ABA Journal

Frequently Asked Questions



How do I:

Find out what kind of news the Journal prints and what kind it doesn’t?

The Journal is a general-interest news and business magazine about the law and the practice of it. Stories are reported and written in the same style as such magazines as Time or Bloomberg Business Week. Most stories in the Journal are “big picture” stories with broad reader interest. Because the Journal has a diverse readership—lawyers with various practice areas, judges, law professors and students, people in all areas of the civil and criminal justice systems, legislators, businesspeople and nonlawyers—stories do not deal with narrow technical or specialty areas of the law. While stories may focus on specific cases or decisions, they usually are reported as part of a broader context. The Journal does not chronicle trials or decisions simply as events for the record. It also does not publish announcements such as career changes, office expansions or seminars.

Participate in a contest?

The Journal sponsors several monthly, annual and occasional contests at ABAJournal.com. Read full rules and get links to contests here.

Find out how many people read the ABA Journal?

The average of paid and unpaid subscriptions to the ABA Journal is 384,799, according to the June 2006 statement of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Get a copy of writers’ guidelines?

Go to the Tips and Pitches page on this site. To request a recent issue of the Journal, call (312) 988-6018 or e-mail [email protected].

Suggest an article topic to be considered for publication?

The Journal does not publish unsolicited manuscripts. Our articles are written by in-house legal writers or by freelance journalists we hire for specific assignments. The Journal will consider queries from professional writers. Mail queries to ABA Journal, 321 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL. 60654; fax them to (312) 988-6014; or e-mail them to [email protected].

Contact someone if I have a story idea the Journal might want a staff reporter to write?

Go to our About the ABA Journal page to find contact information for any Journal staff member. To send a press release, e-mail us at [email protected].

How do I send a letter to the editor, and what kind of guidelines are there for writing one?

You may submit a letter through the Web site, by e-mail to [email protected]; by fax to (312) 988-6014; or via mail, Attn. Letters, ABA Journal, 321 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60654. Letters must concern articles published in the Journal. They may be edited for clarity or space. Be sure to include your name, city and state, and your e-mail address.

Look up a story that appeared in the Journal or get a copy of a previously published article?

Two years of the ABA Journal are available in an archive at ABAJournal.com. On LexisNexis, the ABA Journal is available in the ABA;ABAJNL file and the eReport is available in the ABA;ERPORT file. On Westlaw, the ABA Journal is available in the ABAJ database and the eReport is available in ABAJEREP. The Journal does not have a research staff that can do extensive research to locate articles. However, simple requests from ABA members often can be accommodated on a time-available basis.

Request permission to reprint an article that appeared in the Journal?

Go to this page and fill out the form.

Get extra copies of the Journal?

The Journal has a limited number of recent issues available at the cover price of $7. To place an order, write to ABA Orders, P.O. Box 10892, Chicago, IL 60654; call the ABA Service Center at 1-800-285-2221; or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Get information about Journal editorial?

Call (312) 988-6018.

Request a media kit?

Go to this page or call (312) 988-6065.

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