The Stanford Journal of Legal Studies (the "Journal") was founded in 1999 by five Stanford Law School students dedicated to creating a law journal appropriate for the academic and technological developments of the twenty-first century. Such a journal will utilize the astronomical growth of the internet to create a forum for the rapid exchange of ideas across law and other academic disciplines, and in the process, do away with the artificial barriers dividing the professional world of law from the intellectual world of the humanities, the social sciences, and other disciplines.

   The separation of the professional schools of law, business, and medicine from the rest of the academic community has perhaps carried over to the realm of intellectual discourse. To address this problem, the Journal was formed to bridge the gap between the study of law and other academic disciplines. The cross-pollination of different academic perspectives furthers a broader and deeper understanding of the relevant problems, questions, and interpretations facing modern society and human existence. Indeed, approaching an issue from different analytical and substantive frameworks is vital to a more total understanding. Accordingly, the Journal selects publications based on their interdisciplinary contribution to the study of law as well as their appeal to scholars in the social sciences and the humanities.

   Recognizing the limitations of print publishing, the wide-spread availability of internet access, and the trend towards online accessibility of academic and news media publications, we decided to use the internet to widen our readership and rethink the traditional approach to law journal publishing. Not only is our publication timeline significantly shorter than hard-copy journals, but we also publish pieces that are shorter than traditional law reviews, more fun to read, and targeted to an audience that is interested in intellectual discussion of legal issues rather than exclusively in research. Our format enables us to offer interactive publication through the use of video and audio clips and other multimedia tools. By enabling readers to send responses to Journal articles for timely publication, we create a source of great potential for peer review, constructive criticism, and most importantly, speed of change in academic thought. We expect to publish symposia on the intersections of law with other academic disciplines by soliciting and encouraging notable scholars to write short works on a particular topic, so as to create an interesting, unusual, and lively journal.

   Within a few years we expect a significant percentage of paper journals to have an internet publishing arm. As more journals and other intellectual publications change format, gradually universities will recognize the importance of the digital format. We have confidence that the Journal will one day become the prototypical law journal for the twenty-first century.

Sahand Shaibani, Laura Engelhardt, Carl Flink, Ryan Fortson, Derek Roberti