The Maryland State Bar Association (“MSBA”) is excited to have its members share their knowledge and expertise through a variety of vehicles.  Currently, the MSBA is actively seeking articles related to emerging areas of the law, legal technology, the intersection of technology and the law, changes to the practice of law, attorney marketing, professional development, attorney wellness, and access to justice, however, we also accept articles on other topics.

The MSBA has multiple vehicles to share substantive articles related to the practice of law, including the eWeekly Newsletter, Bar Bulletin, and Bar Journal.  Below is a little more detail on the requirements for each:

• eWeekly Newsletter:  “Blog” style writing.  Typically 150-300 words, no citations.  Topics are generally related to current events that appeal to a broad spectrum of legal professionals, including recent judicial decisions/verdicts, recent changes to statues, regulations, rules, or procedure, emerging legal technologies, and recent section/committee events/award recipients, etc.   The eWeekly is published weekly primarily on Tuesdays (during certain holiday weeks the eWeekly may be published on a different day or not published at all).

• Bar Bulletin:  More professional style writing.  Typically 300-750 words with in-paragraph citations.  Topics are generally related to emerging areas of law, case summaries, current events related to the practice of law or MSBA section/committee events.  Articles related to law firm management, marketing, professional development, access to justice, and wellness are also accepted. The Bar Bulletin is published on the 15th of each month, with the digital edition typically available a few days prior to the print version.  Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis; however, submissions must be received by the last Monday of the month to be considered for the following month’s Bar Bulletin. 

• Bar Journal:  Professional, Legal Writing.  Typically 500 – 1500 words with endnote citations.  Proposals on a variety of topics will be reviewed and considered.  That said, we are specifically seeking articles related to emerging areas of the law, legal technology, the intersection of technology and the law, changes to the practice of law, attorney marketing, professional development, attorney wellness, access to justice, and book reviews.  Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, and the Bar Journal is printed every 3-4 months.  

A note about editing: The MSBA employs a light editing policy, and strives to ensure that the content and voice of submissions are that of the authors.  Editing is primarily focused on identifying and correcting typos and minor grammatical issues. To the extent that substantial editing is required, the author will be provided with a redlined copy of the suggested edits for review.  The author may, at that time, accept the suggested edits, submit a revised article, or withdraw the submission.

Currently proposals, including draft articles and/or detailed outlines, should be sent to Anna Sholl at anna@msba.org for consideration.

Coming soon!  The MSBA is working to develop an online submission portal where members can more easily submit their content for consideration.  An announcement will be made once that portal is available.