Law Journals: The Appalachian Natural Resources Law Journal

The Appalachian Natural Resources

Law Journal 

of the

Appalachian School of Law

The Appalachian School of Law offers two scholarly writing journals edited by students.  I profile the first journal -- the Appalachian Journal of Law -- here.

The ANRLJ published its first issue in September 2007.  It has published articles from lawyers, business leaders, coal, oil, and natural gas industry participants, and students.    

The Mission Statement of the ANRLJ 

The By-Laws of this journal provide:

Our mission is to promote excellence in natural resources law through education, analysis, and publication of natural resource related issues, and any issues that may bear a relation to the field of natural resources.  We will endeavor to demonstrate, through our members, an ethical commitment to illuminate all facets of current natural resources issues pertinent to the community at large, with emphasis on the Appalachian community [and] to promote a common understanding in the field among scholars and jurists alike.

Board of Editors, Senior Editors, & Associate Editors 

The Board of Editors manages the ANRLJ.  The members of the ANRLJ include the Senior Editors, the Associate Editors, and the Editors.  The Board of Editors – consisting of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Production Editors, Article Editors, Student Note & Comment Editor, and a Business Editor -- elects the members of the incoming year’s Board of Editors by secret ballot at an annual meeting called for that purpose.  The new members of the Board of Editors serve for one year.  The Editor-in-Chief elevates any Associate Editor who has served on the ANRLJ for more than one and half years to the position of Senior Editor.  The Senior Editors directly supervise the editing and critiquing work of Associate Editors on the ANRLJ’s lead articles.

Admission as Members

First-year students can become members of the ANRLJ by an annual write-on process.  To ensure that all

students have an opportunity to join, the ANRLJ, through its Hiring Board, will pick high quality Editors based on the applicant’s cover letter, resume, GPA, and writing samples.  The Hiring Board may consider the applicant’s legal experience, academic performance, legal writing ability, commitment to or interest in natural resources law, and recommendations by faculty members or third-parties.

Beginning in the fall 2008 semester, the journal began assisting in the publication of the upcoming issue of the Energy and Mineral Law Institute, which the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation publishes. They check citations, primarily.  Students who participate receive community service credit, get recognition in the volume, and are identified as Research Assistants.

Satisfaction of Seminar Requirement

ANRLJ members have the same opportunity to substitute work on the ANRLJ for the Seminar Requirement as ASL currently gives to students who work on the Appalachian Journal of Law. Accordingly, students who serve two years on the ANRLJ in an acceptable fashion and who write a publishable note are eligible to substitute that service for the two-credit Seminar Requirement in their third year.

With Appalachian School of Law's increasing focus on a natural resources curriculum and its commitment to the school's Natural Resource Center, the ANRLJ will play an increasingly important role in the scholarly environment existing at ASL.

Associate Professors Derrick Howard and Buzz Belleville serve as faculty advisors for the ANRLJ.