Editorial Guidelines

• Opinion and commentary on legal developments, cases, legislation, or policy
• Analysis of significant court decisions or regulatory changes
• Practice insights — practical knowledge on specific areas of law or legal practice
• Perspectives on legal technology, legal operations, or innovation in the profession
• Career, professional development, and wellbeing content relevant to legal professionals
• Pro bono, access to justice, and community legal content
• Commentary on the culture, diversity, and future direction of the legal profession
• Promotional or advertorial content must always deliver a genuine benefit to our readership

• Content that constitutes, or could be construed as, legal advice
• Content that has been previously published, in whole or in part, in any publication, website, or other medium, without permission from the original author.
• Content that is defamatory, discriminatory, or in breach of professional conduct obligations
• Content that makes allegations against identifiable individuals without adequate substantiation
• Content generated entirely by artificial intelligence without meaningful human authorship, review, and editorial responsibility

AI-assisted writing: We understand that contributors may use AI tools to assist with drafting or editing. This is acceptable provided the author takes full editorial responsibility for the content, can verify its accuracy, and discloses AI assistance if it is material to the piece.

Our preferred range is 600 to 1,200 words. Shorter pieces (400–599 words) may be considered as opinion notes. Longer pieces (1,200–2,000 words) may be considered for in-depth analysis. Pieces outside these ranges should be the exception and will be considered at editorial discretion.

• Open with a clear argument, hook, or statement of the issue. Do not bury the point.
• Develop your argument in the body with evidence, examples, or analysis.
• Conclude with a clear takeaway, recommendation, or forward-looking point. Do not simply restate the introduction.
• Use subheadings for pieces over 800 words to aid readability.
• Short paragraphs are preferred. Avoid paragraphs longer than five sentences.

• Write in clear, direct language. Avoid excessive legal jargon unless it is necessary and explained.
• Write for a practitioner audience that is intelligent and time-poor. Assume legal literacy but do not assume specialist knowledge outside your topic area.
• First person is acceptable and often preferred for opinion and commentary pieces.
• Avoid passive voice where possible.
• Australian English spelling and usage throughout (e.g. 'organisation', 'recognised', 'colour').

• Case names should follow standard Australian legal citation practice.
• Legislation should be cited with full title and jurisdiction on first reference.
• Where you reference external sources, statistics, or studies, include a reference or link. Unverified or unattributed claims may be queried or removed in editing.
• Hyperlinks are preferred over footnotes for online publication.

Submit your article through the contributor portal at the contributor portal. You will be asked to complete your author bio, upload a profile photo, and complete the submission form. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.

Our editorial team will review your submission within 5 to 7 business days. We will contact you by email with one of the following outcomes:

• Accepted as submitted — your piece will be published or scheduled as agreed
• Accepted with revisions requested — we will provide specific feedback and ask you to revise before publication
• Declined — we will notify you by email. We do not always provide detailed feedback on declined submissions.

If you have not heard within 10 business days, you are welcome to follow up via contact@theprofession.au.

The Profession reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity, length, accuracy, house style, and legal compliance. We will notify contributors of any substantive edits before publication. Minor edits (spelling, punctuation, formatting, subheadings) are made at editorial discretion without notification.

By submitting to The Profession, you confirm that the work is original and has not been published elsewhere unless otherwise declared and accepted for republication. Once published on The Profession, the article may not be republished in substantially the same form on another platform without our written consent. You retain copyright in your work and may refer to, quote from, or link to your published article freely.