hlr-placement-strategy

Placement Strategy (hlr-placement-strategy)

US law-review placement is unlike peer review. Authors submit a near-final article to many journals at once through Scholastica (some also use ExpressO), then use an offer from one journal to expedite review at higher-ranked journals. Timing is everything: there are two seasons, and slots fill fast. This skill plans the submission set, the expedite ladder, and the calendar — with HLR as a reach target that does not skip its review stages for expedites.

When to trigger

• Deciding which journals to submit to, and in what wave
• You hold an offer and must decide whether and how to expedite
• Timing the submission to a season
• Setting the order: submit broadly, or start narrow and widen?

The two seasons (time the submission)

Season	Opens	Dynamics
Spring (main)	journals open late Jan; most on Feb 1	The big window — ~one-third of submissions in the six weeks after Feb 1; most slots open
Fall (smaller)	journals open late July; most on Aug 1	Smaller window — ~one-fifth of submissions after Aug 1; fewer remaining slots

Earlier in a season = more open slots; top journals fill fastest. Submitting mid-season into a crowded hot topic is the weakest position. (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准 for exact open dates.)

The multi-submit + expedite mechanic

1. Submit broadly through Scholastica. A single manuscript goes to a chosen set of journals at once. Many authors run a wave strategy: a core target set first, widening if no offers come.
2. Get an offer. An offer from a journal comes with a deadline to accept.
3. Expedite up. Using Scholastica's bulk expedite, notify higher-ranked journals that you hold an offer with a deadline, asking them to review before it expires. Expedite requests are visible to editors immediately in their work area.
4. Ladder the offers. A better offer becomes the new floor for the next expedite round.
5. Withdraw from lower journals once you accept, in bulk, promptly and courteously.

Only expedite with an offer in hand. Expediting without one wastes editors' time and burns goodwill.

HLR-specific placement facts (verify on the official page)

• HLR accepts submissions via Scholastica (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准 for any additional channel/email).
• HLR states it makes every effort to honor expedite requests but does not omit any of its review stages in response — an HLR expedite does not buy a shortcut, only attention.
• HLR and several peer journals have committed to give every author at least seven days to decide whether to accept an offer of publication — build that window into your ladder. (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准.)
• HLR is a reach target for most authors; pair it with realistic peers in your submission set.

Building the submission set

Tier	Role in your set	Strategy
Reach (incl. HLR, peer flagships)	The dream placement	Submit early in the season; expect long odds
Match (strong generals/specialties)	The realistic best case	The core wave; likely source of your first real offer
Floor (solid placements you'd accept)	The expedite engine	An early offer here is the lever to move the reach tier

Checklist

• Submission timed to a season (early > late); open dates checked
• Submission set tiered: reach / match / floor
• Wave plan decided (broad at once, or core-then-widen)
• Expedite plan: only after an offer; ladder offers upward in bulk
• The 7-day decision window and each offer deadline tracked
• Withdrawals sent promptly to journals you decline

Anti-patterns

• Submitting off-season or late into a crowded hot topic
• Single-submitting when the norm is multi-submit + expedite (you forgo your only leverage)
• Expediting without an offer in hand (burns editor goodwill)
• Expecting an HLR expedite to skip review stages (it will not)
• Letting an offer deadline lapse because the ladder was not tracked

Output format

【Season】Spring (Feb) / Fall (Aug) + how early
【Set】reach (incl. HLR) / match / floor — named
【Wave】broad-at-once or core-then-widen
【Expedite plan】offer-in-hand → ladder upward (bulk)
【Deadlines】offer windows + 7-day rule tracked? [Y/N]
【Next】hlr-submission (final upload preflight)

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — HLR submissions page, Scholastica, expedite/seven-day policy
• ../../resources/external_tools.md — Scholastica, ExpressO, season-tracking resources