Law School Launches Endowment Campaign for Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

By Peter Jetton
February 8, 2022

W&L Law is launching a fundraising campaign to create an endowment to support the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice (JCRSJ). The school is seeking to raise $200,000 to support the Journal in perpetuity.

JCRSJ is a biannual scholarly publication focusing on legal issues that affect historically underrepresented classes of persons. The Journal has published articles covering a wide variety of subject matters, including real estate, education, healthcare, family, environment, public welfare, and international rights. The staff of the Journal also organizes an annual symposium on issues relevant to their mission, including an upcoming event exploring capital punishment in the wake of Virginia’s abolition of the death penalty.

The primary purpose of the endowment will be to expand the number of issues published each year, an important step to increase the visibility of the Journal in the legal academy. Current JCRSJ editor in chief Christopher Watts ‘22L notes that law professors make publication decisions in part based on the ranking of law reviews. With a ranking of 361 out of 400 law journals and a limited publishing cycle, JCRSJ can have difficulty attracting scholarship to consider for publication.

“Law review rankings are largely based on the number of people who cite to and view articles,” said Watts. “If you only publish twice a year, you limit those numbers out of the gate. Publishing more often gives JCRSJ access to more authors, better articles, and a larger audience.”

Raising the profile of the JCRSJ, and improving its ranking in the process, will lead to other positive outcomes for W&L Law students. Participation on a journal is known to improve students’ career opportunities, including opening the door to prestigious federal and state clerkships.

“Currently, three students on JCRSJ have secured highly coveted federal clerkships, with five more holding offers from large firms,” said Watts. “Fully funding the JCRSJ would only serve to increase these numbers.”

Join the Effort

For information on how to invest in the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice and W&L Law students, current and future, contact Elizabeth Outland Branner, Assistant Dean for Law School Advancement, at brannere@wlu.edu or 540-458-8191.

To make a gift online to the JCRSJ endowment, visit law.wlu.edu/give, select “JCRSJ Endowment” from the Designation drop-down menu.

Your support is greatly appreciated!