Prospective Members

Currently, membership applications are closed for the 2023-2024 year.

For the upcoming 2024-2025 year, membership applications will open during the late spring semester. Staff editor positions are open to rising second and third-year full-time students, and part-time students who have completed the required 1L curriculum.  Working in a team of three, staff editors are responsible for ensuring articles are properly supported by reputable sources, free of grammar errors, and conform to the rules stated therein The Bluebook.  Journal staff have the opportunity to receive 1 academic credit per semester by completing 60 hours of Journal work.  Membership is based on the quality of application materials submitted and limited to students who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  

Required Application Materials 

Applicants will be required to submit an application package which includes the following materials: 

  1. Statement of Interest (1-2 pages)
    This is your chance to show us your interest in the Asia-Pacific Region and why you want to be a part of the academic conversation guiding its future. Use this exercise to let us know what you can bring to APLPJ. To ensure a fair and anonymous application process, we ask the applicants try to refrain from revealing identifying information. 
  2. Sample Technical Edit
    In this exercise you will be editing a sample article for both content and form.  You will be responsible for grammar, spelling, and punctuation corrections, as well as for organization and readability. Ensure that all Bluebook citations are correct. You must make the edits using “Track Changes” in Word. You can leave any comments for the “author” that you think necessary.
  3. Bluebooking Exercise 
    The goal of this exercise is to accurately and fairly assess your ability to navigate through The Bluebook and prepare a citation developed with a good faith effort. The citations cumulatively test most rules in The Bluebook with a focus on sources commonly encountered by Staff Editors.
  4. Legal Writing Sample (10-15 pages)
    This is your opportunity to showcase your writing and editing abilities. We will accept up to 15 pages double-spaced of a legal memorandum (e.g. Lawyering Fundamentals assignment, Appellate Advocacy/Moot Court Brief, Second Year Seminar Paper) substantially written by yourself with little to no outside edits. If you submit a portion of an assignment, please provide a paragraph of context (an Abstract) to help us understand what the portion of the assignment is about. Please ensure that you remain anonymous by removing any identifying information.

Transfer Students
The Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal encourages transfer applicants to apply for membership. If you wish to be considered for membership, you must participate in the write-on competition and submit an application package. Contact the APLPJ Executive Board for more information at aplpj@hawaii.edu.