Law Schools

Star Student-Athlete’s Dilemma: Should He Play Pro Tennis or Go to Harvard Law School?

Faced with a career dilemma, Blake Strode obviously has little to complain about: A star student as well as a star athlete, he was recently admitted to Harvard Law School just as his professional tennis career is potentially about to take off. So now he must decide whether to continue…

Aug 2, 2010 6:41 PM CDT

Be Seated

Thanks to an innovative cross-jurisdictional partnership between Northwestern University School of Law and London College of Law, U.K. law students can earn for the first time both an American-style JD and a seat at the New York bar exam.

Aug 1, 2010 5:12 AM CDT

2011 Is Looking Better for Summer Associates

Some large law firms are planning to step up their hiring of summer associates for 2011 after a year of cutbacks. The Am Law Daily talked to sources, some of them anonymous, at a handful of firms and learned they are planning to increase their summer associate classes. Although the…

Jul 30, 2010 12:52 PM CDT

Higher Ed Book Author: Get a Liberal Arts Education, Consider Law School

The co-author of a new book on higher education says undergrads should skip the vocational classes and consider going on to law school. The book maintains that it’s a waste of money to spend $250,000 on a bachelor’s degree from top universities such as Harvard and Yale, Reuters reports. Co-authors…

Jul 30, 2010 12:07 PM CDT

Tums, Anyone? What About a Massage? Law Schools Vie to Offer Best Perks at Ohio Bar Exam

Back in the day, tailgate parties were synonymous with college football games. But some law schools now host similar events for freshly minted legal eagles facing a grueling bar exam followed by a worrisome future in a difficult legal economy. In Ohio, eight of the state’s nine law schools and…

Jul 28, 2010 7:59 PM CDT

Ex-Law Prof Alleges Harassment by Duquesne Law Dean

Updated: A former clinical law instructor at Duquesne claims in a lawsuit that the school’s present dean, Kenneth Gormley, retaliated against her because she accused him of sexual harassment when he was a law professor in 2006. The lawsuit by former instructor Alice Stewart is the second discrimination suit filed…

Jul 28, 2010 4:27 PM CDT

ABA Group: US News Law School Rankings ‘Not Entirely Benign,’ But We’re Stuck with Them

Updated: In a report (PDF) circulated to members of the ABA Council of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, a special committee describes the controversial U.S. News & World Report annual law school rankings as “not entirely benign,” pointing to a number of negative effects. However, “we believe that,…

Jul 27, 2010 10:54 PM CDT

Stanford Law Dean Is on a Mission to Make His School No. 1

Stanford Law School dean Larry Kramer is on a mission to make his school the best in the nation, and he hopes to get there partly by raiding faculty from the two schools that outrank him. Kramer has been at Stanford since 2004, and since then he’s set out on…

Jul 27, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

ABA Committee Proposal to Eliminate ‘Tenure’ Word Raises Law Profs’ Ire

An ABA committee is considering a proposal to eliminate the word “tenure” from law school accreditation standards, bringing objections from law professors who say job protection is tied to quality of legal education. The ABA Standards Review Committee is considering a subcommittee proposal to clarify that law schools are not…

Jul 27, 2010 12:29 PM CDT

‘Mad Rush’ of August Interviews May Contribute to Associate Attrition, Law Dean Says

Northwestern University law dean David Van Zandt says he’s concerned about the “mad rush” of August on-campus interviews for summer associate positions. Worried about their competitors, law firms quickly snap up those with the highest grade point averages. Law students about to enter their second year of school have little…

Jul 27, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

One-Month Interview Delay Is ‘Bold New Move’ for Northwestern Law School and Jones Day

Updated: Northwestern and Jones Day have decided to do something about the much-criticized process of holding on-campus interviews for summer associates in August before their second year of law school. In a “bold new move,” Jones Day will visit the campus a month later, according to a Northwestern press release.…

Jul 26, 2010 3:44 PM CDT

Male? Female? Neither? No Problem: Some Law Schools Offer ‘Others’ Option for Applicants

Traditionally, applicants were often asked to check a box stating whether they are male or female. But as recognition grows that the answer to this question isn’t always clear, some law schools are changing their approach to provide greater recognition to the rights of the transgendered. Among these institutions are…

Jul 22, 2010 11:53 PM CDT

University of Montana Law School Investigating False Sniper Warning

An e-mail warning of a rooftop sniper on Tuesday led officials at the University of Montana law school to evacuate the law building and call in Missoula police. Officers toted assault rifles and wore body armor, the Missoulian reports. They never found a sniper. Law school officials are investigating the…

Jul 21, 2010 1:42 PM CDT

Researchers Who Studied Newly Hired Law Profs Found 52 Liberals, 8 Conservatives

Researchers studying the political leanings of newly hired law school tenure-track professors say their findings may point to the need to increase the intellectual diversity of law schools. The study by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law found that 52 out of 149 new law…

Jul 21, 2010 11:23 AM CDT

If Kagan Is Confirmed, Harvard & Yale Law Grads on Top Court Will Hit All-Time High

As Elena Kagan cleared one hurdle today en route to her likely confirmation as a justice of the United States Supreme Court, the stars are now aligned for a historic tally of elite Ivy League graduates on the nation’s top bench. Aside from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who started at…

Jul 20, 2010 9:28 PM CDT