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:

(1) Preliminary Cycle (Early Fall 2023)
(2) Fall Cycle (Late Fall 2023)
(3) Winter Cycle (Winter 2024)

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 our 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.

Application Process

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Applicants must be logged into their @uOttawa.ca email account in order to fill out the application form. Before applying, please ensure that you have prepared the following documents as a single PDF file that is less than 10 MB in size and follows the (FirstName-LastName.pdf) naming convention, as you will be required to upload such a file as the final step:

(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:

Mr. Andrew Clark-Alfaro
Human Resources Manager
Ottawa Law Review
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section
Fauteux Hall, Room 509
57 Louis Pasteur
Ottawa, ON K1N 6NS

(2) Resume (maximum two pages)

Note: Diversity, equity and inclusion is central to the mission of the OLR. We believe that diverse perspectives will help advance new ideas and contribute to legal scholarship in a positive way. We encourage individuals from historically under-represented groups to apply for an editor position and to self-identify in their application if they wish.

Questions

If you have any questions, please email olrcandi@uottawa.ca, or attend our drop-in office hours the week of Monday, September 11th to Friday, September 15 between 2:30 pm and 4:00 pm in FTX Room 509.

Please note that successful applicants will have to attend a mandatory in-person orientation and training session on Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Lunch will be provided. If you are unable to attend this session, you are still encouraged to apply and we will arrange alternative training options, should your application be successful.

The application deadline is Friday, September 15, 2023, at 5pm.

The Associate Editor position is a three-credit course for upper-year students. Associate Editors can apply the credits towards the Fall or Winter semester; however, Associate Editors work throughout both the Fall and Winter semesters. Associate Editors are graded as satisfactory/unsatisfactory/satisfactory with a distinction. Applications for Associate Editor positions open in February 2023. Associate Editors are responsible for:

• Editing the text of publications for grammar, style, and syntax;
• Ensuring footnote citations conform to the prescribed standards;
• Verifying primary and secondary source material;
• Serving on a committee; and
• Mentoring Assistant Editors.

Candidates are not required to have served as an Assistant Editor to be considered for an Associate Editor position. 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. Any questions related to the application process can be directed to Mr. Andrew Clark-Alafaro, Human Resources Manager, at olrcandi@uottawa.ca.

The Senior Editor position is a six-credit course for third-year law students (three-credits per semester). Credits are applied to the fall and winter semesters, on the basis of a satisfactory/unsatisfactory/satisfactory with distinction evaluation. Course time consists of weekly face-to-face meetings of the article pre-selection committee and the Editorial Board. Only students who served as Associate Editors will be considered for Senior Editor positions. Applications for Senior Editor positions open in February 2023. Senior Editors are responsible for:

• Pre-screening submission and voting on which to publish based on peer-review;
• Attending weekly Senior Board meetings;
• Editing accepted submissions for grammar, style, and syntax;
• Ensuring citations conform to the prescribed standards;
• Researching primary and secondary source material;
• Mentoring Assistant and Associate Editors; and
• Managing a committee of Associate Editors throughout the academic year.

Any question related to the application process can be directed to Mr. Andrew Clark-Alafaro, Human Resources Manager, at olrcandi@uottawa.ca.