UCL Jurisprudence Review

The UCL Journal of Law and Jurisprudence is a journal edited and produced by students in the University College London Faculty of Laws. Prior to 2012, it was known as the UCL Jurisprudence Review which was established in 1994. It is the first academic student law review of the United Kingdom.

The Journal is designed to showcase some of the outstanding research being produced by students (both at UCL and elsewhere), and to publish it alongside work by established scholars and practitioners. In keeping with UCL’s extremely distinguished tradition in legal philosophy, the journal’s name and content reflect the continuing vitality of jurisprudence in the Faculty. But, as in the Faculty itself, alongside the theoretical work, there is innovative, vibrant work on a rich variety of topics.

The Journal’s primary purpose is to bring some of the excellent research produced by students to the attention of a wide readership. Without journals like this, such work would only be known to the student’s supervisor and examiner. Its second main purpose is to give students in the Faculty of Laws the opportunity to be involved in the creation and production of a law review, thereby giving them experience of both the academic and entrepreneurial roles involved. The third main aim is broader: it is that the Journal will add to the vibrant intellectual life of the Faculty of Laws at UCL, as a place where originality and innovation are highly prized (and rewarded), and where the shared pursuit, development and dissemination of ideas – by both Faculty members and students – remains fundamental to the Faculty’s continuing successes and achievements.

History of the Journal

The Jurisprudence Review was established in 1994 by Professor Stephen Guest as an annual forum for the publication of the best writing in legal theory produced by students. Contributors grapple with traditional questions of analytic jurisprudence, problems in ethics and political philosophy and challenges at the intersection of social and legal theory.

Editors and editorial board

The UCL Journal of Law and Jurisprudence is managed by an editorial board selected on an annual basis. The Journal's editors for 2016-17 are:

Academic editors: Luis F. Viveros, Nikolaos Pavlopoulos

Managing editor: Conor Crummey

Faculty editor: Dr Daniela Simone

Editorial advisors

The Review benefits from a number of editorial advisors and honorary editorial advisors. Former editors-in-chief, Yuvraj Joshi, Dimitris Katsikis and Christopher Campbell-Holt are editorial advisors. Honorary editorial advisors include: Professor Phillip Schofield, University College London; Dr Nigel Simmonds, Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge; Dr Nikos Stavropoulos, University of Oxford; Lord Hope; Baroness Hale; Lord Hutton; Lord Dyson; Lord Justice Lightman; The Right Honourable Sir Paul Kennedy; Mr Justice Silber; Mr Justice Sullivan; Mr Philip Havers QC; Mr Timothy Dutton QC; Professor Andrew Lewis, University College London and Mr John Cooper QC.

Colloquia

The Review organises a series of colloquia each academic year. The highlight is the annual Review Launch which features preeminent legal scholars and professionals from across the world. Previous speakers include: Baroness Hale of Richmond; Professor Sandra Fredman FBA, University of Oxford; Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, Columbia Law School; Professor David Kennedy, Harvard Law School; Professor Philippe Sands QC, University College London; and Peter Tatchell, global human rights activist. Previous topics include: "Feminism" (2008), "What's Wrong with Human Rights" (2009) and "Gay Rights As Human Rights" (2010).

Recommendations

Professor Ronald Dworkin: "The University College London Faculty of Laws has always insisted that inquiry into theoretical aspects of all laws is central to a proper legal education... each paper illustrates originality and scholarly research that does credit to the students and staff of this faculty. The Review is the only academic student law review in the United Kingdom and I believe it now contributes significantly to legal philosophy."

Professor Jules Coleman, Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence and Philosophy at Yale Law School: "Unlike law reviews and journals in the States which are edited by students, many of whom have little research skill or interest of their own, the UCL Jurisprudence Review exhibits a level of professionalism equal to peer-reviewed professional journals."

Professor Jeremy Waldron, New York University: "The papers are crisp, well argued, and they don't suffer from the tedium or the formulaic laboriousness of student 'notes' in American Law Reviews. Not only that, but they are persuasive and insightful, and they grapple fruitfully with difficult issues."

Professor Brian Leiter, University of Chicago: "It is impressive evidence of the vital state of jurisprudence in England, and at UCL in particular, that year after year UCL law students should produce this remarkably diverse and interesting set of papers on issues at the intersection of law and philosophy. There is nothing like it in the United States, but there ought to be."

Professor L.W. Sumner, University of Toronto: "The UCL Jurisprudence Review is a marvel: a student-run journal that publishes work by students. Its sixteenth edition maintains its tradition of showcasing the best student writing in legal theory. The array of topics covered by the papers in this issue is tantalizing. There is something here for every jurisprudential taste."

External links

• UCL Journal of Law and Jurisprudence
• Faculty of Laws, University College London
• Homepage of Professor Stephen Guest
• University College London Jurisprudence Review Launch, by Jennifer Lee, The Institute of Law Reporting
• What's Wrong with Human Rights?, by Yuvraj Joshi, The Guardian.
• Gay Rights As Human Rights, UCL News.