Editorial Guidelines

Guidelines

Legal Management provides education and information relating to the business of law and law firm management for legal administrators, managing partners of law firms, sole practitioners and others with an interest in this area. The Association of Legal Administrators and Legal Management share the goal of making the publication a thought-leader magazine for these industry professionals.

Content

Legal Management magazine, published 10 times a year by ALA, features scholarly and how-to articles on issues of vital importance to legal management professionals. ALA’s interactive approach to content demonstrates our thought leadership and our goal to stay ahead of the curve when providing relevant and timely articles.Opportunities are available for both column and feature writing. Every issue of Legal Management contains two to three feature articles that must fit into one of the five core competencies:Human Resources Management: Includes topics such as employment law, employee recruitment, training and compensation.Communication and Organizational Management: Includes topics such as written, oral and interpersonal communication skills; leadership; self-management and organizational developmentLegal Industry/Business Management: Includes topics such as trends in the legal industry, liability, legal business ethics, business insurance, marketing and planning techniquesOperations Management: Includes topics such as technology and facilities management.Financial Management: Includes topics such as general accounting and financial analysesSubmission GuidelinesFreelance writers, ALA members and consultants are encouraged to submit detailed article queries, pitches, outlines or abstracts. Only pitches sent by email ([email protected]) will be taken into consideration. If accepted, the editor will work with the writer to develop the required article. Feature articles also require submission of an outline to the editor for review. For business partners (vendors) or interested in contributing, please see the Business Partner Contribution Guidelines, as these guidelines do not apply.

Editor’s Rights

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. 

Audience

Generally speaking, articles should be oriented to the needs and interests of legal management professionals and NOT specifically or solely to attorneys.

Features: Article Length/Type/Format

Keep these guidelines in mind when submitting feature articles:Feature articles should have a clear how-to approach.These articles should serve as a guide for law firm managers and provide practical takeaways.All feature articles must include a minimum of two interviews (examples of sources include, but are not limited to, a cross-section of industry experts, ALA members and business partners)Hard sources are also encouraged (stats, surveys, reference to other research)Writers may be asked to for additional information or to make revisions, if necessaryCover features are 1,750 words. Short features are 1,000-1,100 words. All features can include only one sidebar — if the feature includes a sidebar, that word count is factored into the overall total.

Columns

Columns should be no more than 750-800 words. Keep these guidelines in mind when submitting columns:Broad range of perspectives wanted.Columns and departments available include Tough Topics, Tips and Trends, Industry News and Innovations.All article material must be educational and cannot contain any case studies or promotional/advertorial content.Writers may be asked for additional information or to make revisions, if necessary.

Final Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format.Include headshots of sources.Include a brief author biography listing current position, background and contact information you’d like readers to have (email, LinkedIn, Twitter, website, etc.).Authors should also provide a color headshot (at least 300 dpi, 2" x 3"). 

Compensation 

Only freelance authors are paid for feature article contributions (not consultants or business partners). A flat-fee will be confirmed when the article is assigned; exceeding word count will not result in additional payment. Invoices will be paid after article submission and editor’s acceptance.

Agreements and Permissions

Material accepted for publication becomes the property of the Association of Legal Administrators. The Association liberally grants reprint permission.

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 upon request.