About Us
The Loyola Interdisciplinary Journal of Public Interest Law (LIJPIL) is LMU Loyola Law School’s newest legal publication. Founded by students and faculty in 2022, the Journal takes a novel approach to reshaping how we consider and engage traditional legal publishing, pedagogy, and curricula. Specifically, in addition to academic articles, the Journal publishes poetry, art, and short creative and autoethnographic works to emphasize the power of storytelling in systemic change. These mediums have always been and will always be at the center of major cultural, political, and social justice movements. By stressing their historical and often necessary intersection with traditional legal scholarship, LIJPIL hopes to create new and inspiring means of access to and advocacy for the marginalized identities public interest practitioners strive to better serve.
Structurally, the Journal opts out of traditional law review processes such as Write-On Competitions and grade-based admissions and instead centers its staffing and community in those that mirror placement in public interest careers. These include interviews, personal statements, demonstrations of strong writing ability, student work in the field, and lived experiences and passions, among others. Through our mission, practice, and infrastructure, LIJPIL aims to invite and better challenge what ‘interdisciplinary’ means in the legal world, and to create a practical model for other law schools to adopt.
LIJPIL has partnered with Loyola’s Public Interest Law Foundation to host one of six panels at the annual Public Interest Palooza, a symposium and professional speaking event that brings legal and non-legal practitioners to campus to engage the community on the most pressing public interest issues of the day. LIJPIL offers its authors and selected speakers the opportunity to showcase their work per the Journal theme of that year alongside an array of panel topics chosen by the Foundation. Palooza panels in recent years have ranged from covering reproductive justice, trauma-informed lawyering, to practical challenges in immigration law, among others.
Journal staff choose each issue theme collectively to ensure it represents the interests of all participating students as a whole. Staffers and Editors are also advised in theme selection by members of our Community Advisory Board, a body of LIJPIL graduates, professors, public interest practitioners, and non-legal advocates working in Journal issue areas and who can provide students with insights on industry trends, professional networking, and mentorship.
