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Join the Ottawa Law Review
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the mission of the Ottawa Law Review. We believe that diverse perspectives will help advance new ideas and positively contribute to legal scholarship. We encourage individuals from historically under-represented groups to apply for an editor position and to self-identify in their application if they wish.
Recruitment Process
Select a position below to read more about the recruitment deadlines for each role and how to submit an application. Questions regarding the OLR’s recruitment processes may be directed to Catherine Roy, Human Resources Manager, at ol******@*****wa.ca.
Assistant Editors
Recruitment for 2025-2026 Assistant Editor positions is now closed.
The following information from the previous recruitment cycle is included for reference but is subject to change.
Position Details
The Assistant Editor position is generally reserved for first-year students. Assistant Editors are responsible for locating and fact-checking sources referenced by authors to ensure our articles are accurately cited in accordance with the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 10th edition (more commonly known as the McGill Guide). Assistant Editors will work on three editing cycles during the academic year:
- Preliminary Cycle (Early Fall 2025)
- Fall Cycle (Late Fall 2025)
- Winter Cycle (Winter 2026)
Assignments usually take approximately 5–7 hours and can be assigned any time within a one-week period during the editing cycle. We try to schedule editing cycles so that they do not overlap significantly with 1L assignments. Work is done independently (and on students’ own time) but is supervised by Associate Editors and Senior Editors, who will be available to answer questions and provide guidance as needed.
Bilingualism and prior editing/journal experience are not required. The OLR recruits both French and English editors. We primarily look for students who are enthusiastic about the work we do and who have excellent attention to detail.
Benefits of Volunteering with the Ottawa Law Review
The OLR is one of Canada’s premier bilingual law journals and is a great experience to list on your legal resume. Our history spans over fifty years, and we boast many prominent judges, practitioners, and professors as alumni. With our 60th anniversary approaching in 2026, our history now spans nearly six decades, and we boast many prominent judges, practitioners, and professors as alumni. You will also:
- Gain exposure to cutting-edge legal scholarship and its publishing process.
- Develop working relationships, mentor relationships, and friendships with people outside your small group and with upper-year students.
- Attend OLR academic and professional development events.
- Learn useful legal research and writing skills. Assistant Editors will also become experts in legal citation: an invaluable skill for memos, factums, and papers—both in law school and into your future career.
Information session
The OLR will hold two information sessions about its recruitment process on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 from 11:30 am – 12:45 pm . An English session will be held from 11:30 am-12:15 pm in CRX C010, followed by a French session from 12:15 pm-12:45 pm in CRX C010.
- Editors may apply in a primary and secondary language.
- The cover letter must be submitted in the primary language of application.
- A primary language refers to the language in which you wish to work. For example, if you would like to work on the English side with English articles, please submit your cover letter written in English.
- If applying in a secondary language, an additional cover letter must be submitted in that language.
- For example, if your first choice is to work on the English side but you would like to indicate to the OLR team that you are bilingual and open to working in French as a second choice, please also include a cover letter written in French.
Application Process
To apply, please submit the following documents as a single PDF file that is less than 10 MB in size and follows the (FirstName-LastName.pdf) naming convention:
(1) Cover Letter (maximum one page), indicating why you would like to join the OLR and why you would be an ideal candidate for the Assistant Editor position. Cover letters should be addressed to:
Catherine Roy
Human Resources Manager
Ottawa Law Review
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section
Fauteux Hall, 57 Louis Pasteur, Room 509
Ottawa, ON K1N 6NS
(2) Resume (maximum two pages)
*Please note that it is not necessary to submit your resume in the secondary language.
In reviewing applications, we assess candidates according to the following criteria:
- Strong research skills, clear and effective writing, and attention to editing detail.
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, strong communication skills, and effective organization.
- Careful attention to spelling, grammar and typos.
Associate Editors
Recruitment for 2025-2026 Associate Editor positions is now closed. Recruitment for 2026-2027 Associate Editors will begin in Winter 2026.
The following information from the previous recruitment cycle is included for reference but is subject to change.
Information session
The OLR will hold two information sessions about its recruitment process on Thursday, February 6, 2025. An English session will be held from 11:30 am-12:15 pm in FTX 359, followed by a French session from 12:15 pm-1:00 pm in FTX 359.
Position Details
The Associate Editor position is a three-credit course (CML 2135F/W or CML 2535A/H) open to students entering their 2L in Fall 2025. (This includes students entering their 4th or 5th year of a combined six-year program.) Associate Editors can apply the credits towards either the Fall or Winter semester and are graded on a satisfactory/non-satisfactory/satisfactory with distinction basis.
Associate Editors are responsible for conducting the primary edit of submissions accepted for publication and supervising Assistant Editors during the editing process. In addition, Associate Editors are responsible for performing work as a member of a committee overseen by a Senior Editor.
Editing responsibilities consist of:
- grammatical edits;
- footnote edits in accordance with the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (more commonly known as the McGill Guide); and
- verifying primary and secondary source material.
Eligibility
Candidates are not required to have served as an Assistant Editor to be considered for an Associate Editor position. However, to be eligible to apply for an Associate Editor position, applicants must be entering 2L in Fall 2025 (or their 4th or 5th year of a combined six-year program).
Further, while the OLR is a bilingual academic journal, we do not require our editors to be bilingual. The OLR seeks students who speak French, English, or both.
Application Process
To apply for an Associate Editor position, please submit the listed documents through the submissions form:
- A single PDF file (less than 10 MB in size) that includes your cover letter and resume, with the (FirstName-LastName_Application) naming convention.
- Cover Letter
- Maximum of one page
- Must indicate:
- Why you wish to join the OLR as an Associate Editor
- Core competencies (e.g., research and editing skills)
- Interpersonal skills (e.g., leadership, teamwork)
Cover letters should be addressed to:
Ms. Catherine Roy
Human Resources Manager
Ottawa Law Review
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section
Fauteux Hall, 57 Louis Pasteur, Room 509
Ottawa, ON K1N 6NS
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- Maximum of two pages
- Resume
- A single Word file comprising the substantive editing and citation exercise (less than 10 MB in size), with the (FirstName-LastName_Exercise) naming convention.
- Text edits
- Correct all errors using track changes.
- Where necessary, justify the correction by indicating the rule from the appropriate authority (McGill Guide, OLR Style Guide, etc.) in a comment.
- Focus on grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other editing guidelines indicated in the OLR Style Guide. Do not edit the author’s stylistic choices, such as word choice or passive voice.
- Text edits
- Footnote edits
- Correct all footnotes errors on the dedicated page at the end of the document using the table provided (i.e., do not edit the footnotes as they appear in the original text).
- Editors must not remove or add any footnotes.
- Editors must justify all footnote edits using the McGill Guide or the OLR Style Guide.
- Footnote edits
Reference letters, writing samples, and any additional materials will not be considered.
Language Requirements
- Editors may apply in a primary and secondary language.
- The cover letter, resume, and editing exercise must be submitted in the primary language of application.
- If applying in a secondary language, an additional editing exercise must be submitted in that language.
Note: Your course credits will be applied in the language in which you are selected to edit (i.e., CML 2135F/W for English Editors and CML 2535A/H for French Editors).
Method of Evaluation
Candidates will be selected based primarily on their editing and citation exercises, followed by consideration of their cover letter and resume. Consideration will also be given to feedback received from work performed as an Assistant Editor (if applicable).
Senior Editors
Recruitment for 2025-2026 Senior Editor positions is now closed. Recruitment for 2026-2027 Senior Editors will begin in Winter 2026.
The following information from the previous recruitment cycle is included for reference but is subject to change.
Information session
The OLR will hold two information sessions about its recruitment process on Thursday, February 6, 2025. An English session will be held from 11:30 am-12:15 pm in FTX 359, followed by a French session from 12:15 pm-1:00 pm in FTX 359.
Overview of the Senior Board
The OLR is administered by the Senior Board, who, subject to the overall authority of the Dean of the Common Law Section, is responsible for the affairs of the journal.
During the Academic Year (September to April, excluding Holidays), the Senior Board consists of the Faculty Advisor(s) and all Senior Editors. During Holidays (May to August, examination periods, and January semester), the Senior Board consists of the Faculty Advisor(s) and the Editors-in-Chief. Specific dates are determined by the Common Law Section calendar.
The Senior Editor position is a six-credit course (CML 3235 or CML 3635) for upper-year students who have previously served as Associate Editors. Three credits are awarded per semester and graded on a Satisfactory with distinction/Satisfactory/Non-satisfactory scale. Class time is comprised of weekly, in-person, article pre-screening committee, and Senior Board meetings.
Senior Editors ensure the quality of our publications by taking part in the pre-screening process of submissions and voting on which articles to publish based on peer-reviews, supervising Associate and Assistant Editors during the editing process, and conducting the secondary and tertiary edits of submissions accepted for publication. In addition, Senior Editors may manage portfolios that contribute to the overall operations of the OLR and oversee a committee of Associate Editors during the academic year.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply as a Senior Editor, applicants must be entering 3L in Fall 2025 (or their 5th or 6th year of a combined six-year program) and must have previously served as an Associate Editor.
Application Process
To apply for a Senior Editor position, please submit a single PDF file using the submissions forms (less than 10 MB in size) with the (FirstName-LastName_Application) naming convention, containing:
- A cover letter (maximum of two pages), which answers the following questions:
- Why would you like to be a member of the OLR Senior Board?
- What special qualifications or particular interests do you have that you would bring to the Senior Board (e.g., previous organizational or leadership experience, major research projects, publications, etc.)?
- What is one strength and weakness of the OLR?
- Cover letters should be addressed to:
Ms. Catherine Roy
Human Resources Manager
Ottawa Law Review
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section
Fauteux Hall, 57 Louis Pasteur, Room 509
Ottawa, ON K1N 6NS
A resume (maximum of two pages).
Method of Evaluation
Candidates are selected by the outgoing Senior Board based primarily on a review of their editorial and committee work performed as an Associate Editor, followed by consideration of their cover letter and resume. Successful candidates will be notified by March 4, 2025, and provided with more information regarding Senior Board election procedures and Editor-in-Chief applications.
Senior Board Elections
Once Senior Editors have been selected for the 2025–2026 academic year, elections for Senior Board positions will take place in early April 2025. Senior Board positions shall be elected by a combined majority vote of the outgoing Senior Board and the incoming Senior Board by exhaustive ballot. Candidates should prepare a short (three-minute) presentation about themselves and why they should be selected for the position. Editor-in-Chief candidates should also be prepared to answer two or three interview-style questions.
Editor-in-Chief Positions
Senior Editors can run for either the position of Editor-in-Chief (Administration) or Editor-in-Chief (Articles), but not both.
To run for an Editor-in-Chief position during the Senior Board Elections, candidates must:
- Participate in an email evaluation exercise between March 15 and March 28, 2025.
- If applying for an Editor-in-Chief (Articles) position, complete an editing evaluation exercise between March 15 and March 28, 2025.
- Provide a 500-word platform outlining what they would like to accomplish as Editor-in-Chief and outlining their strategic vision for the OLR by March 28, 2025.