The journal publishes articles on a wide range of themes, with a focus on public policy and issues affecting urban areas.

[1] Second-year law students apply for staff positions by participating in the school's unified writing competition.

Recent publications have focused on a diverse range of legal issues, including immigration, forensic evidence, the subprime mortgage crisis, and the use of eminent domain in New York City.

In addition to presenting the Lefkowitz Award, the Alumni Association honors the incoming and outgoing editors of the Urban Law Journal, and announces the winners of its Urban Law Alumni Fellowship (a fellowship awarded to a student who has accepted a public interest summer position and demonstrated a commitment to the improvement of our urban communities) and the Student Author/Note Award (awarded to a student who has authored the most outstanding note in the preceding school year).

The award is given in the spirit of Louis J. Lefkowitz, who served as New York Attorney General for almost twenty-two years (1957 through 1978).