Spring has sprung, and you know what that means: we’re now seeking submissions for our annual law revue video contest. As far as last year’s submissions are concerned, some of them were funny, some of them were “meh,” and some of them made us want to close our heads inside of our laptops. Trust us when we say you do NOT want to be in the last category.
If you think you can carry a tune or tell a joke, we ask that you send us your very best law revue videos so that we — and the Above the Law audience — may pass judgment upon them. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the very best.
Those responsible for the winning video will get Above the Law prizes and the pleasure of knowing they’re the envy of their law school peers. As always, there will be complete and total exoneration for the losers. There’s always next year.
Before you start sending us your videos, we’ve got some rules. As future members of the legal profession, we hope you’ll be able to follow them.
- Your video must be publicly available online somewhere. Send us the link at tips@abovethelaw.com with the subject line “Law Revue Video Contest Submission – [School Name].” We’ll accept submissions of any videos posted after April 28, 2023 (the deadline for our last contest).
- To avoid complaints from competitors (see, e.g., West Virginia’s 2013 winning entry), your primary performers must come from within the law school community (but cameos from outsiders are okay). How do we define a “primary performer”? Don’t test us, gunners. We’ll know a violation when we see it.
- Send us your submission by FRIDAY, APRIL 26, at 5:00 P.M. (Eastern time). That’s not a soft, law school deadline; it’s a hard, law firm deadline. (NO EXCEPTIONS, so don’t even try pleading with us; if you’re reading this post after the deadline, you don’t read ATL frequently enough.)
- Your editors here at ATL will make a list of our favorites, the competition finalists, and post them.
- We will NOT watch videos longer than 5 minutes. Use editing tools, people.
- Please submit no more than two entries per school (one per school is even better). Try to collaborate with your fellow students and submit no more than two entries. If the leadership of Law Revue can come up with “official” submissions, that would be ideal.
- ATL readers will then vote to choose the funniest of the finalists. The winning team will receive ATL prizes (limit five prizes).
Here are some unofficial rules:
- Please send funny videos only.
- You have no idea how short our attention spans are. If you use the full five minutes, it better be absolutely freakin’ HILARIOUS.
- Gratuitous shout-outs to Above the Law are appreciated and encouraged.
- Video quality matters. A shaky clip shot on a handheld from a third-floor balcony is probably not going to make the cut.
- Don’t make us hate you.
Send those videos in. Best of luck — the competition will be even fiercer than usual, so you’re going to need it!!! We look forward to judging you.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
