ABA Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal

For Authors

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General

The ABA Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal publishes scholarly articles on subjects of practical interest and importance to lawyers practicing in the fields of real property, estate planning, probate, and trust law. Each issue reaches the hands or screens of 20,000+ subscribers, which include ABA Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section members, major law firms, and law libraries. Therefore, the Journal is a natural home for authors who wish to influence the practice of law through their scholarly work.

Submissions to the Journal are reviewed by practicing lawyers and law professors with extensive knowledge and experience of the Journal’s publication topics. We strive to provide timely publication decisions. Additionally, the editorial process includes peer review, with assistance from a student editorial board located at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Issues and Submission Targets

The Journal publishes three issues a year, and each issue is available in print and digital formats. Submission targets for each issue are as follows:
Fall/Winter: July of the preceding year
Spring: November of the preceding year
Summer: February

Topics and Topic Treatment

We consider for publication articles that address topics of national interest related to real property, estate planning, probate, and trust law, as well as related fields, including environmental law, ERISA, insurance, and bankruptcy. Within those topics, we will consider the following types of articles for publication:

  1. analytical articles on discrete topics of current interest or recent developments in the law,
  2. survey or primer articles discussing the development of the law to date in a particular subject area that provide useful analysis of various factors and policy concerns that have shaped development of the law,
  3. articles discussing proposals for legal reform,
  4. special reports or other material of unusual value to real property, trust, and estate attorneys, and
  5. book reviews that analyze and comment on books of interest to the Journal’s subscribers.

Submission Requirements

Before submitting your article, double check that your submission meets each of the following requirements:

  1. the article must focus on topics of national interest related to real property, estate planning, probate, and trust law, as well as related fields, including environmental law, ERISA, insurance, and bankruptcy;
  2. the article cannot have been published elsewhere, in whole or in part, although we may consider for publication articles that overlap with articles previously published elsewhere if the submitted article is substantially different – either in treatment, focus, or length – from the previously published version;
  3. the submission must include a short cover letter affirming requirements 1 and 2 above, a short synopsis of your article, and the author’s current CV;
  4. the article should be written in traditional law review style, with citations placed in footnotes, and citations must conform to The Bluebook—A Uniform System of Citation;
  5. the article’s length may vary, although the article should be at least 15 double-spaced pages, and 30-50 double-spaced pages is typical; and
  6. the article must be submitted as a Word document.