Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) Writer Guidelines

ALA’s two flagship print publications, Legal Management and ALA News, reflect the Association's goals and objectives to inform and educate readers about news and trends in legal administration and law firm management. While their editorial approaches differ, both publish articles according to similar guidelines.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION

Legal Management: The Journal of the Association of Legal Administrators

Read by principal administrators and other legal professionals in private law firms and corporate and government legal departments, Legal Management is a journal covering issues and trends related to the business management of a law practice. Published bimonthly beginning in 2010, Legal Management also provides practical management education and serves as a vehicle for dialogue among administrators, managing partners, and other legal professionals.

Legal Management circulates to more than 10,000 ALA members as an exclusive membership benefit and to select qualified non-member legal professionals, including law firm managing partners. Although most ALA members live and work in the United States, more than 5 percent live and work in Canada and other countries around the world.

Legal administrators and managing partners have a broad range of management interests and responsibilities. Legal Management thus features practical articles and more theoretical management information. Each issue contains articles on a variety of subjects related to running a law firm, including financial management, strategic planning, technology, marketing, and human resources. Review the journal’s 2010 Editorial Calendar. 

ALA News

ALA’s bimonthly member magazine, ALA News, communicates the Association’s accomplishments, events, goals and objectives to a circulation of approximately 10,000 members worldwide. Most of this material is generated in-house; however, one or two features written by external writers may appear in each issue. These articles generally focus on furthering members’ personal and professional growth and sharing innovative approaches to and best practices for the legal management profession.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSION AND ACCEPTANCE

Writers are encouraged to submit detailed article queries or pitches and, if accepted, the editor will work with the writer to develop the required article. Bylined educational articles are welcome from ALA members and from vendors and consultants to the legal profession. Generally speaking, articles should be oriented to the needs and interests of legal administrators and other law firm business management professionals and NOT specifically or solely to attorneys.

Before offering a complete feature story or column to ALA for consideration for Legal Management or ALA News, please submit a brief summary of the proposed subject matter. Such queries should be submitted to:

Editor-in-Chief, Legal Management and ALA News
Association of Legal Administrators
75 Tri-State International
Suite 222
Lincolnshire, IL 60069-4435 USA
E-mail

Note: E-mail queries are strongly preferred.

Upon Acceptance

1. The editor-in-chief will work with the writer to establish word count, deadline, requirements, specifications, and date of publication.
2. Once the article is received, the editor has the right to edit the article for style, clarity, and length and to make final selection on headlines, subheads, and graphic treatment.
3. Writers may be asked to revise manuscripts or provide additional information for clarification.
4. Authors may also be asked to sign a “Contributor Agreement” that gives the Association a non-exclusive license to reprint articles in future publications, such as article collections. The Association liberally grants reprint permission to its authors and members. Those requesting reprint permission are encouraged to inform an article’s author first before contacting ALA.
5. An invoice, including a Social Security number for U.S.-based authors, must be submitted to receive payment. Invoices may be submitted via e-mail in attached Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) documents. (Additional invoice guidelines are available upon request.)

Manuscript Preparation

1. Length: Columns typically run 800 to 1,300 words; features typically run 1,200 to 2,000 words, including sidebars.
2. Editorial Style: ALA publications generally adhere to The Associated Press Stylebook and Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. ALA also has an internal stylebook; a digital copy will be provided for your reference upon request.

Format

1. Send the manuscript in Microsoft Word (for Windows or Macintosh) via e-mail to John Delavan.
2. A list of sources and contact information should be provided for fact-checking purposes.
3. At the end of the article, include a brief author biography listing current position, background and contact information if needed. Articles submitted on behalf of a client should identify the client and the client's products and services. Columnists should also provide a color (preferred) or black-and-white head shot (at least 300 dpi, 2" x 3") via e-mail.