Law Schools

Law School Career Official Sees a Few Hopeful Signs

A career official at Northwestern University School of Law points to a few hopeful signs of better times ahead for law graduates. Bill Chamberlain, the law school’s assistant dean for career strategy and advancement, says law schools and career offices have become lightning rods for frustration as available jobs contracted.…

Jan 26, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Law Firm Known as ‘Slavies’ Uses the Nickname in On-Campus Ad, Then Apologizes

A Canadian law firm informally known as “Slavies” to law students, due to its reputation of working them hard, decided to have a little fun with the moniker. Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg crossed out the D on its Davies logo in an on-campus recruiting ad in the student magazine…

Jan 25, 2012 7:59 PM CST

Indiana Tech Will Build New Law School at Its Fort Wayne Campus

The Indiana Institute of Technology announced on Tuesday that its new law school, set to open in 2013, will be built at its current Fort Wayne campus. School officials said they considered three downtown locations, but one became condominiums, the second became an arts center, and the third could not…

Jan 25, 2012 3:01 PM CST

Law School Applications for Fall 2012 Drop More than 15 Percent

A bleak jobs picture for law graduates is apparently dissuading more would-be lawyers from applying to law school. As of Jan. 13, the total number of applicants at ABA-approved law schools stood at 31,815, a drop of 16.7 percent from last year. The total number of applications was 233,361, a…

Jan 20, 2012 4:19 PM CST

Federal Judge Nixes Duncan Law TRO, Calls School’s Future Success in Suit Against ABA ‘Unlikely’

A federal judge in Knoxville today refused to grant preliminary injunctive relief sought by the plaintiff Tennessee law school in an antitrust lawsuit against the American Bar Association that also alleges due process violations. Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law is “unlikely” to succeed on the merits in the…

Jan 19, 2012 12:06 AM CST

Law Student Who Made Up Racial Profiling Claim Received His JD

Updated: A University of Virginia law student who admitted fabricating a racial profiling claim has received his law degree. The student, Johnathan Perkins, was acquitted of a university honor charge this summer by a jury of fellow students, report Above the Law, the Daily Progress and the Cavalier Daily. The…

Jan 18, 2012 2:16 PM CST

Want to Trim Costs of Legal Education? Allow Undergrad Law Degrees, Law Prof Says

A law professor and a BigLaw lawyer have a solution to the high cost of legal education: Allow would-be lawyers to take the bar exam after obtaining an undergraduate law degree. Northwestern University law professor John McGinnis and Kirkland & Ellis associate Russell Mangas outline their proposal in an opinion…

Jan 18, 2012 1:53 PM CST

Only 26% of Law Schools Report Percentage of Grads with Legal Jobs, Study Finds

Most law schools still hide critical information from applicants, according to a study of websites by the group Law School Transparency. The study (PDF) analyzed employment data for the class of 2010 provided on websites of ABA-approved law schools. Only 1 percent of the 197 law schools—in other words, two…

Jan 18, 2012 12:00 PM CST

ABA Committee Approves New Law School Disclosure Requirements

An ABA committee has approved a proposed new accreditation standard that would greatly expand the amount of graduate placement data law schools must publicly disclose to prospective students. But it wasn’t easy. Committee members got into a protracted and sometimes testy debate Saturday over one provision of the proposed new…

Jan 17, 2012 10:19 PM CST

Former Vanderbilt Law School Manager Is Accused of Embezzling More than $600K

A fired administrative services manager at Vanderbilt law school in Nashville has been charged with theft based on accusations he stole at least $600,000 from the school. U.S. Marshals arrested Jason Hunt, 34, in Arkansas on Friday, according to NewsChannel5.com and the Tennessean. He had worked at the school since…

Jan 17, 2012 3:19 PM CST

Ave Maria Law Student Is Charged with Attempted Murder; Alleged Victims Were Also Students

An Ave Maria law student has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault based on allegations he fired a gun at his roommate during a drunken incident in which he also threatened his ex-girlfriend. Robert Ringley, 25, is being held on $1 million bond, report Wink News, the News-Press,…

Jan 17, 2012 2:36 PM CST

80% of Law Students Surveyed Say They Would Do It Again, if Given the Chance

Eighty percent of law students surveyed say they would definitely or probably go to law school again if given the chance for a do-over. The 2011 Law School Survey of Student Engagement received responses from 33,000 law students at 95 law schools in the United States and Canada. Almost one-third…

Jan 13, 2012 2:14 PM CST

Will Calif. Law Grads Have to Complete Residencies? Bar Mulls Practical Skills Mandate

The State Bar of California has formed a task force that will consider requiring law grads to get practical experience with clients before obtaining a law license. California Bar President Jon Streeter tells the Daily Journal (sub. req.) the proposal is “still a concept in its infancy.” Among the ideas…

Jan 13, 2012 12:40 PM CST

Tiger Mom Law Prof Didn’t ‘Click with the Law,’ But She Didn’t Stop Trying

The Yale law professor who wrote a book about “Tiger Mom” parenting says she didn’t like BigLaw and she didn’t like law school. Now, in an interview with the Careerist, Professor Amy Chua credits her own parents for teaching her the value of hard work, helping her succeed even when…

Jan 13, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Federal Judge to Serve as Founding Dean of New Law School in Dallas

A federal judge has been selected as the first dean of a new Texas law school expected to open in 2014 in a renovated former department store in downtown Dallas. Administrators of the University of North Texas Dallas College of the Law today announced that senior U.S. District Judge Royal…

Jan 11, 2012 9:08 PM CST