Submission Procedure:
Proposal Deadline: Friday, August 15, 2025
Decision Email Deadline: Friday, August 29, 2025
Final Manuscript Deadline: Friday, October 10, 2025
Symposium: Monday, November 10, 2025 (50th Anniversary of the Sinking)
The University of Detroit Mercy Law Review is currently accepting proposals for an exclusive fall symposium. This special event will focus on the Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald: Exploring the legal issues surrounding deadly shipwrecks and honoring the 50th anniversary of a Great Lakes Tragedy on November 10, 2025, in Detroit, Michigan.
The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was a Great Lakes ore carrier that tragically sank during a severe storm on November 10, 1975. The disaster resulted in the loss of all 29 crew members aboard. At 729 feet long and 75 feet wide, the Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship on the Great Lakes when it was launched in 1958. The wreckage remains roughly 530 feet underwater in Lake Superior where it is a protected gravesite. Notably, the sinking has been immortalized in the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot.
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law will commemorate the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald by hosting a one-day conference exploring important legal issues surrounding deadly sea wrecks.
Detroit Mercy Law Review invites academics, scholars, practitioners, and other stakeholders to submit proposals for panel presentation and/or publication on topics involving Great Lakes and maritime laws. Topics can include, but are not limited to:
- Great Lakes Law
- Tort Liability
- Maritime Law
- Data Privacy
- Great Lakes History
- Navigation, Commerce, Shipping
- Respect for uncovered corpses and dissemination of images
Proposals should be approximately 250-500 words, double-spaced, and should detail the proposed topic and presentation. Proposals must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM EST, Friday, August 15, 2025 by email to Ian Wilson, Executive Articles Editor, at lawreview@udmercy.edu. In your email, please indicate whether your proposal is for a presentation only, or if you plan to submit an article based on your presentation for potential publication in the Detroit Mercy Law Review. Also, please include a current CV or resume.
If you do not wish to present at the Symposium, but would like to submit a relevant unpublished article for potential publication in the Detroit Mercy Law Review, please indicate that in your email as well. If your article is already complete, please attach a copy for review.
Decisions will be emailed on or before Friday, August 29, 2025. The final completed manuscripts must be submitted by Friday, October 10, 2025, for editing to commence by the Law Review Staff.