The Bencher®
The Bencher® is the flagship publication of the American Inns of Court. Circulated to all members, it is published six times a year. 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 mail or electronic PDF.
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
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.
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 350 words or less. 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). 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" or ".tif" 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 publishing an article, 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 (16th Ed.). If using citations, refer to The Bluebook—A Uniform System of Citation.