Submit an Article
The Bar Journal is driven by the participation of the members of the Utah State Bar. It is our hope that you will join us in continuing to improve the journal with your comments, articles and cover submissions.
Bar Journal Submission Guidelines
The Editor of the Utah Bar Journal wants to hear about the topics and issues readers think should be covered in the magazine. If you have an article idea or would be interested in writing on a particular topic, please contact us by calling (801) 297-7022 or by e-mail at barjournal@utahbar.org. The Utah Bar Journal encourages the submission of articles of practical interest to Utah attorneys and members of the bench for potential publication. Preference will be given to submissions by Utah legal professionals. Submissions that have previously been presented or published are disfavored, but will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- ARTICLE LENGTH: The Utah Bar Journal prefers articles of 5,000 words or less. Longer articles may be considered for publication, but if accepted such articles may be divided into parts and published in successive issues.
- SUBMISSION FORMAT: Articles must be submitted via email to barjournal@utahbar.org, with the article attached in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. The subject line of the email must include the title of the submission and the author’s last name.
- CITATION FORMAT: All citations must follow The Bluebook format, and must be included in the body of the article. Authors may choose to use the “cleaned up” or “quotation simplified” device with citations that are otherwise Bluebook compliant. Any such use must be consistent with the guidance offered in State v. Patton, 2023 UT App 33, ¶10 n.3.
- NO FOOTNOTES: Articles may not have footnotes. Endnotes will be permitted on a very limited basis, but the editorial board strongly discourages their use and may reject any submission containing more than five endnotes. The Utah Bar Journal is not a law review, and articles that require substantial endnotes to convey the author’s intended message may be more suitable for another publication.
- ARTICLE CONTENT: Articles should address the Utah Bar Journal audience – primarily licensed members of the Utah Bar. Submissions of broad appeal and application are favored. Nevertheless, the editorial board sometimes considers timely articles on narrower topics. If in doubt about the suitability of an article, an author is invited to submit it for consideration.
- NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: Modern legal writing has embraced neutral language for many years. Utah Bar Journal authors should consider using neutral language where possible, such as plural nouns or articles “they,” “them,” “lawyers,” “clients,” “judges,” etc. The following is an example of neutral language: “A non-prevailing party who is not satisfied with the court’s decision can appeal.” Neutral language is not about a particular group or topic. Rather, neutral language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunity in age, disability, economic status, ethnicity, gender, geographic region, national origin, sexual orientation, practice setting and area, race, or religion. The language and content of a Utah Bar Journal article should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader.
- EDITING: Any article submitted to the Utah Bar Journal may be edited for citation style, length, grammar, and punctuation. While content is the author’s responsibility, the editorial board reserves the right to make minor substantive edits to promote clarity, conciseness, and readability. If substantive edits are necessary, the editorial board will strive to consult the author to ensure the integrity of the author’s message.
- AUTHOR(S): Author(s) must include with all submissions a sentence identifying their place of employment. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the views expressed are understood to be those of the author(s) only. Author(s) are encouraged to submit a headshot to be printed next to their bio. These photographs must be sent via email, must be 300 dpi or greater, and must be submitted in .jpg, .eps, or .tif format.
- PUBLICATION: Author(s) will be required to sign a standard publication agreement prior to, and as a condition of, publication of any submission.
Submit an Utah Bar Journal Article
Article Example:
