Law Professors

Elon Law to cut total tuition by nearly $14K and offer law degree in 2.5 years for all

Elon University School of Law has announced the creation of a new curriculum that represents what the school is calling a groundbreaking new model for legal education. The new curriculum, announced in press release Thursday, will be the nation’s first standard JD program lasting less than three years, Luke Bierman,…

Oct 9, 2014 4:55 PM CDT

Northwestern is rated top law school for career prospects; which schools topped other categories?

Which law schools offer the best quality of life? The best career prospects? The Princeton Review has published the answers (reg. req.), based on its survey of more than 19,500 students at 169 law schools. TaxProf Blog has highlights. The schools rated as best for career prospects are: 1) Northwestern…

Oct 9, 2014 10:00 AM CDT

Cooley Law School plans to close its Ann Arbor campus at year’s end

The Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School intends to close its Ann Arbor campus at the end of December. Students at the Ann Arbor campus can take classes at any of the school’s four other campuses, including at Lansing or Auburn Hills about an hour away, according to…

Oct 6, 2014 7:02 AM CDT

Law school accreditation standards get update after 6 years of effort

The six-year odyssey of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar to revise the standards and procedural rules for accrediting U.S. law schools has finally reached a happy ending. Well, almost. The ABA House of Delegates, voting in August at the association’s annual meeting in Boston,…

Oct 1, 2014 2:20 AM CDT

Texas justice is probably America’s most avid judicial Tweeter; is it unseemly?

Updated: Texas Justice Don Willett has posted more than 12,800 tweets as @JusticeWillett since joining Twitter in 2009. That number, Willett tells the New York Times, makes him “probably the most avid judicial tweeter in America.” Many judges avoid online commentary, but not Willett, who says he nonetheless avoids comments…

Sep 30, 2014 11:09 AM CDT

SCOTUS ‘is an emperor that truly has no clothes,’ Chemerinsky says in new book

Law dean Erwin Chemerinsky criticizes both liberal and conservative justices in his new book, but he’s not worried they will hold a grudge should he appear before the U.S. Supreme Court again. After all, he lost both cases he most recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court—in unanimous decisions. “How…

Sep 30, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

Clearly, justices don’t observe ban on the word ‘clearly’

Legal writing instructors may insist there’s no need to use the word “clearly” to emphasize that a point is clear, but some people aren’t getting the message. A search for the term “clearly” in U.S. Supreme Court opinions found the word “clearly” was used in 105 opinions since Jan. 9,…

Sep 22, 2014 6:15 AM CDT

Little-known law prof gets 34 percent of the vote in New York gubernatorial primary

Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout got 34 percent of the vote on Tuesday in New York’s Democratic primary for governor, a strong showing for the little-known professor. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was “victorious but bruised,” earning 62 percent of the vote, the New York Law Journal reports. Teachout…

Sep 12, 2014 9:48 AM CDT

Law prof files FCC complaint over use of NFL team’s ‘r-word’ name

George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission opposing the renewal of a radio station’s license because of its use of a “racially derogatory word”—the name of Washington’s NFL team. Banzhaf explained why he filed the complaint in an interview with the…

Sep 8, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

Law profs should limit fear-inducing cautionary tales, article says

Law professors who use cautionary tales in the classroom may not be as persuasive as they thought. Law professors use cautionary tales to encourage students to proofread their work, to be truthful in court, to update authority and to use proper citation form. But social science research suggests the fear-inducing…

Sep 4, 2014 8:00 AM CDT

Suffolk law school offers buyouts to all tenured faculty

Suffolk University has offered buyouts to law school faculty amid changes that include a new leader for the university. According to the Boston Globe, Suffolk has offered buyouts to all tenured law faculty and to law professors with renewable long-term contracts. Suffolk “abruptly replaced” university president James McCarthy last Wednesday,…

Sep 2, 2014 11:37 AM CDT

Which students belong in law school? Law prof offers an answer

The need has never been greater for “idealistic, wise and ethical” lawyers to help resolve legal questions about issues ranging from the need for gun restrictions to the proper construction of the Constitution. But that doesn’t mean the current crop of 1Ls should all be in law school, according to…

Aug 20, 2014 12:05 PM CDT

Still no suspects named in fatal shooting of law prof

Tallahassee police have not yet named any suspects or persons of interest in the slaying of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, who was shot a month ago Monday. Police spokesman David Northway tells the Tallahassee Democrat that the investigation is ongoing and there are no updates at this…

Aug 19, 2014 2:52 PM CDT

Cooley law school confirms layoffs, but not numbers

Several faculty and staff members at the Michigan campuses at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School have learned of their impending layoffs as the law school deals with declining enrollment. James Robb, associate dean of external affairs and senior counsel, confirmed layoffs but declined to give numbers, report the Lansing…

Aug 18, 2014 2:32 PM CDT

Dershowitz: Gov. Perry’s indictment is an example of ‘criminalization of party differences’

Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com Texas Gov. Rick Perry is getting support from retired Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who sees the Republican governor’s indictment as part of a dangerous trend. Perry was charged on Friday with one count of abuse of official capacity and one count…

Aug 18, 2014 12:56 PM CDT