Legal Education

Law firms shouldn’t overlook value of soft skills

Soft skills do not get much attention in law firms. That was my experience when I was practicing in small, medium and larger firms, and it still is the case today.

Mar 7, 2019 6:30 AM CST

Former JAG Corps captain draws from history and sports for diversity advice

Kenneth Imo spent years playing college football for Southern Methodist University, working his way up in the U.S. Air Force and leading the charge for diversity in two international law firms. Imo mined his experiences for his book, Fix It: How History, Sports, and Education Can Inform Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Today.

Mar 6, 2019 7:05 AM CST

Would-be law student gets record expunged with help of legal services group

A Kentucky woman who plans to attend law school hopes to someday help others expunge their criminal records because of her own experience. Kristen Hawthorne returned to Bloomington, Illinois, last month to pick up a judge’s order expunging her felony conviction, the Bloomington Pantagraph reports. Hawthorne had been convicted for…

Mar 4, 2019 9:30 AM CST

So you think you know tech? Law firms do a check of their associates

First-year associates might understand technology, but that doesn’t mean that they understand their firms’ technology, which is often customized, says Betsey Frank, director of staff development and technology training at Sidley Austin. Frank spoke Thursday at an ABA Techshow panel with Faye Jones, director of the University of Illinois College…

Mar 1, 2019 10:29 AM CST

There’s a variety of affordable—or free—ways to teach legal tech, law school librarians say

Deborah Ginsberg doesn’t teach a specific legal technology class at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Instead, the educational technology law librarian goes to various classes and provides students with information relevant to legal practice areas taught in the course.

Mar 1, 2019 9:58 AM CST

ABA House of Delegates rejects changes to bar passage standard for law schools

Language in Resolution 105 called for at least 75 percent of a law school’s graduates to pass a bar exam within two years of graduation. Under ABA rules, the House can send a potential revision—in this case for Standard 316—back to the council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar twice for review with or without recommendations, but the council has the final decision on matters related to law school accreditation.

Mar 1, 2019 12:52 AM CST

Some law schools offer tech programs to help students find jobs, but does it work?

Recent law school graduates and attorneys with hiring responsibilities say that there are few tech jobs for new lawyers, largely because the profession isn’t ready for this new cadre of tech-savvy grads.

Mar 1, 2019 12:05 AM CST

Florida Coastal and ABA ask court to dismiss accreditation lawsuit

Florida Coastal School of Law, the last of three for-profit InfiLaw schools to remain open, has asked that the court dismiss, with prejudice, its lawsuit against the American Bar Association, with the parties agreeing to bear their own costs and fees.

Feb 27, 2019 10:00 AM CST

Student loan forgiveness: Great in theory, murky in practice

To afford law school, Kyle Ingram borrowed $120,000. Saddled with this significant loan balance at age 27, he sought debt forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Feb 27, 2019 6:30 AM CST

Public service attorneys win important victory in Dept of Ed loan-forgiveness lawsuit

When the U.S. Department of Education changed its interpretation of Public Service Loan Forgiveness regulation, it did not adhere to notice standards mandated under the Administrative Procedure Act, and those changes were arbitrary and capricious, a federal court found Friday.

Feb 24, 2019 9:00 AM CST

ABA legal ed council delays decision on stricter bar-passage standards

The ABA’s legal education council has delayed a decision on whether to implement a stricter bar passage standard for accredited law schools, prolonging a yearslong debate of the hot-button issue.

Feb 22, 2019 7:54 PM CST

Legal ed groups ask ABA for more transparency while awaiting possible changes to bar passage standard

Two legal education groups have asked that the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar increase transparency and collaboration in its decision-making.

Feb 22, 2019 4:28 PM CST

Law firms either keep up with tech or get left behind

I spend a lot of time thinking about a version of that classic interview question where applicants are asked to envision their future. But, instead of thinking about my own future, I think of the legal profession’s future. If you haven’t done it, give it a try: What will legal work look like in 15 years?

Feb 14, 2019 6:30 AM CST

Match.com, BYU Law partner up for student-alumni mentor program

Do people think you have traditional values, and what are your hobbies? These are some questions asked by a pilot program to build mentoring relationships between first-year law students and alumni at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Feb 14, 2019 6:00 AM CST

Why can’t you bring mechanical pencils to the LSAT? Blame test-taking tricksters

Attorney licensing exams are not immune from cheating, says James Wollack, an educational psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison whose research includes test security. In fact, the first time he was asked to analyze exam result data to see whether it supported test fraud, it was for a Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination.

Feb 13, 2019 2:46 PM CST