Marisa Pagnattaro, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Legal Studies at the Terry College, has been named editor in chief of the American Business Law Journal, the field’s leading scholarly journal.
In her one-year term, Pagnattaro will have final authority to select manuscripts for publication. The quarterly, triple blind, peer-reviewed journal receives about 300 manuscripts a year and has an acceptance rate of around four percent.
When asked about her goals as editor in chief, Pagnattaro said “Ideally I’d like to see more junior scholars get published in the journal because it’s so critical promotion and tenure. At our legal studies conference earlier this month, I chaired a panel about research strategies and how to publish in the ABLJ because, a lot of times, junior scholars just don’t know what it takes to succeed. I’m pleased to say that the panel had a great turnout. It was a primer designed to help colleagues understand the elements of a successful manuscript and developing a research agenda. So for me, personally, I would love to see junior people advancing.”
Pagnattaro said she benefitted from guidance as a junior faculty member, when UGA President Jere Morehead, another Meigs Professor and former editor in chief of the ABLJ, helped steer her toward scholarly success. Her goal is to undertake a similar role to mentor and nurture the careers of junior faculty.
Following her tenure as editor in chief, Pagnattaro will rotate into an advisory editor position for the journal. She previously served as articles editor and managing editor before assuming her current post.
The American Business Law Journal is a quarterly review published by the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. In addition to its more than 900 library subscriptions, the journal is available on the online legal research services Westlaw and Lexis.