This is the second-to-last issue we will co-edit and it is important to take this space to thank Danielle McClellan, our Managing Editor.
Dani has been with the Review since 2006. She has, consequently, worked over the terms of a number of editorships. The continuity of excellence the journal enjoys is in large part due to her diligence, wise managerial oversight, and agile problem solving. Under her skillful management the journal has flourished, growing in reputation with readers and desirability as a publication site with authors.
Our co-editorship—three editors, each in a different university, across both Canada and the United States—has been unique in the history of the journal. For the first time, the journal had a non-American editor, and, also for the first time, an African-American editor. These were, we believe, important milestones. More, generally, co-editorship has clear strengths for a journal as successful as the Review. At its best, a team of editors allows a heavy workload to be shared and effective consultation across different disciplines, expertise, and experiences. But, from a managing editor's perspective, we suspect it may be less obviously advantageous. Communications were more complex, time zones more confounding, and tight organization more important. Dani managed this all, keeping us on track, and smoothly providing oversight for three streams of work, each with multiple manuscripts in various stages of the editorial process.
Dani's strengths go beyond the orchestration of timelines and issue production. She gave wise counsel on tricky questions around reviewer and author relations, drawing on her experience and perspective from years with the journal. Email discussions, or conference calls, allowed Dani to provide the three of us with helpful suggestions and clear perspectives on the task of channeling each year's 300+ manuscript submissions into four issues of top law and society research. She did so easily and always in good humor.
Thank you, Dani, for helping this particular co-editorship throughout our three years on the job. The term of our co-editorship has, not unexpectedly, seen its fair share of challenges. But, under your steady guidance, none of these was insurmountable. We have done a better job because of you. The Law & Society Review is fortunate indeed to have you at the tiller.
We let this issue's articles speak for themselves. The collection is diverse: the range of topics covered show the breadth and maturity of the field. Equally, the book reviews are testament to a thriving scholarly community. It's a strong journal issue; we are pleased to send it off, out into the world of engaged law and society scholars.
