Columbia Sends Highest Percentage of Grads to Top Law Firms

Columbia Law School is first on a list of schools that send the highest percentage of graduates to the top 250 law firms. Columbia sent almost 75 percent of its 2007 grads to the top 250 law firms, followed by Northwestern, which sent about 73.5 percent of its grads to…

Apr 14, 2008 12:27 PM CDT

‘Epidemic’ Leads to UofC Law Web Ban

The University of Chicago Law School has shut down Internet access for most of its classrooms because too many students were surfing the Web instead of taking notes on their laptops. U of C law Dean Saul Levmore told students and faculty in an e-mail that he took action after…

Apr 11, 2008 6:28 PM CDT

Hour-Long Chat with Bob Morse

Bob Morse, director of data research at U.S. News & World Report, fielded a flurry of questions Friday about his publication’s law school rankings. The live portion has ended, but you can replay the chat and add comments below.

Apr 11, 2008 3:59 PM CDT

Live Chat With the Law School Rankings Czar

We’re hosting a live online chat with U.S. News & World Report’s law school rankings czar, Robert Morse, from 3-4 p.m. ET today on our home page.You can submit questions in advance using this web form, or send your questions during the chat itself.

Law school deans have long been critical of the rankings, which have the power to change the reputation of a school overnight. In our April cover story, Morse offered an olive branch, saying “deans are welcome to call me or come by my office in Washington. I want to work with them to improve the rankings.”

Will anyone take him up on his offer? Check back at 3 p.m. ET today to find out.

Apr 11, 2008 10:00 AM CDT

Scalia: ‘I Am Not a Nut’

If he was nominated to the high court today, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says he may not win confirmation because the public expects judges to rewrite the Constitution rather than interpret it narrowly based on original intent. Scalia, who was confirmed 98-0 in 1986, made the remarks while…

Apr 8, 2008 2:09 PM CDT

Crazed Cardozo Law Revue Wins YouTube Raves

A parody of the law review at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York is winning viewers and at least a few rave reviews on the Internet. Now playing on YouTube, the Cardozo Law Revue features a domineering prosecutrix in a low-necked sleeveless black dress, a moot…

Apr 7, 2008 8:37 PM CDT

Work/Life Balance Blog ‘Ms. JD’ Spawns Nat’l Law Student Org.

Some 90 women students from an impressive 70 law schools gathered in New York over the weekend to organize and work together to improve professional prospects for women after graduation. The Leadership Summit marked the one-year anniversary of the Ms. JD blog and the launch of a new group, the…

Apr 7, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

Letters from Law Deans, Real and Imagined, Tout Schools’ Strengths Despite Rankings Drop

A law school professor has penned a parody of letters from law deans defending their schools’ rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Gregory Stein, a law professor at the University of Tennessee, saw the letters circulating on the legal blogs and parodied them in two tongue-in-cheek letters to be…

Apr 7, 2008 12:15 PM CDT

Women Who Take Law Practice Breaks Get More Help Getting Re-Connected

Women lawyers who take time off from their practices to raise children or take care of family have long struggled to return to their careers. They’ve reported that they don’t feel confident or need refreshers to get back into the game. It’s looking more an more like the legal industry…

Apr 3, 2008 6:05 PM CDT

Free Legal Advice Offered for Accused Music Pirates

Students in San Francisco’s Bay Area have an ally if the Recording Industry Association of America comes knocking and accuses them of pirating music. The college students can turn to the University of San Francisco’s legal clinic—part of the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Project—that aims to match tech-savvy law…

Apr 1, 2008 9:04 PM CDT

Gifting Grads

2007’s top 5 law school benefactors

Apr 1, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

The Rankings Czar

Law deans hate Bob Morse’s rankings. He’d like their help to make them better.

Apr 1, 2008 3:10 PM CDT

U.S. News Rankings Czar Extends Olive Branch

Tropical Storm Allison blasted through Houston killing 22 people, flattening homes and drenching the University of Houston Law Center in mud and floods. That was 2001, closing out Nancy Rapo­port’s first year as law school dean.

“Our computers survived only because our IT director risked his life to move classroom PCs to higher floors through the night of the storm,” Rapoport says.

The faculty and staff—some of whom lost their own homes—removed debris from buildings, scrounged supplies and aided students displaced by the storm. Despite the stress, Rapoport was exhilarated by the camaraderie. She never shed one tear of frustration…

Mar 29, 2008 3:01 PM CDT

Troubled American School of Law Gets New Dean, New Name

Troubles for the Kentucky-based American Justice School of Law are far from over, despite its new owners and settlement of a student-led lawsuit. Indeed, the school’s interim dean has resigned, citing a failure by the new owners to provide funding, pay bills or recruit students. Even creditors are knocking and…

Mar 28, 2008 6:30 PM CDT

Law Grads Who Learn in Vegas, Stay Around Vegas

Nevada’s only law school, which has been turning out graduates since 2001, is populating the state with new lawyers. More than 60 percent of the grads from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law are lawyers working in the state, the Las Vegas Sun reports. About 12 percent of the…

Mar 28, 2008 12:48 PM CDT