Membership and Subscriber Types and Benefits

Full Members

Unless otherwise specified, membership is for the calendar year. Scribes offers four categories of full membership:

Regular member. Regular membership is open to any legal professional who has written a book on a legal subject, published two articles on legal subjects, served as editor of a legal publication in any capacity, or, as a judge, published more than one opinion or was a lawyer. In addition, a full-time faculty member at an ABA-approved law school and anyone who has taught as an adjunct professor at an ABA-approved law school for at least three years can qualify as a regular member. Starting in January 2025: $75 per year for individuals who graduated from law school five or more years ago. $25 per year for individuals who graduated from law school less than five years ago.

Sustaining member. Sustaining members show their commitment to Scribes’ goals by paying higher annual dues. $100 per year.

Life member. A life member shows the highest commitment to Scribes’ goals. $1000 total donation or four annual installments of $250.

Institutional member. Any ABA-approved law school or federal or state appellate court may become an institutional member. Institutional membership entitles each faculty member, judge, or staff attorney at the respective organizations to all the benefits of membership, including receiving the Scribes Journal, The Scrivener, and bi-monthly email tips on legal research, writing, and grammar. Additionally, law schools may induct students into the National Order of Scribes, an honorary organization to recognize graduating law students who excel in legal writing. Law schools that are members may annually nominate up to five students to be inducted into the National Order of Scribes. $650 per year or $350 per year for institutions with fewer than 10 members of its own.

Associate Members

Associate member. An associate membership is for someone outside the legal profession who is qualified to join Scribes by having published. An associate member has no right to vote or be elected to the Board but has all the other rights of membership. Associate members must be approved on the Executive Director’s recommendation. $65 per year.

Student-Editor Members

Student-editor member. To qualify as a student member of Scribes, the individual must be a member or editor of a law review or law journal, a member of the school’s moot court board, or a teaching assistant for the school’s legal writing program. A student member has no right to vote or be elected to the Board but has all the other rights of membership. $15 per year.

Become a Member

Benefits of Membership

Members are entitled to:

  • receive The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing, the first scholarly journal devoted to legal writing;

  • receive two annual issues of The Scrivener, the newsletter of Scribes (currently on hiatus);

  • receive bi-monthly email tips on legal writing, research, and grammar;

  • publish in The Scrivener individual news about their professional moves and accomplishments, including publications;

  • seek membership on any of the nine Scribes committees, including those that select: (a) the best book on a legal topic published each year, (b) the best student-written article published each year, and (c) the best brief of those chosen as winners of student moot-court competitions each year;

  • submit pieces for possible inclusion in Scribes’ publications, including The Scribes Journal and The Scrivener;

  • attend CLE events at no charge;

  • attend other Scribes-sponsored events, typically for free or at a member rate; and

  • for law schools, nominate students for inclusion in the National Order of Scribes and register multiple student editors for the annual National Conference for Law Review Editors at no additional cost.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are for the calendar year. Scribes offers institutional and individual subscriptions.

Institutional subscriber. Any law firm or law department may become an institutional subscriber. An institutional subscription entitles each attorney in the organization to electronic copies of The Scrivener and bi-monthly email tips on legal research, writing, and grammar. The institutional subscription also entitles the organization to 10 softcover copies of the Scribes Journal. In addition, each attorney in the organization will receive the same discount offered to Scribes members for any continuing legal education or other special programs offered by Scribes and open to the public during the subscription period. $650 per calendar year or $350 per calendar year for institutions with fewer than 10 designated subscribers.

Individual subscriber.  Any person who shares Scribes’ goals may become an individual subscriber. An annual individual subscription entitles the subscriber to electronic copies of The Scrivener and bi-monthly email tips on legal research, writing, and grammar. $25 per year.

Through annual institutional subscriptions, law firms and law departments can help equip their attorneys with resources to enhance writing skills.

Become a Subscriber