How You Can Write For Above The Law

We welcome applications for columnists and interns here at Above the Law.

anonymous blogger typist keyboard laptop computerIt’s hard to believe, but next week marks the tenth anniversary of Above the Law’s launch. Over the past decade, we have grown greatly. In the first two years of the site, it was a one-man show (featuring yours truly). Today we have five full-time writer-editors — myself, Elie Mystal, Staci Zaretsky, Joe Patrice, Kathryn Rubino — and dozens of outside columnists, generally practicing lawyers in different sectors of the profession.

We often receive inquiries from readers interested in contributing to our pages or working with us in other ways. This post will explain what we are looking for in terms of (1) outside columnists and (2) New York-based interns.

ABOVE THE LAW — INFORMATION FOR COLUMNIST APPLICATIONS

We have a sizable roster of contributors, but we are always open to pitches for new columns. (We generally do not accept one-off guest posts, since we don’t have an op-ed page here at ATL, so please publish your piece elsewhere on the web and then send us the link for possible linkage or tweeting.)

Why would you want to write a column for Above the Law? If you know any of our current and former columnists, ask them about the experience. We expect they’ll tell you about how enjoyable and gratifying it is to share their insights with thousands of readers; how they’ve developed new personal and professional relationships, sometimes including client relationships, through their ATL writing; and how fun it is to be a celebrity of sorts in legal circles. (They probably won’t mention the pay, which is modest; if you care about the pay, this probably isn’t the right job for you.)

Here are the columnist guidelines:

  • We are looking for columnists, generally practicing lawyers or law students, to write on a regular schedule — ideally once a week, but sometimes every other week or monthly.
  • You can write under a pseudonym or your real name. We prefer that writers use their real names — it’s easier to do reporting or interview people when you’re not working behind a pseudonym — but we recognize that sometimes pseudonyms are necessary.
  • You should write about a particular subject matter or area — e.g., the in-house world, small firms, legal technology, contract attorneys — or from a particular perspective. We aren’t looking for columnists to offer their random thoughts about the legal world at large.

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Speaking of beats, here are some possible columns or subject matters that we’re looking to staff. We might even add multiple columnists in a given space, depending on the number and quality of responses we receive.

1. Biglaw partnership: One of our favorite columnists is managing partner Bruce Stachenfeld. We’re always interested in more writers like Bruce who can speak to the partnership segment of our readership.

2. Supreme Court: We’re good at being armchair pundits from ATL’s home base in New York, but we’d be interested in a D.C.-based correspondent who can cover key Supreme Court arguments in person. It would be helpful for this person to be a member of the Supreme Court bar, which would facilitate getting access to the arguments. (As Mike Sacks has explained, it’s a pain in the neck for mere members of the public to get in to watch SCOTUS proceedings.)

3. Small law firms / Plaintiffs’ firms: The world of small firms is one of our most popular segments right now. And we have been missing a columnist covering the plaintiffs’ bar since the departure of Jed Cain.

4. In-house counsel: What do corporate counsel look for when hiring outside counsel? How can lawyers at firms land coveted in-house gigs? We are always eager for more in-house voices who can answer questions like these.

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5. Overseas markets: We have covered foreign legal markets before, including the United Kingdom and Canada, and Dan Harris continues to write about China for our pages. We remain open to column pitches from lawyers working abroad who can offer an international perspective.

6. Legal technology, including eDiscovery: As you may have noticed, we are building out our legal tech coverage. We have as columnists some of the best legal technology writers in the business — including Bob Ambrogi, Monica Bay, Jeff Bennion, Niki Black, Joe Borstein, Carolyn Elefant, and Ed Sohn — and we welcome even more.

(NOTE: If you work for a legal technology vendor or any other company selling services to the legal community, including consultants and legal recruiters, your submissions will be considered for use as either a native column or sponsored content. Please email advertising@breakingmedia.com for information about rates and availability for native columns and sponsored content.)

If you’d like to apply for any of these opportunities — or pitch a column concept of your own — please apply by emailing tips@abovethelaw.com (subject line: “Columnist Application”), sending us the following items:

1. A current résumé or bio (a link to an online bio like a firm website profile is fine).

2. A short description of your proposed column, ranging from a paragraph to a page, setting forth your editorial ideas or vision.

3. A sample post or column, ideally from 600 to 1200 words in length, showing us what you’d like to write for us. Please note that this sample post should be new and should be a sample of your proposed ATL column; do not send us previously published work or legal briefs or memos. (Requiring you to write something new is our way of testing your interest level.)

We accept columnist applications on a rolling basis and are always interested in compelling new voices, so there is no deadline. Please note that we don’t send emails confirming receipt of applications, and we don’t send rejection emails. If you haven’t heard from us within one month of submitting your application, you can assume we’ve gone in a different direction.

ABOVE THE LAW — INFORMATION FOR INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS

1. We are seeking interns to work with us here in our New York office (specific days and hours to be determined). Our internships are educational experiences and would be excellent for journalism students who are interested in digital media or legal journalism, or for law students who are interested in writing, editing, and alternative careers.

2. The internship may involve research, writing, editing, social media, and database work — and, to be honest, some of this work will be less than thrilling (i.e., administrative or menial in nature). But there could be byline opportunities for aspiring writers.

3. The position is paid, albeit modestly (think minimum wage). We are looking for no more than 20 hours per week (i.e., this is not a full-time position, and it does not come with benefits).

4. If you’re interested, please email tips@abovethelaw.com, subject line “Internship Application.” Please include (a) a short explanation of your interest in the position, (b) a current résumé, and (c) some clips or writing samples, if available (as either links or attachments).

As noted above regarding columnist applications, please note that we don’t send emails confirming receipt of applications, and we don’t send rejection emails. If you haven’t heard from us within one month of submitting your application, you can assume we’ve gone in a different direction. Thank you for your interest; we look forward to hearing from you!


David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.