Law Schools

Why Tim Kaine became disillusioned at Harvard Law School

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine experienced some “bumpy years” at Harvard Law School, according to a newspaper account of his years there. Kaine was the son of a metal shop owner and a graduate of a Jesuit boys’ school in Kansas City, the Boston Globe reports. When he entered…

Aug 2, 2016 11:04 AM CDT

Federal panel ‘sent a signal’ to ABA about law school loans and accreditation enforcement

Concerns about enforcement of accreditation standards and the need for response to law school costs, student debt and lack of lawyer jobs swirled during a Department of Education panel’s discussion that led to their vote to recommend suspending the ABA from accrediting law schools for one year, a transcript of…

Aug 1, 2016 2:47 PM CDT

Which law schools have the highest percentage of graduates with federal clerkships?

Some of the country’s most affordable law schools also have a fair amount of graduates with federal clerkships, according to a recent list compiled by Business Insider. Besides using its annual list of top 50 law schools, the publication relied on ABA data to compile its clerkship list. Among the…

Aug 1, 2016 2:05 PM CDT

Law clinic goes pro as students and profs launch startup practice

Eve J. Brown saw law students get a year's worth of client experience at the intellectual property clinics she ran at Suffolk University and Boston University, but few found jobs in the field after graduation. Small IP firms usually don’t hire first-year associates, and large firms for the most part weren’t interested in her students unless they were at the top of their class.

Aug 1, 2016 2:00 AM CDT

These are the top-rated law schools in the nation’s cheapest cities

Want a good legal education while saving on living expenses? Law.com has compiled a list of the law schools that are highest-ranked by U.S. News in the nation’s most affordable cities, as ranked by Forbes. First, Law.com starts with the cheapest cities and finds the best-ranked law schools in those…

Jul 25, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Which law schools’ grads have the least amount of debt?

Based on its annual survey, US News & World Report has identified 10 law schools where the average student who took out loans has less than $70,000 of debt. The survey focuses on 2015 graduates who took on law school debt. Graduates of the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson…

Jul 19, 2016 2:00 PM CDT

Trump’s VP pick practiced law at a small firm; he wouldn’t wish law school ‘on a dog I didn’t like’

Donald Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, once practiced law at a small firm that handled a variety of legal work, including contract disputes and negotiations, real-estate transactions and landlord-tenant issues. Pence graduated from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1986, but he didn’t enjoy his…

Jul 18, 2016 11:10 AM CDT

In a BigLaw first, Orrick will pay new associates an extra $100 a month toward student loans

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe announced on Friday that it will give a boost to new associates with student debt by paying them an extra $100 a month towards principal. The new perk, scheduled to start in September, will be paid until the new associates are eligible for their first bonus,…

Jul 15, 2016 9:54 AM CDT

Law prof finds a teaching moment in student criticism of her Black Lives Matter T-shirt

Wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt does not demonstrate that someone hates all white people, and to assume so is factually flawed, a Whittier Law School professor wrote to students in a two-part memo, after one or more anonymous students complained that her campus attire was “inappropriate” and “highly offensive.”…

Jul 12, 2016 4:42 PM CDT

New 2-year law program will get grads to job market quicker, save them tuition costs, dean says

Albany Law School has announced a two-year JD program that shaves a year’s worth of tuition off the price. The 24-month program is scheduled to start in January 2017, according to the school’s website. It includes two summer terms, and students need 87 credits to graduate. Annual tuition at the…

Jul 12, 2016 11:35 AM CDT

Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center gets new name after $15 million donation

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School is getting a $15 million donation from Michael R. Klein, who received an LLM from the school. It has been renamed the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, according to a Harvard Law press release, and the donation…

Jul 5, 2016 12:06 PM CDT

Law prof says his school is on the cutting edge when it comes to restrooms

George Washington University Law School has plunged into a national debate by creating a multiple-use, multi-occupant coed restroom, according to one GW law professor.

Jul 1, 2016 3:40 AM CDT

Fewer lawyers—and jobs—for the Class of ‘15

Chart by Stephen Ravenscraft This article originally appeared in the July 2016 issue of the ABA Journal with this headline: “Fewer Lawyers–And Jobs: Class of ‘15 gains only in percentages.”

Jul 1, 2016 1:40 AM CDT

One law school experiments with accepting the GRE for admissions

It's a long-standing tradition: Law school applicants take the standardized Law School Admission Test. Applicants' scores on the test, which is given four times a year, can determine the range of schools for which they can expect a reasonable chance of admission. It's accepted by the ABA and used by the vast majority of ABA-accredited law schools.

Jul 1, 2016 1:10 AM CDT

University of Houston Law Center sues over law school’s ‘strikingly similar’ new name

The University of Houston Law Center claims in a lawsuit that the South Texas College of law infringed its trademark by changing its name to the Houston College of Law and adopting its red-and-white colors. The suit, filed on Monday in Houston federal court, also alleges unfair competition, according to…

Jun 28, 2016 10:13 AM CDT