Law Professors

Should laptops be banned in law school? Comprehension suffers from verbatim notes, law prof says

A Suffolk University law professor is citing a recent study to support his conclusion that laptops should be banned or limited in law school. The study of undergraduate students compared comprehension for students who took notes on laptops and those who took handwritten notes, according to Suffolk law professor Steven…

Feb 6, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’ would benefit from greater transparency, op-ed says

Even modest changes would bring welcome transparency to the U.S. Supreme Court’s orders docket, according to a law professor’s op-ed. Writing for the New York Times, University of Chicago law professor William Baude says the orders docket operates in such obscurity that he calls it the “shadow docket.” This docket…

Feb 4, 2015 6:45 AM CST

Former law dean allegedly offered to pay $100 for sex acts, arrest affidavit says

A former law dean arrested on a charge of prostitution early Sunday had allegedly responded to an ad on Backpage.com placed by undercover agents, according to an arrest affidavit. The warrant says the arrest of John Attanasio was part of ongoing effort to “combat the demand side of commercial sex…

Feb 3, 2015 7:42 AM CST

Lawyers are more liberal than general population, study finds; what about judges?

Law professors and lawyers are more liberal than the general population, while judges are more conservative than the average lawyer, according to a study of campaign contributions. Study co-author Maya Sen, a Harvard government professor, says the findings suggest that courts are politicized, the New York Times reports. Judges’ ideology…

Feb 2, 2015 7:56 AM CST

New project rewrites SCOTUS opinions from a feminist perspective

More than 50 law professors and lawyers are collaborating to analyze how U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence would look if seminal cases had been adjudicated from a feminist perspective. The book Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Opinions of the United States Supreme Court will contain 24 rewritten decisions on topics such as reproductive…

Feb 1, 2015 3:30 AM CST

Young lawyers take flight after incubator programs

Like the incubators that help launch high-tech startups, law schools have been using the concept to jump-start the careers of young lawyers going into solo or small practices. It seems to be working. The country’s first law school incubator, based at the City University of New York School of Law,…

Feb 1, 2015 2:00 AM CST

Law dean calls out sexism in evaluation of female prof, tells students to forgo ‘fashion advice’

The vice dean of Rutgers School of Law-Camden says the “sexism” label isn’t one that he readily uses. But he didn’t hesitate to make the call concerning an evaluation of a female professor at the school. Submitting a public critique, “that explored, in some detail, the fashion stylings of one…

Jan 30, 2015 9:45 AM CST

Well-known law prof battles stigma of chronic fatigue syndrome by going public

For many who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, stigma is the worst aspect of the illness. People suffering from the syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, have been treated as malingerers and met with disbelief, according to Northwestern University law professor Steven Lubet. Many have been referred to psychiatrists. But…

Jan 15, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Law prof blasts ‘downright predatory’ poaching of his school’s students; top transfer schools named

An American University law professor is criticizing George Washington University’s law school for poaching American’s students, calling the practice “downright predatory.” GW enrolled 97 transfer students, and more than half came from American University’s Washington College of Law, the GW Hatchet reports. In Facebook post picked up by TaxProf Blog,…

Jan 15, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Res judicata bars bias suit by convicted law prof, 8th Circuit rules

The doctrine of res judicata bars a fired law professor from suing Hamline University a second time, a federal appeals court has ruled. The law professor, Robin Magee, was fired in 2011 after her conviction on four misdemeanor counts of failure to file state tax returns, according to the Jan.…

Jan 14, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Evaluate law by happiness impact, profs suggest; is 20 years in prison four times worse than five?

Three Chicago-based law professors are suggesting an alternative to cost-benefit analysis in evaluating laws: well-being analysis, which looks at happiness and quality of life. In their new book Happiness and the Law, the law professors use research such as the General Social Survey, which tracks happiness and quality of life,…

Jan 13, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Indiana University law professor William Henderson named ‘most influential’ person in legal ed

Indiana University Maurer School of Law professor William Henderson has been named the year’s most influential person in legal education by the National Jurist magazine. Henderson, a staunch believer in the need for change in legal education, is no stranger to the list. He placed second in the magazine’s rankings…

Jan 8, 2015 3:30 PM CST

Sued for defamation by lawyers he criticized in civil rights case, Dershowitz says they made his day

Outraged over the mention of his name in a federal civil rights filing concerning the sex trafficking of minors, famed emeritus Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz went into high gear. Although he wasn’t named as a defendant in the motion, Dershowitz publicly criticized the two lawyers who filed it.…

Jan 7, 2015 6:45 AM CST

Looking for a promotion or a new job? Secret statistical programs could doom or aid your chances

If you’ve been checking LinkedIn to search for a job, your employer may know. That’s the conclusion of a new book called The Reputation Economy: How to Optimize Your Digital Footprint in a World Where Your Reputation Is Your Most Valuable Asset. The New York Bits blog has a story.…

Dec 30, 2014 5:45 AM CST

Sensitivity is the real issue in teaching of rape law, law prof says

A recent essay about law professors’ reluctance to teach rape law focuses on the wrong problem, according to a blog post by University of Massachusetts law professor Margaret Drew. The question is not whether rape law should be taught but how it should be taught, Drew writes in a post…

Dec 24, 2014 6:15 AM CST