Law Schools

Statistics suggest ‘reverse Robin Hood scheme’ by law schools, prof says

The percentage of black and Latino students entering law school last year was at a record high, but those groups may be subsidizing the cost of law school for their more privileged peers. Writing for the Chronicle of Higher Education, St. Louis University law professor Aaron Taylor says the statistics…

Apr 11, 2016 8:05 AM CDT

Suit claims law dean’s email was hacked

A suit filed last week says someone hacked the email of the dean of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. The suit says the hacker obtained and circulated a confidential report about a “shouting match” last year between an associate and assistant dean, according to the Daily Report (sub. req.). The…

Apr 8, 2016 9:05 AM CDT

Don’t rename George Mason after ‘polarizing and controversial’ Justice Scalia, state lawmaker urges

A plan to rename George Mason University’s law school in honor of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has run into opposition. Calling Scalia a “polarizing and controversial” figure on the nation’s top court, a Virginia lawmaker is circulating a petition calling for the State Council of Higher…

Apr 5, 2016 3:40 PM CDT

This law school had more than 7,700 applications; which schools are in the top 10?

The 10 law schools with the most applications for their full-time JD programs had an average of 5,544 applications for fall 2015, compared to an average of 1,650 for all 195 law schools ranked by U.S. News & World Report. The law school that received the most full-time JD applications—Georgetown…

Apr 4, 2016 7:30 AM CDT

University of Michigan Law School produces most influential federal judges, analysis finds

The University of Michigan Law School has produced the most influential federal judges, according to a new analysis. The study by legal analytics firm Ravel Law looked at the number of opinions written by federal judges over the last 80 years and the number of times the opinions were cited,…

Apr 1, 2016 11:57 AM CDT

Schools add bar exam class to curriculum and find success

Bar exam passage rates have declined nationwide recently, but there are success stories even in this climate of sinking scores.

Apr 1, 2016 1:40 AM CDT

George Mason law school to take name of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

Officials at the George Mason School of Law have announced that the public law school is getting a new name, along with a record $30 million in gifts—a $20 million donation by an anonymous donor plus another $10 million from the Charles Koch Foundation. The foundation has given millions of…

Mar 31, 2016 4:20 PM CDT

Multistate Bar Exam average score falls to 33-year low

The mean scaled score on the February administration of the Multistate Bar Examination fell to 135, down 1.2 points from the previous year and the lowest average score on a February administration of the test since 1983. The number of test-takers was up 4 percent from last year, from 22,396…

Mar 31, 2016 2:53 PM CDT

Law schools in Rust Belt are in a ‘survival of the fittest’ mode, law prof asserts

Law schools in Rust Belt states are battling for students amid a declining applicant base and losses in traditional legal employment opportunities, according to a paper released this month by a law professor. In a paper at SSRN, Cleveland-Marshall emeritus law professor David Barnhizer concludes that law schools in the…

Mar 31, 2016 8:25 AM CDT

Law student convicted for stealing laptop is accused of altering the verdict slip

A Suffolk University law student convicted of stealing a laptop from his school is accused of changing the verdict slip and using the altered document to try to obtain a diploma. The former law student, 33-year-old David Scher of Brighton, Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty to the allegations on Wednesday, report…

Mar 30, 2016 2:16 PM CDT

Law grad who obtained secretarial job can cancel bar-study loan in bankruptcy, judge rules

A bankruptcy judge in Brooklyn, New York, has ruled that a Pace University law grad can cancel the unpaid portion of a $15,000 loan to study for the bar exam. The decision (PDF) by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Carla Craig conflicts with an April 2010 decision by an Alabama bankruptcy judge,…

Mar 28, 2016 7:14 AM CDT

Student admitted by mistake can’t compel law school to award LLM degree, appeals court says

A law student mistakenly admitted to a master’s program for foreign law students can’t compel the Touro College Jacob B. Fuchsberg Law Center to award him an LLM degree, a New York appeals court has ruled. The Appellate Division, First Department, ruled against LLM student Leodegario Salvador in a March…

Mar 28, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Jury rejects law grad’s case over claim that Thomas Jefferson job stats were inflated

A California jury on Thursday rejected a claim by a 2008 graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law that she was entitled to damages because the San Diego institution inflated job-placement data concerning its alumni. Plaintiff Anna Alaburda said she has been unable to find full-time work as a lawyer…

Mar 24, 2016 4:15 PM CDT

Was law school worth it? Only 20% of recent grads strongly agree, pilot study says

A pilot study of law graduates from seven law schools quantifies the decline in satisfaction with the decision to go to law school. The pilot study (PDF) found that only 38 percent of recent grads said they had a “good job” waiting for them at graduation, and only 20 percent…

Mar 24, 2016 10:43 AM CDT

How much did you pay in law school tuition?

This month, U.S. News & World report published not only its rankings of the nation’s law schools but data about the tuition and fees charged by these schools. The law school with the most expensive annual tuition? Columbia Law School, which charges $62,700 per year. The least-expensive route to a…

Mar 23, 2016 2:33 PM CDT