The Texas Lawbook welcomes unsolicited articles written by lawyers and subject matter experts on topics relevant to corporate in-house counsel and business lawyers operating in Texas.
Start with a Pitch
Those interested in having an article published in The Texas Lawbook should prepare a two or three paragraph summary that explains why the article is an interesting and important subject for business lawyers and corporate general counsel. In addition, please include any timeliness issues about the article or subject matter and a brief bio of the author. You may submit articles to mark.curriden@texaslawbook.net or brooks.igo@texaslawbook.net.
Style
The Texas Lawbook is not an academic journal or a law review. Articles should be written for a highly educated and sophisticated audience interested in business and law. Not every reader will be a specialist in a particular area. Here are some writing tips to keep in mind:
- Articles should be sophisticated and substantial but should not be overly technical.
- Avoid legalese. If you must use legal jargon, explain what it means.
- Use concrete examples to explain abstract concepts. Real-life examples work best.
- The article must have a lede (the first few paragraphs). It should (1) persuade the reader to want to read on and (2) include a short summary explaining why the topic is important to general counsel.
- Suggest an enticing headline at the top of your article.
- If you have a chart or other art that would help explain the issue, please include it in your submission or forward it to us.
The best way to get a feel for the style and tone we want is to read articles published in The Texas Lawbook.
Format
Articles must be between 750 and 2,500 words. That’s about two to seven pages, if you follow the formatting instructions below:
- No footnotes or endnotes.
- You are encouraged to place citations and hyperlinks within the text.
- Text should be single-spaced, with one-inch margins.
- Use 14-point, Cambria font throughout.
- Please list no more than two authors for the byline. You may include additional contributors to the article, but those names will be published at the bottom of the article.
Submission
- Please submit using a Word-compatible file.
- Provide a brief bio and photo of each author at the end of the article.
- To submit, send an e-mail to mark.curriden@texaslawbook.net with your file attached.
Publication
We will review your article and let you know if we decide to publish the article. If so, our staff will copyedit the article to conform to our standards.
Legal responsibilities
The author assumes full legal responsibility for the content of the article, including the duty that the article’s content:
- is truthful, accurate and non-defamatory;
- does not violate any applicable law; and
- does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks or other legal rights of a third party.
The Lawbook assumes full legal responsibility for any changes to the content or presentation by the Lawbook team that makes the article untruthful, inaccurate, defamatory, illegal or infringing on the rights of others.
Authors must review and accept all terms of the article submission guidelines prior to the article’s publication. By submitting an article, an author accepts all the terms of the guidelines.
