One of Canada’s leading general law reviews is now even more accessible to legal researchers and professionals. The Queen’s Law Journal, produced by a student editorial board under the direction of faculty advisors, has a new partnership and website to host digital content.

“The articles we publish often include important and timely research and provide innovative insights on legal topics,” says QLJ co-Editor-in-Chief Michelle de Haas, Law’21. “We believe it is important to expand the reach of the QLJ to further legal discussion on these articles.”  

Transitioning from mailing print copies of the QLJ towards an online-only model has been in the works for several years. With considerable research in hand from previous student editors on impact of the transition and what it ought to look like, this year’s board was ready to make the move at a critical time. “Recent events and closures due to COVID-19 have resulted in access to libraries being diminished and in some cases impossible, making hard copies often difficult to obtain and forcing researchers to rely on online sources,” explains QLJ co-Editor-in-Chief Cosimo Morin, Law’21. 

Entering into an agreement with the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII), a non-profit organization, the QLJ is helping to make Canadian law accessible for free on the web. The two most recent issues of the semi-annual publication will continue to remain exclusive to QLJ subscribers, which include many of Canada’s prominent research databases and libraries. All previous volumes are available on CanLII and recent volumes are on the new QLJ website.

The decision to stop printing the journal after the Spring 2021 issue hinged on several factors. “Most notably is the greater accessibility of online copies of the QLJ and the prominence that online research plays in the present-day legal arena,” says de Haas. 

“Transitioning to an online-only model will also save a significant amount of resources that we will be able to devote towards further enhancing the quality of our editorial processes,” adds Morin. 

“I wish to thank the student editors of the QLJ for undertaking this transition responsibly,” says Professor Grégoire Webber, one of the QLJ’s faculty advisors. “The current Editors-in-Chief and their board share this important decision with their predecessors, who undertook all due diligence before making a recommendation.” 

January will see the release of the next issue, with the second issue of 2021 being published in May. “We are very excited for both issues, and readers can expect some very interesting and timely articles,” says de Haas. “Issue 2 in particular is planned to be a special COVID-19 related issue with insightful commentary on the pandemic from legal scholars.” 

There is yet one more way readers can keep up to date on the Queen’s Law Journal. “We have also created a LinkedIn page in tandem with our new website,” says Morin. “We are very much looking forward to having a stronger online presence and being more accessible to legal researchers.”