Law Schools

ABA Backs Independence of Law School Clinical Courses

The ABA’s policymaking House of Delegates Monday reaffirmed its support of the independence of law school clinical programs, which have been under attack in several states for some of the cases they handle. The report on Resolution 100A noted that in 2010, “the Maryland state legislature considered legislative action that…

Feb 14, 2011 2:27 PM CST

ABA Young Lawyers Want Law Schools to Provide Better Jobs, Salary Data Up Front

The ABA’s Young Lawyers Division on Saturday voted to press for greater transparency for would-be lawyers considering law school to give them a greater understanding of the risks of assuming the sometimes staggering debt required to obtain a J.D. The division’s assembly adopted a multipoint policy resolution dubbed “Truth in…

Feb 13, 2011 2:55 PM CST

Harvard Professor Announces Launch of Project to Study Impact of Emerging Economies on Lawyers

David B. Wilkins, one of the nation’s leading thinkers on where the legal profession is headed, received the outstanding scholar award Saturday from the fellows of the American Bar Foundation. But the Harvard Law School professor is hardly about to rest on his laurels. Instead, Wilkins used the occasion of…

Feb 13, 2011 7:57 AM CST

10th Circuit Judge to Become New Dean of Pepperdine Law School

A federal appeals judge who took senior status earlier this year will begin a new job on June 1. Deanell Tacha of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will become the dean of Pepperdine University’s law school, report LJWorld.com and the Los Angeles Times blog L.A. Now. She…

Feb 11, 2011 1:16 PM CST

Is Practice Like ‘Boston Legal’? Will I Make Big Bucks? For $5K, Cornell Offers Prelaws Some Answers

Is the real life of a practicing lawyer similar to what is portrayed on Boston Legal and Law & Order? How much time does a lawyer spend arguing constitutional issues? Can a lawyer expect to make a lot of money? Would-be legal eagles who are still in college can spend…

Feb 11, 2011 2:11 AM CST

Harvard 2L Becomes First Openly Gay President Elected to Harvard Law Review

A second-year student at Harvard Law School has become the first openly gay man to be elected as president of the Harvard Law Review. While he says his sexual orientation is a nonissue at the publication, he recognizes that the milestone has significance, Mitchell Reich tells the Harvard Crimson. As…

Feb 9, 2011 12:18 AM CST

Law School Applications Dip at Mizzou Law; Down 12% Nationwide

After a record number of applications last year—the highest since 2004—the University of Missouri School of Law predicts a decrease in 2011. “Last year Mizzou Law received 1,024 applications for 150 spots,” Michelle Heck, School of Law Admissions and Recruitment coordinator, told the Maneater, the official student newspaper of the…

Feb 8, 2011 10:42 PM CST

Can Law Student Be Disciplined for Suing Accuser? Federal Judge Says Yes

A Vermont Law School student has sued the institution, an official there and another law student over the handling of a sexual assault and sexual harassment complaint in which he was exonerated by an internal code of conduct board. But Joshua Vaughan’s disciplinary problems may not be over yet. In…

Feb 8, 2011 8:18 PM CST

Eccentric Profs, Cheating Spouses Become Characters in Law Dean’s New Novel

Texas Wesleyan law dean Frederic White has written two books. The first is on Ohio landlord tenant law. The second, just released in December, tells of a suspicious death, law professors hiding shameful secrets, and raw ambition. “It is a work of fiction, you know,” White tells the ABA Journal.…

Feb 8, 2011 11:30 AM CST

UC Irvine Law Dean Disagrees with Charges for ‘Irvine 11’ Who Disrupted Speech

Eleven Muslim students face misdemeanor charges for disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador at the University of California at Irvine last year. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas charged the so-called “Irvine 11” on Friday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Each defendant is charged with one misdemeanor count of…

Feb 7, 2011 3:50 PM CST

Villanova Says Inaccurate LSAT and GPA Data Were ‘Knowingly Reported’ to the ABA in Prior Years

Updated: The new dean of Villanova University School of Law has informed the law school community in a letter that unidentified individuals at the school “knowingly reported” inaccurate admissions data to the American Bar Association for years prior to 2010. In the letter, Dean John Gotanda says he became aware…

Feb 4, 2011 11:52 PM CST

CPA’s Stellar Law School Career Screeches to a Halt as St. John’s Rescinds His Admission

Third in his class at St. John’s University School of Law, a certified public accountant working at PricewaterhouseCoopers was looking ahead to a bright future in the law. But David Powers’ would-be legal career came to a screeching halt after he wrote to New York’s character and fitness committee to…

Feb 2, 2011 11:57 PM CST

Law Prof Nominates Imprisoned Gov. for Nobel Peace Prize, Sees Message in No. 167

Imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for halting executions in the state, according to a University of Illinois law professor who nominated him for the honor. Francis Boyle is allowed to make nominations for the prize because he is an international law professor, according to…

Feb 2, 2011 1:17 PM CST

2L Glad He’s No Longer a ‘Pariah’ After Syracuse Drops Probe of Satirical Blog

A Syracuse University law student is feeling relief now that the school has dropped a harassment probe for his satirical blog posts. Syracuse ended the investigation after the student, Len Audaer, e-mailed apologies to several students who had complained about the SUCOLitis blog, which had used real names and fake…

Feb 2, 2011 12:44 PM CST

Oxford Grad Blames UK Law School for Failing NY Bar Exam, Sues for $162K

A graduate of Oriel College at the renowned University of Oxford blames her law school for her failure to pass both the New York state bar exam and comparable tests in the United Kingdom that would have qualified her to work as a solicitor there, the Daily Mail reported. Now…

Feb 2, 2011 10:58 AM CST