Membership Requirements for The World Arbitration and Mediation Review (WAMR)

Membership on the WAMR can be achieved in one of three ways: (1) superlative performance in the final examination in Professor Carbonneau's course on “U.S. Arbitration Law,” either as a first-year elective or as an upper-level course; (2) outstanding performance in the Penn State-McGill Summer Program in Arbitration and the submission of a case summary of exceptional quality; or (3) through participation in the law school's summer casenote competition that follows the end of first-year examinations. All WAMR members must take the basic course in arbitration to secure or retain their editorial standing.

First-year class members are expected to write several case summaries during their initial year on the WAMR. They must also fulfill traditional duties of verifying the substance and citations of work slated for publication. They will perform editing tasks in regard to case summaries — their own and those of others. They will receive assignments from senior members, the Executive Director, and the Editor-in-Chief. The unexplained or unjustified failure to meet a deadline can result in a loss of credit and/or membership at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. First-year class members receive one credit (Fall semester) for their general editorial work and one credit (Spring semester) for their case summaries. The latter must reflect sufficient range and exceptional writing.

Third-year class members can be selected to assume formal editorial positions. The selection of editors shall be made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Executive Director and the existing board of student editors. Student editorial positions include: Chief Senior Editor (single position); Senior Articles Editors (three positions); Senior Commentary Editor (two positions); Senior Case Summaries Editor (four positions); Senior Managing Editor (one position); Book Review Editor (one position); Events and Documents Editor (two positions); and Boskey Competition Editor (one position).

Third-year class members who are not appointed to editorial positions are considered “Writing Editors” and are expected to write a Commentary during their final year on the WAMR. It should further reflect the work they have done on case summaries or be a topic of significant interest in the contemporary law of arbitration. Third-year class members who successfully complete their Commentary are granted two credits in the Spring semester. Third-year class editors who are on the Editorial Board receive two credits in their Spring semester for the editorial work they performed on the WAMR.