Law Professors

Do Footnoted Allegations of Vegetarian Bias Amount to Defamation? Suit Targets Law Review Article

A law professor who wrote a law review article on gender-stereotyping theory has been sued for alleged defamation over a footnoted case study he used involving a claim of vegetarian bias. The defendant, employment law professor Zachary Kramer, is now associate dean for intellectual life at Arizona State University’s Sandra…

Jan 3, 2013 11:30 AM CST

Should Public Policy Favor Inclusion When It Comes to Bar Admissions?

(Also see: “The Dream Bar: Some Children Illegally Living in the United States Grow Up to Want to Be Attorneys.”) The law professors’ amicus brief argues that California public policy is also in favor of inclusion—particularly the California Dream Act of 2011, which makes students illegally brought to the United…

Jan 1, 2013 10:49 AM CST

Law Prof Says Bah Humbug to Scrooge Detractors

The unredeemed Ebenezer Scrooge wasn’t a bad guy, according to some free-market advocates. After all, he was a responsible adult and good businessman who paid a market wage, no more no less, and was the only productive member of his family. Capital University law professor David Mayer is among those…

Dec 21, 2012 6:41 PM CST

Law Profs Suggest Another Explanation for Lower Crime Rate: Ubiquitous Cellphones

Researchers pondering the reason for a one-third drop in the crime rate during the 1990s have suggested a number of reasons why. Perhaps the drop was because of more police on the street, they argued, or more criminals in prison, or changes in the market for crack cocaine. Or maybe…

Dec 19, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Report: Law Prof, Other Critics Complain About DOJ Approach to ‘Too Big to Jail’ Bank Crimes

A record settlement of $1.9 billion with HSBC that was announced earlier this month as result of a federal money-laundering probe against the United Kingdom-based bank was hailed by some as a sign that the justice system is working. But others don’t see much benefit in the pact with a…

Dec 18, 2012 7:04 PM CST

Georgetown Law Prof Sees Fiscal Cliff as Lesser Evil

Georgetown law professor David Super isn’t optimistic that a compromise to avert the fiscal cliff will be good for the nation. Going over the cliff is the better alternative, Super writes in a New York Times op-ed. “If we are going to have radical deficit reduction, the fiscal cliff may…

Dec 18, 2012 12:34 PM CST

Law Profs Defend Unusual Electives on Disputes from the Icelandic Age, Autonomous Driving

A new emphasis on practical law school classes is increasing focus on quirky course offerings. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) takes a look at a few of them. At the University of California at Berkeley, law students practice deep breathing while learning the Chinese practice of Qi Gong. At…

Dec 18, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Fiscal Calamity Ahead for Some Law Schools? Applicants for 2013 Drop 22% in ‘Free Fall’

Law school applications are in “something like free fall,” according to a blogging law professor who sees trouble ahead for some schools as a result. As of Dec. 7, applicants for the fall of 2013 are down 22.4 percent from last year at this time, and applications are down 24.6…

Dec 17, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Trial Lawyer Does Double Duty as SLU Law Dean While Winning $25M in Settlements

Some might find working either as a law school dean or a busy plaintiffs’ lawyer a more than full-time job. Tom Keefe Jr. is doing both. Temporarily at the helm of the law school at St. Louis University after his predecessor resigned suddenly in the midst of a dispute with…

Dec 12, 2012 9:09 PM CST

UT Law Prof Surmises Single Parenthood Spurs Lower Test Scores for Blacks

A University of Texas law professor is sparking controversy for his remarks about single parenthood in the black community and his assessment of a radio interviewer’s intelligence. BBC Radio interviewed law professor Lino Graglia as part of its series on affirmative action in America. Graglia said fewer blacks were admitted…

Dec 12, 2012 1:41 PM CST

Why It May Be a Good Time to Apply to Law School: Less Competition

Yes, law school tuition is high, and, yes, good jobs are hard to find after graduation. But it may be a good time to apply to law school, according to a journalist-turned-law professor. The reason: There is less competition. University of California at Irvine law professor Jonathan Glater, a former…

Dec 6, 2012 12:43 PM CST

ABA Legal Ed Section’s Council Advances Law School Accreditation Standards

The governing council of the ABA’s law school accrediting arm has given preliminary approval to a package of proposed changes in law school accrediting standards covering facilities, equipment, technology, libraries and information resources. The proposed changes, unanimously approved with only minor changes Friday by the council of the ABA Section…

Dec 3, 2012 10:44 PM CST

Critics Are Not Persuaded by Dean’s Op-Ed Criticizing Anti-Law School ‘Hysteria’

Case Western Reserve University law dean Lawrence Mitchell appears to be fighting a losing battle. In a New York Times op-ed, Mitchell last week criticized the “hysteria” and “overwrought atmosphere” that are discouraging talented individuals from attending law school. Now the law school critics are responding. TaxProf Blog lists the…

Dec 3, 2012 2:04 PM CST

Letters: A Storied Career

A STORIED CAREER When I began my career as a litigator, I had several great mentors. But there’s only one I never met—James McElhaney. His tales of Angus, Beth Golden and “Mongo” were required reading for me, and taught me as much about trying a case as any number of…

Dec 1, 2012 11:00 AM CST

Shama Llama Ding Dong: Attorney Establishes Llama Sanctuary

It’s hard to live in idyllic Ithaca, N.Y., home to scenic rolling hills, organic farms and freethinking academics, without catching the do-gooder bug. So found Robert Seibel, who along with his wife, Kathleen, began purchasing llamas in the early 1990s and raising them on 3 acres outside their home in…

Dec 1, 2012 10:20 AM CST