The Bencher® is the flagship
publication of the American Inns of Court. Circulated to all members, it
is published via a dedicated website. The purpose of The Bencher® is to provide a regular communication link among the national office, Inns, and members of the American Inns of Court.
Each issue features articles written to a central theme such as legal
ethics, professionalism, civility, or mentoring. Also included are
reports on the activities of American Inns of Court from around the
country, information about Inn programs, and profiles of prominent
individuals in the legal profession.
Current circulation is more than 30,000 by website.
Contributions are welcome. Feature articles or news items for publication in The Bencher®
must be submitted to the editor and will be reviewed for suitability.
If a submission is chosen for publication, it may be edited for content
or to fit in the space available
The Bencher Editorial Policy
Feature article submissions to The Bencher® are reviewed by members of the
editorial board who are or have been affiliated with the American Inns
of Court. Editorial and publication decisions are based on the board's
judgment. The views expressed in The Bencher® are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Inns of Court
or the editorial board.
The editorial board welcomes comments and
suggestions. Letters, especially those that contribute to furthering
discussions of professionalism, may be published at the discretion of
the editorial board. By submitting a letter, you are authorizing its
publication. Letters may be modified to meet space and content
restrictions.
The American Inns of Court is strictly
apolitical and reserves the right to edit or decline to publish
submissions deemed political.
Submission Guidelines
All submissions should be e-mailed to the editor, Rita Zimmerman. Please cc: your Chapter Relations Director when submitting Inn the News items.
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Feature Articles: Authors are invited to submit
original feature length articles on the topics of professionalism, legal
ethics, civility, mentoring, and other subjects that advance the cause
of excellence in the practice of law. Please reference our schedule for a
listing of current themes and deadlines for our upcoming issues.
Recommended article length is 1000–2000 words and MS Word or WordPerfect
files are preferred. Please avoid the use of footnotes or endnotes.
- Inn the News: Inns are invited to submit Inn-related news items for inclusion in the “Inn the News” section of The Bencher®.
Recommended word count is 100–500 words. Longer articles will be
considered, but may be subject to substantial editing. Inns are also
encouraged to submit photos related to their news item(s). When submitting photos, please include a caption identifying the people and activity in the photos. Please refer
to the photo and image submission guidelines below. Please note that The Bencher® does not publish "congratulatory" news or information that promotes a business, service, or publication.
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Photographs and Images: Please submit .JPG files with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (high-resolution).
Head shots should be 300dpi and at least 2"x3". Please note that photos
and images posted or saved from the internet are low resolution and not
suitable for commercial printing. Original photographic prints are
accepted, but will not be returned.
Copyright
Before a feature article is published, authors will be sent a copyright
confirmation and release authorizing us to publish or use the article as
we choose free of any claims against us for its use. If a previously
published work is submitted, you are required to certify that you have
retained publication rights and/or obtained consent from any other
author(s) or entities that have previously published the article or any
substantial portion thereof.
Style Guide
The American Inns of Court uses and recommends that authors refer to The Chicago Manual of Style. If using citations, refer to The Bluebook—A Uniform System of Citation.