Law Schools

Former law librarian sues Texas school, alleging racial, gender discrimination

A former law librarian at South Texas College of Law is suing the Houston school for alleged racial and gender discrimination. Joseph Kelly Plumbar, who is black, claims that three white co-workers created a hostile work environment and eventually forced him out of his job, the National Law Journal reports.…

Jan 25, 2016 3:20 PM CST

LSAT profiles of current law students signal more troubles ahead; has low point been reached?

The decline in bar-exam scores and bar-pass rates is likely to continue through 2018, given the LSAT profiles of current law students, according to a law professor who has examined the data. However, a turnaround could be ahead for those graduating after that date, says Jerry Organ, a law professor…

Jan 25, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Charleston School of Law launches new spring admissions program

Charleston School of Law in South Carolina has launched a new admissions program that allows students to begin classes in the spring and graduate in 2½ years. The new program, one of only a few such programs in the country, distinguishes the school as an “innovator” in legal education, Dean…

Jan 22, 2016 1:55 PM CST

Lawyers no longer dominate Congress; is commercialization of profession to blame?

Lawyers once dominated Congress, but they are being “squeezed out” today by those who have made politics a career, according to a new research paper. In the mid-19th century, nearly 80 percent of members of Congress were lawyers, according to the paper (available here). The percentage fell to less than…

Jan 20, 2016 8:06 AM CST

More than 25% of law students have had psychiatric and substance-use disorders; are they hiding it?

A significant number of law students are struggling with mental health and substance use issues, yet they are reluctant to seek help, according to a survey published last month. More than a quarter of surveyed law students said they had been diagnosed at some point for depression, anxiety, eating disorders,…

Jan 12, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Former clinical law prof is disbarred after apparently ignoring ethics probe

A former clinical law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law has been disbarred after failing to cooperate in an investigation into his alleged abandonment of cases at the school’s employment law clinic. New York’s appellate division, first department, disbarred Michael L. Silverman in a Jan. 5 opinion,…

Jan 11, 2016 8:57 AM CST

Texas governor opposes plan to deny CLE credit for program on Christian ethical perspectives

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is accusing the state bar of religious discrimination for a decision to deny continuing legal education credit to a program on faith and law. The State Bar of Texas notified St. Mary’s University School of Law in November that it would no longer give lawyers CLE…

Jan 8, 2016 7:13 AM CST

Judge refuses to toss suit over law school’s employment stats; trial is set for March

A California judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that Thomas Jefferson School of Law inflated its employment statistics. In a Dec. 28 decision (PDF), Judge Joel Pressman of San Diego allowed the students’ claims and set a March trial date, Above the Law reports. “Never before has a…

Jan 7, 2016 9:53 AM CST

These law schools accepted and lost the most transfer students; is Harvard too eager?

Georgetown and George Washington University law schools are No. 1 and 2 for three years running—for accepting the most transfer students. Arizona State’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law was No. 3 on the list in 2014 and 2015. This year’s No. 4 may surprise you—Harvard Law School. Jerry Organ…

Jan 7, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Two law schools are added to list of universities getting greater federal scrutiny over finances

Updated: Two law schools have been added to a government list of universities that are being watched to make sure federal student aid is being used in a way that is accountable to students and taxpayers. The law schools are the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and…

Jan 5, 2016 11:50 AM CST

Want to attend a law school with better job and bar-exam outcomes? It will cost you

Law students typically pay higher tuition to attend schools with better job and bar passage rates, according to an analysis of law school questionnaire data released by the ABA in December. Private and public law schools with the best job outcomes cost about 20 percent more, according to the analysis…

Jan 4, 2016 5:45 AM CST

New York’s attorney general and law clinics aid entrepreneurs

New York City is wooing more tech startups to headquarter there with a new, free program that offers expert legal advice for establishing a legally sound organization.

Spearheaded by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the New York City Corporation Council, the program also gets help from two legal clinics and Fordham University.

Jan 1, 2016 1:20 AM CST

Law school nonprofit buys Bill Henderson’s Lawyer Metrics company

A nonprofit group made up of about 200 law schools is acquiring the assets of Lawyer Metrics, a company formed in 2010 partly to help law firms use statistics to hire and retain the best legal talent. The Access Group announced the acquisition in a press release (PDF). Lawyer Metrics…

Dec 21, 2015 3:40 PM CST

ABA posts law school consumer info for 2015

Law school consumer information for the entering class of 2015 is now available on the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar’s website, the section said in a press release Wednesday. The information at the section’s website comes from the annual questionnaires ABA-approved law schools are required…

Dec 16, 2015 4:33 PM CST

Seton Hall basketball player is also a law student

A basketball player for the Seton Hall Pirates is also a 1L at the university’s law school. The player, Braeden Anderson, shifted his focus from a possible career in the NBA when he broke his neck in a 2013 car accident, the New York Times reports. Now he is placing…

Dec 15, 2015 6:15 AM CST