All but one of the third-year women editors of the Harvard Law Review charged their president with racism, sexism and abuse of power in a stinging letter distributed Wednesday to the board of trustees, Review staff members and President Neil L. Rudenstine.

In a public condemnation that Review editors yesterday called "stunning," 13 of the 14 third-year women on the Review reiterated charges leveled earlier this month against President Emily R. Schulman '85.

The letter states in part that, "We believe that many of the women on the Review have been subjected to a presumption of lesser editorial and managerial competence and have suffered from Emily's unwillingness to appoint women to positions of leadership."

The letter follows a decision last week by the Review's board of trustees to mount an investigation of the charges, and a call to censure Schulman signed by nearly half of the journal's second-year editors.

Schulman last week retained an attorney, thehigh-profile criminal defense lawyer NancyGertner. Gertner did not return repeated callsyesterday.

Responding to Schulman's decision to retainlegal counsel, the four Black women who initiallyraised the charges--third-years Rhonda Adams,Renee M. Jones, Shelley Simms and StephanieSowell--this week retained attorney MargaretBurnham.

Burnham would not comment last night.

At a meeting of the Review staff earlier thismonth, Schulman was charged with discriminatingagainst women and minority editors.

In a statement to The Crimson last nightSchulman denied the charges against her and saidshe had retained an attorney in hopes that thecontroversy could be resolved "accurately."

"I am chagrined that some members of the LawReview persist in lobbying students, facultymembers, Law School administrators, the presidentof the University, prospective employers and themedia regarding the charges that have been leviedagainst me. These charges are too serious and theprinciples underlying them too important toresolve through a trial by media," Schulman'sstatement said.

Vikki Wulf, the only woman not to sign theletter distributed this week, would not commentlast night. Another third-year woman, who joinedthe Review just this year unlike the others, alsodid not sign the letter.

According to Law School Dean Robert C. Clark,an ex officio member of the board of trustees, thetrustees will likely appoint an investigator orgroup of investigators sometime next week. He saidthe trustees are speaking with a "quitesubstantial" number of former Review editorscurrently residing in the Boston area.

In a letter sent to the trustees this week andlater released to the full staff of the Review,Adams, Jones, Simms and Sowell stated their desirethat the investigator be "credible and impartialto both sides."

The women's letter asks that the investigatorshave experience with discrimination cases, noprofessional involvement with the Law School andhave no association with any firm which has hiredor offered to hire Schulman.

According to the letter and to third-yeareditors speaking on the condition of anonymity,the four Black women have been contacted by Timemagazine, the Today Show and WHDH-TV, Channel 7.However, Gertner, Schulman's attorney, informedthem that if they refrained from speaking to themedia she and her client would do the same.

In interviews this week, Review editors saidthat Schulman has lost credibility and is widelyviewed with shock and disgust.