Law Schools

Courts, Prosecutor Offices, Law Schools Close for Hurricane Ike

As Hurricane Ike approaches the Gulf Coast of Texas, several Texas courts are closing, and the attorney general has a plan to warn shelter officials of potential sex offenders in their midst. Tex Parte Blog reports court closings in Harris County, at the 9th Court of Appeals in Beaumont and…

Sep 12, 2008 2:58 PM CDT

‘Unrealistic Goal’ Helped Ex-Inmate Journey from Prison Cell to Yale Law

Andres Idarraga’s future didn’t look promising when his drug-dealing caught up with him and he was sentenced to a 14-year term in a Rhode Island prison. He was about 20 years old and had never graduated from high school. But he began spending all his free time in the prison…

Sep 11, 2008 11:46 PM CDT

OK, Discovery’s a Problem, But What Can Be Done About It?

An interim report (reg. req.) on a recent survey of trial lawyers about the American civil justice system has confirmed what many feared: Out-of-control discovery, among other issues, is making it difficult or impossible to pursue many cases that traditionally would have been brought, as parties settle or even decide…

Sep 11, 2008 6:30 PM CDT

More Fed’l Judges Seek Law Clerks With Practice Experience

Traditionally, federal judges have hired law clerks straight out of law school or sometimes, in the case of appeals court judges, after they have completed a clerkship in a lower court. But now many are seeking law clerks with actual experience practicing law, often looking to big firms for prospects,…

Sep 11, 2008 5:49 PM CDT

St. Louis Law School Takes the Train in Chicago to Snag Young Professionals

St. Louis University Law School is trying to snag some potential law students from a neighboring state with ads touting its “intimate environment” posted in Chicago el trains and airports. One ad features a second-year student identified as “Kara” who says, “You get the best of both worlds here—an intimate…

Sep 11, 2008 1:57 PM CDT

More Law Schools Hiring Professor Power Couples

For several law schools, the hiring of law professors has become a package deal. As the number of law professor couples increases and the competition for top faculty becomes more intense, several law schools are hiring both spouses, the National Law Journal reports. The legal newspaper says these law school…

Sep 11, 2008 1:32 PM CDT

Law Profs’ Campaign Contributions Overwhelmingly Favor Democrats

Law professors have donated more than $1 million to the political parties and the presidential candidates, with more than 90 percent of the money flowing into Democratic coffers. Law profs donated $623,472 to the parties, and almost 93 percent of it went to Democrats, TaxProf Blog reports, using figures from…

Sep 10, 2008 1:41 PM CDT

Will Calif. Supreme Court Provide Bar Data for Controversial Study?

Seeking to pursue a controversial study about the effectiveness of law school affirmative action programs, researchers have sued the State Bar of California for access to 30 years of examination records. They are now asking the state supreme court to compel the bar association to turn over the bar exam…

Sep 8, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Chief Justice Ponders ‘Choose KKK’ License Plates in Moot Court Case

University of Florida law student Cary Aronovitz was only about a minute into his moot court argument when Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. interrupted him with a question. Aronovitz said he had anticipated the question, although it was a difficult one that he didn’t want to answer, FlaLaw Online…

Sep 8, 2008 2:32 PM CDT

Yale Has Most Clinical Offerings, But Others Are Highly Regarded

A survey by a legal publication, based on information provided by a guide to ABA-approved law schools, says Yale Law School offers by far the most opportunities for students interested in clinical work. “National Jurist found that for the 576 full-time students at Yale, the school offered an astounding 520…

Sep 3, 2008 10:09 PM CDT

Foley Hoag, Law Profs Represent Georgia in World Court Hearing

Foley Hoag and two law professors are representing the Republic of Georgia in an emergency hearing before the International Court of Justice. The hearing set to begin Sept. 8 claims Russian forces and Russian-supported separatist militias engaged in ethnic cleansing against Georgians, according to a Foley Hoag press release e-mailed…

Sep 3, 2008 2:09 PM CDT

Law School Offers Re-Entry Course for Those Returning to Law

American University’s Washington College of Law will help lawyers who have left legal careers with a new course that helps them get back into the job market. The six-day re-entry program has four parts, executive director Linda Mercurio told The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. First, participants set goals.…

Aug 29, 2008 1:45 PM CDT

Chief Justice to Judge Moot Court Debate on ‘Choose Life’ Plates

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will judge a moot court competition at the University of Florida’s law school in Gainesville. The students will discuss First Amendment issues raised by “Choose Life” license plates, the National Law Journal reports. The competition will be held Sept. 5. Four finalists will brief…

Aug 28, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

Off-Label Drugs Will Be Next Enforcement Focus, Law Prof Predicts

Every year, when Dallas attorney Steve Kardell kicks off the corporate compliance and governance class he teaches at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, he starts by predicting the subject of the next wave of company scandals. Last year, he pointed to subprime lending. The year before, it was…

Aug 27, 2008 3:39 PM CDT

Mich. Law School to Pay Students $5K for Public Interest Internships

The University of Michigan law school has announced it will pay $5,000 to second-year law students who intern with qualified government or public interest groups. Cindy Cohn, legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a 1989 Michigan law grad, applauded the program, the National Law Journal reports. “A public…

Aug 27, 2008 2:03 PM CDT