Law schools face an inflection point with diversity, equity and inclusion

In recent years, there has been a rise in law students heckling speakers. In 2018, I was shouted down at the CUNY Law School in New York. In 2022, Ilya Shapiro was shouted down at the law school formerly known as Hastings. And more recently, Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan of the Fifth Circuit was shouted down at Stanford Law School.

May 1, 2023 12:06 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: Expect momentous decisions from the Supreme Court as term ends

Unless there is an emergency matter to be heard, the U.S. Supreme Court completed oral arguments for the October 2022 term April 26. The court is expected to hand down decisions by the end of June in all of the argued cases, with a flurry of decisions in the most high-profile cases expected at the very end. What are likely to be the most important rulings from the October 2022 term?

Apr 27, 2023 8:51 AM CDT

3 lessons in lawyering from the theater

As a practicing attorney and a former actor, I have often asked myself the question Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. asked those in a crowded room at Harvard in 1886: "How can the laborious study of a dry and technical system, the greedy watch for clients and practice of shopkeepers’ arts, the mannerless conflicts over often sordid interests, make out a life?"

Apr 26, 2023 11:20 AM CDT

‘Bluey’ and teaching your children about the legal system

An episode of the TV show “Bluey” provided columnist Adam Banner an excellent opportunity to talk with his son about court proceedings, how you can tell when someone isn’t being honest, and the importance of telling the truth.

Apr 25, 2023 12:38 PM CDT

Software company CEO discusses the importance of being customer-centric

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Eric Thurston, the president and CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of client management, practice management and financial management software to law firms nationwide.

Apr 24, 2023 3:31 PM CDT

Optimizing Legal Workflows: Enhance firm efficiency with online process servers

In 2023, work is accomplished in very different ways than in years past. Because of pandemic-related technology adoption, familiarity with cloud computing and remote work tools has increased dramatically.

Apr 24, 2023 11:48 AM CDT

The ABA needs ideological diversity to ensure its future

A generation ago, nearly half of the lawyers in the United States were members of the American Bar Association. Today, that number is probably closer to 20%, if not lower. This decline is often attributed to an unwillingness of young attorneys to join civic organizations. Or perhaps lawyers no longer see tangible benefits from membership. Or maybe the dues are too high. All of these explanations ignore the elephant in the room—and I mean elephant in the figurative and political sense. The American Bar Association consistently skews to the political left. And this progressive mandate alienates conservative lawyers.

Apr 20, 2023 12:49 PM CDT

5 ways to scale in-house resources in the face of an economic downturn

After years of unbridled hiring, a growing number of tech companies recently have made headlines with layoffs and recruiting slowdowns. In-house counsel jobs, especially at tech companies, are not exempt.

Apr 20, 2023 8:51 AM CDT

Examining NBC’s new ‘Night Court’ and new judges

I’ve never given much thought to being a judge. Sure, the idea comes to mind every election cycle, and I’ve been approached by a few individuals a couple of different times regarding throwing my hat in the ring. Still, I’ve never taken the notion seriously. First of all, I love my job as a criminal defense attorney. Secondly, as tough as it is to advocate for the legally damned, I think adjudicating someone to legal damnation would be more challenging.

Apr 12, 2023 10:58 AM CDT

Why you should unlearn certain valuable legal skills

Much has been written about the mental health crisis in the legal profession. Certainly, external factors like billable hours and client demands play a large role in creating anxiety and stress in the profession; but there are also internal factors created by “thinking like a lawyer” that deserve more focus.

Apr 11, 2023 1:46 PM CDT

Shaping the Future of Law: Legalweek 2023 recap and analysis

During the recently completed Legalweek 2023, artificial intelligence dominated the conversation. Not everyone agreed on how legal professionals should—or could—use it. But no matter who you talked to, one thing was certain: The legal landscape will undergo a significant transformation due to the recent and rapid advancements in AI.

Apr 10, 2023 10:00 AM CDT

Stanford Law’s free speech teachable moments

I am a lawyer, First Amendment scholar and an endowed journalism and electronic media enterprise and leadership professor at a major research university. Given these multiple professional identities, my thoughts on a recent headline-grabbing incident at Stanford Law School cannot be summarized by a pithy tweet, which is the coin of the realm in the social media world.

Apr 6, 2023 9:53 AM CDT

Retired patent attorney who helped nab ‘Golden State Killer’ recounts her remarkable journey

In September 1998, a landscape worker clearing brush near I-85 in Mebane, North Carolina, came upon the skeletal remains of an unidentified child under a towering Howard Johnson’s sign. Despite law enforcement efforts, the youth remained nameless for two decades. He was simply known as “the Boy Under the Billboard.”

Apr 4, 2023 9:43 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Oral arguments conclude with important free speech, civil rights cases

This month, the U.S. Supreme Court will conclude oral arguments for the October 2022 term. Two of the cases to be heard, one constitutional and one statutory, seem particularly important. They concern the First Amendment and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Apr 4, 2023 8:39 AM CDT

Was the first English-language dictionary penned by a legal lexicographer?

The contender for the distinction is John Rastell (circa 1475–1536), who is commonly credited with having written the first English law dictionary. Yet he might just deserve credit for producing the first dictionary in the English language. Though early editions are undated, the first printing is thought to have appeared in 1523.

Apr 1, 2023 2:30 AM CDT