Lawyers Journal Editorial Policy

Every two weeks, the Lawyers Journal (LJ) publishes substantive legal articles and furnishes timely information on areas of interest to the Pittsburgh Legal Community. In addition, the LJ covers Allegheny County Bar Association news and events.

Information published in the LJ may not be used in any manner — in whole or in part — without the permission of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

A PDF version of the LJ Editorial Policy can be viewed here for your convenience.

Article submissions

  • The author will receive story assignments (including due date and length) from the editor of the LJ. Likewise, the author will submit her/his stories to the LJ editor on or before the assigned due date. Late articles will not be considered for publication.
  • Authors will submit stories via e-mail to jpulice@acba.org. It is the author’s responsibility to assure her/his story arrives by the deadline.
  • Authors may submit unsolicited work; however, the editors reserve the right to select, reject, edit and excerpt articles at their sole discretion. It is best to contact the editor to discuss a story idea before actually writing the piece to make sure the story topic is relevant and has not been covered before. Opinion or critical pieces will rarely be published.
  • Authors assures that the story submitted is their own original work and is not under any legal restriction for publication (i.e. previous copyright ownership).
  • All Lawyers Journal submissions are subject to editing, and the edits are performed by an attorney editor. The author allows the LJ to edit the work for content, clarity and mechanics. Authors will not be consulted for edits, nor will revisions be shared with the authors prior to publication.
  • Articles that are essentially advertisements or self-promotions will not be selected for publication by the editorial board.
  • The author may only use his/her company name in a biographical description that may follow the article. This author’s bio is limited to two sentences. The author is encouraged to submit a headshot photo to run with the article.
  • The author assumes full responsibility for checking all names, titles, dates and facts for accuracy before submitting the story.
  • Copyright: The LJ holds all rights for publication (including publication on the Internet) and all reprint rights.
  • The Lawyers Journal reserves the right to decline to publish any photograph which has been found to be altered or manipulated.
  • The Lawyers Journal does not publish book reviews.

Style guidelines

  • Mechanics and style: Associated Press stylebook. Authors must recognize the interests of the readership and use terms and references relevant to the LJ’s audience. Keep formatting to a minimum. Don’t use bold. Bulleted lists are fine; avoid numbered lists unless it’s important to present the information sequentially.
  • Articles must be written in the third person narrative.
  • Capitalize only proper nouns.
  • The target length for articles is approximately 750-900 words. Stories longer than this will not be published.
  • The author is welcome to suggest a title for the article.
  • Language usage: Authors must not use biased language based upon race, ethnicity, gender and/or other stereotypes.
  • Plagiarism: Whether deliberate or accidental, plagiarism is a serious and legally punishable offense. Authors will not use the words and/or thoughts of others as their own without proper permission and documentation.
  • The Lawyers Journal does not use box ads to promote upcoming ACBA events unless they are paid ads.
  • Introducing your topic: Sometimes it can be difficult for detail-oriented people to write an attention-getting introduction to a complicated issue, and as a result they may find themselves “backing into” an article by starting with background information or by structuring the article chronologically. Both of these approaches “bury the lead.” To grab your reader’s attention, please take care to explain what’s at stake within the first paragraph or two. As you write for the Lawyers Journal, keep in mind that although the audience is made up of well-educated attorneys, judges and others in the legal profession, the ACBA is not looking for research papers nor committee reports. A strong lead helps capture your audience’s attention.

The audience of the LJ is made up of:

  • Approximately 5,500 members of the Allegheny County Bar Association which includes attorneys, district justices, judges, legal administrators and paralegals;
  • Legal professionals in western Pennsylvania who specialize in all areas of the law;
  • Members of the business community who share a need for the latest local legal news.

Contribution policy

The ACBA welcomes contributions from all sources but reserve the right to select, reject, edit and excerpt articles at the sole discretion of the editor and/or editorial board. The ACBA will publish no article which, in the opinion of the editorial staff, can be reasonably interpreted as insulting or offensive to any individual or group. The ACBA will not return unsolicited manuscripts. The ACBA does not publish book reviews or accept book submissions for review. The opinions expressed in articles contained in the LJ are the opinions of individual authors and not necessarily those of the ACBA or the firms or entities with which the writers are affiliated. Articles are provided for the general interest of the legal community, but the information contained therein does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Neither the ACBA nor the individual authors assume any responsibility for the accuracy of information reported. The LJ assumes no responsibility for failure to report any matter inadvertently omitted or withheld from it.

Letters to the Editor

The LJ welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be addressed to Jennifer Pulice and sent to jpulice@acba.org. All letters must include signature, address and phone number. All letters are subject to editing. The ACBA regrets that it can neither print nor acknowledge every letter.

Editorial contact information:
Jennifer A. Pulice, Esq.
jpulice@acba.org
412-402-6623 responsibility for failure to report any matter inadvertently omitted or withheld from it.