Find out what kind of news the Journal prints and what kind it doesn’t?
The Journal is a general-interest news and business magazine about the law and the practice of it. Stories are reported and written in the same style as popular magazines such as Time or The Atlantic. Most stories in the Journal are “big picture” stories with broad reader interest.
Because the Journal has a diverse readership—lawyers with various practice areas, judges, law professors and students, people in all areas of the civil and criminal justice systems, legislators, businesspeople and nonlawyers—stories do not deal with narrow technical or specialty areas of the law. While stories may focus on specific cases or decisions, they usually are reported as part of a broader context. The Journal does not chronicle trials or decisions simply as events for the record. It also does not typically publish announcements such as career changes, office expansions or seminars, though such matters could be publized in the Journal via paid advertising.
Get a copy of writers’ guidelines?
Go to the Tips and Pitches page on this site. To request a recent issue of the Journal, call (312) 988-6018 or e-mail [email protected].
Suggest an article topic to be considered for publication?
The Journal does not publish unsolicited manuscripts. Our articles are written by in-house legal writers or by freelance journalists we hire for specific assignments. The Journal will consider queries from professional writers. The best way to submit queries is to e-mail them to [email protected].
Contact someone if I have a story idea the Journal might want a staff reporter to write?
Send press releases via email to [email protected].
How do I send a letter to the editor, and what kind of guidelines are there for writing one?
You may submit a letter through the Web site, by e-mail to [email protected]; or via mail, Attn. Letters, ABA Journal, 321 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60654. Letters must concern articles published in the Journal. They may be edited for clarity or space. Be sure to include your name, city and state, and your e-mail address.
Look up a story that appeared in the Journal or get a copy of a previously published article?
You can find issues of the ABA Journal going back to 2020 here. Popular services such as LexisNexis, Westlaw and others also carry the ABA Journal. The Journal does not have a research staff that can do extensive research to locate articles. However, simple requests from ABA members often can be accommodated on a time-available basis.
Request permission to reprint an article that appeared in the Journal?
You can link to any of our articles for free, and there’s no need to ask permission.
If you quote one of our articles on a website, we encourage you to link to the full text of the article on this site, but that is not required.
But if you want to print several copies to give to others, reproduce the article on your own website, include it in your marketing materials, or make some other use of our journalism, you have to ask our permission. Please fill out the reprint request form under the “Request Permission” section on the ABA’s Reprints, Licensing & Permissions page.
If you have any questions about the reprint process, email [email protected].
Get extra copies of the Journal?
The Journal has a limited number of recent issues available at a cost of $25 for members. To place an order, call the ABA Service Center at 1-800-285-2221 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Get information about Journal editorial?
Call (312) 988-5911.
Request a media kit?
Please contact us to receive a copy of our full media kit, complete with all of our print and digital advertising opportunities.
