Joining CULR
Thank you for your interest in joining our staff! Positions on the CULR staff are open by application to all current undergraduate students in CC, SEAS, GS, and Barnard. (If you are a non-Columbia student interested in getting involved, please visit our Submit page instead for more information.) We are excited to learn more about the passion, creativity, and range of experiences you all will contribute to our team.
This page will provide more information about roles in CULR’s different divisions, the timeline and aspects of CULR’s recruitment process during the academic year and during the Summer Publishing Program (SPP), and some applicant FAQs.
If you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to contact us at culreboard@columbia.edu.
Division and Role Descriptions
When applying to CULR, whether in the Fall, Spring, or through SPP, you apply for a specific role in one of CULR’s divisions—applicants cannot apply for multiple positions or divisions during a given application cycle (CULR members are allowed to transfer between divisions after spending at least a semester in the role they applied for, and applicants, if not selected, can apply to a different division/position in a different cycle).
Below is a description of CULR’s major divisions and roles. Note that not all roles may be open during each application cycle, based on the division’s editorial capacity. Please feel free to contact the CULR E-board email with questions about specific divisions or roles—division heads will respond to you to clarify!
Online Division
The Online division oversees the CULR Online Journal, which publishes original research articles of 1,500-2,000 words on any legal issue in state/national/international law, within and outside the US. To join the Online Division, apply for an Online Writer position, in which you will work closely with an Online Editor (generally 1-2 writers per editor), under the supervision of a Lead Editor, to develop your topic from a pitch to a full article for publication over the course of the semester (or, for SPP, during a six-week summer timeline). To read sample articles, visit https://www.culawreview.org/journal.
Print Division
The Print division oversees the CULR Print Journal, which publishes original legal research from undergraduate students across the world thrice a year (in the Fall, Spring, and Summer). To join the Print Division, apply for a Print Editor position, in which you will work in a small team of 5-6 editors under the supervision of a Lead Editor to provide content and stylistic edits to an author to finalize their piece for publication. Through the Print Writing Program, interested Print Editors also have opportunities to work in small teams to develop and publish an article for publication in the Print Journal, and Editors are also involved in the process of selecting submissions for publication in each cycle. To read sample print journals, visit https://www.culawreview.org/print-issues.
Online Initiatives Division
Online Initiatives oversees three separate programs: Current Events, Roundtable, and Podcast.
Current Events publishes short, accessible articles on current legal developments throughout the semester (note that these articles are shorter, less research-heavy, and more frequent compared to the articles published in the Online Journal). To join, apply for a Current Events Writer position, in which you will work closely with a Current Events Editor, under the supervision of a Current Events Executive Editor. To read past articles, visit https://www.culawreview.org/current-events-2.
Roundtable publishes collections of articles offering different perspectives on a particular legal topic or controversy. To join, apply for a Roundtable Contributor position, in which you will work in a team of 5-6 writers overseen by a Roundtable Editor to select a theme (eg. the Equal Rights Amendment, the status of asylum-seekers, disability law, etc.) and write a short (c.1000 words) essay analyzing one aspect or perspective. To read past Roundtables, visit https://www.culawreview.org/roundtable-1.
Podcast develops and publishes episodes for CULR’s re-launched podcast, Low of the Land, covering a range of different legal topics. To join, apply for a Podcast Contributor position, in which you will work with a small team, under the supervision of the Podcast Coordinators, to collectively pitch a topic, invite the interviewee, conduct the interview, and edit the recording for production. To listen to past Podcast episodes, visit https://www.culawreview.org/podcast.
Business Division
The Business Division works on programming, development, and outreach for CULR, overseeing a range of initiatives each semesters, which ranges from inviting guest speakers for public events hosted by CULR, forming partnerships with local organizations to benefit members and the wider community, to managing club budgets and finances. To join, apply for a Business Team position. For more information on current initiatives, contact the CULR Business Director or E-Board email.
Application Process
The majority of CULR’s recruitment takes place during the academic year during the Fall semester, which is generally when all divisions open up for recruitment. Based on editorial capacity and vacancies in the staff, certain CULR divisions might also recruit new members at the start of the Spring semester. Additionally, every year, CULR recruits a small group of rising fist-year and sophomore students, as well as incoming transfer and Dual-B.A. students, for SPP; all members who join during SPP are added to the CULR staff during the academic year if they would like to continue in the club.
Application Components
During academic year recruitment, applicants will be asked to complete a brief application form and to a brief interview. The application form includes a few short-response questions about their interest in and ideas for the CULR position they are applying to, and might include supplementary materials, eg. a 5-page writing sample. Applications are reviewed and updated annually by E-Board and by the DESJ team, and our intention is for the written application to be short and direct, so as not to be overly labor-intensive. For more information, feel free to view recordings from our previous information session and application walkthrough (note that application questions will have changed slightly from the time of recording).
Written applications are evaluated by E-Board, generally by the heads of the division to which the applicant is applying. Some applicants are then contacted for a brief interview, which is an informal chance to follow-up on their application materials and for them to ask any questions they have about the position/CULR more generally. Note that because SPP operates on a shortened summer timeline, the SPP application process does not include interviews. All applicants are notified of application results at the end of the process.
Recruitment Timeline
Fall semester: Applications open in early September, at the start of the academic year, and close by mid-September; final decisions are confirmed by end-September, or, at latest, early October.
Spring semester: Applications open in mid-January, at the start of the new term, and close by late-January; final decisions are confirmed by early February.
SPP: Applications open in late May/early June, at the start of the summer, and close by mid-June; final decisions are confirmed by mid-to-late June.
Applicant Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to apply to CULR?
All current undergraduates at CC/SEAS/GS/Barnard can apply to join CULR during the academic year. SPP, which is designed to offer a space for new members of the Columbia community to engage with legal topics, is open to incoming first and second-year students, as well as incoming transfer and Dual B.A. students. Note that you cannot join CULR while on a study-abroad program (per Columbia policies for student club involvement on study-abroad); however, if you join CULR and choose to go on study-abroad, you can take a temporary leave of absence from the club and re-join when you return to campus without application. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions about your eligibility.
Where can I find the Fall/Spring/SPP new staff application, and when is it due?
CULR’s new staff application will be shared on our homepage, social media, and on this page, alongside the corresponding deadline. There is only one application form to complete with the same deadline across divisions, on which you will find descriptions of open positions and can indicate which position you would like to apply to.
What if I need an accessible format or any accommodations during the application process?
We can provide a PDF of the application and make any accommodations during the process. Please reach out to Director of DESJ, Wena Teng (wt2333@columbia.edu), with accommodation requests.
Will I be at a disadvantage in the application process if I don’t have prior legal exposure?
No, CULR actively seeks a wide range of perspectives and levels of experience. Those interested in the law, despite having no prior experience, are especially encouraged to apply. Additionally, there is no need for prior exposure to U.S. legal and political systems. International students who are only familiar with non-U.S. systems are welcome to apply and contribute their perspectives.
Will I be at a disadvantage in the application process if I don’t have prior academic research, writing, or editorial experience?
No, CULR recruits students who are passionate about law and willing to learn more. Please do not feel discouraged to apply if you have no prior experience in these areas. We are keen to hear about your distinct perspective, experiences, and passions in the application! All incoming staff are offered training in legal research, writing, and editing, and workshops in legal topics over the year; we hope for this to be a chance for students with a passion for the law to expand their interests and grow as a community.
Can I apply to multiple divisions? What is the difference between each division?
No, you can only apply to one position within one division in any given application cycle. For more information on each division and the differences between them, see the Division descriptions given above and in the new staff application form, and don’t hesitate to contact our E-Boad with any follow-up questions.
If I am not eligible—or if my application is not selected—in a particular recruitment cycle, can I join CULR in the future?
Yes! Most of CULR’s members join during the Fall semester, when we open applications for all divisions to all members of the Columbia community. If you are passionate about the law, and could not join in a given application cycle—whether because of eligibility, work or family related summer commitments, or because the application was not selected—you are welcome to apply to join CULR in the next application cycle, whether to the same position or to a different one.
Are all positions on the masthead open to application during new staff recruitment (eg. Online Editor)?
No, certain leadership positions within CULR are selected internally: E-Board positions are selected every Fall by election, and other divisional leadership positions (including Online Editor and Lead Editor, Print Lead Editor, Assistant Publisher, DESJ Liaison, Roundtable Editor, Current Events Editor and Executive Editor, and Podcast Coordinator, SPP Editors and Executive Editors) are selected by internal application based on members’ experience and contributions within their division. These positions will not be open for application during the new staff recruitment process.
If I join CULR in SPP or in the Fall/Spring, is there any flexibility to change roles later on, and/or to take time off from the club?
Yes! We hope to offer members as much flexibility as possible. Members who join in SPP are generally offered a CULR role within the same division they worked in over the summer (SPP Online Writers can join as Online Writers, Roundtable Contributors, or Current Events Writers, and SPP Print Editors can join as Print Editors), though we are happy to work with members who would like to join a different division. Current members also have the flexibility to transfer divisions after each semester, and/or to apply for divisional leadership roles. Finally, any member can request a leave of absence for a semester or the academic year, whether based on personal/academic circumstances, study abroad, or any other reason, and can re-join CULR’s staff without re-application when they are able to return.