal citation guide or the UC Davis Law Library Bluebook guide. You can also consult The Bluebook’s website for the full manual. Look up the rules for the types of sources you actually use—such as cases, statutes, and websites—then apply them consistently. Before submitting, check every quotation, footnote, and link against the original source.

We expect students to make a good-faith effort to follow Bluebook format. Editors may ask accepted authors to correct citations during the editing process.

Anyone currently enrolled as an undergraduate may submit. Email your note as a Word document (.docx) to contact@kapinational.com by December 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.

Subject line: [Your Name] – National Undergraduate Law Review

In your email, include your full name, school, year in school, major, KAPi chapter if applicable, and the title of your note. If your note grew out of a class paper or has been published elsewhere, please say so.

Editors will review submissions for clarity, originality, quality of research, and strength of analysis. Authors of selected notes should expect to work with editors on revisions. Accepted notes will be included in the inaugural edition, scheduled for publication in summer 2027.