A London version of the student-run Harvard Law Review is being launched this week, providing would-be lawyers with the chance to work alongside prominent practitioners and academics.

The London Law Review, a quarterly publication, has the outgoing Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf and Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith as patrons, and is edited and produced by law students from London universities.


Five thousand free copies will be distributed on publication. It will then offer subscriptions at £48 a year. Along with income from advertising, the review aims to finance at least one legal practice course or bar vocational course place a year, in addition to essay-writing competitions and openings to work on the review. It also hopes to make donations to the universities' law libraries.


The founder and editor-in-chief, Andrew de Beaulac, a law student at Birkbeck College, said the idea came from his time at Yale Law School in the US. 'I saw it was an excellent opportunity for students to further their career and encouraged them to do their best,' he explained.


Most of the articles will be written by leading solicitors, barristers and academics with the help of students, although a section will be written by the students themselves to help them develop their skills.


Mr de Beaulac said he hoped the publication in time would receive official sponsorship from the London universities; for the time being, it has to be self-financing. However, there is a lot of academic support, he added. Brunel law lecturer Paul Dougan has been named executive editor-in-chief to guide the editorial team and coordinate the peer review process.


Lord Justice Anthony May also backed the review, saying he wanted 'to give every encouragement for its future establishment as a prominent source of legal academic excellence'.


The first issue covers topics ranging from international terrorism and insider trading in the Netherlands, to mediation and privacy.


Link: www.lawreview.org.uk