Legal Education

Is breakdown of ‘bourgeois culture’ to blame for society’s ills? Law profs differ in op-eds

Is the breakdown of “bourgeois culture” to blame for societal ills such as unemployment, inner-city murders and schools that don’t adequately educate their students? The question is the subject of dueling op-eds by different groups of law professors published by Philly.com and the Daily Pennsylvanian.

Aug 23, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Blockchain, project management, AI score among top legal innovations in prof’s index

What’s the buzz in BigLaw legal tech? Blockchain, project management and artificial intelligence are dominant topics, according to Michigan State University law professor Daniel W. Linna Jr. On Tuesday, Linna launched the website Legal Services Innovation Index, which tracks the frequency of tech terms on law-firm websites. “It’s a starting…

Aug 23, 2017 7:30 AM CDT

Teen goes to law school and aims for the presidency

Aaron Parnas is once again aiming high. Parnas went to college at age 14, taking high school and college classes at the same time for the same credit, Law.com (sub. req.) reports. He graduated from college in two-and-a-half years, a few weeks before his high school graduation. Now he is…

Aug 21, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

An ABA Journal Legal Rebel who promoted uniform bar exam to retire

Erica Moeser, president of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, will retire this month. Moeser, who pushed for acceptance of a uniform bar exam, tells Law.com (sub. req.) that she turned 71 in June and “the time has come” to retire. “At some point you think ‘Life is finite,’ and…

Aug 18, 2017 11:20 AM CDT

More law school deans call for lowering California bar exam cut score

Law school deans at public hearings this week in San Francisco and Los Angeles called on the state of California to lower its bar exam cut score.

Aug 18, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Law prof suggests ABA set an employment requirement for law school accreditation

Law school accreditation should be tied to employment outcomes, law professor Scott Norberg advocates in a recent paper, because existing standards regarding bar passage rates don’t do enough. “Bar passage is necessary, but not sufficient. In a market where there are persistently more law school graduates than available law jobs,…

Aug 16, 2017 4:49 PM CDT

Members of ABA’s Commission on the Future of Legal Education named

Redesigning legal education will be a priority for Hilarie Bass, the American Bar Association’s new president, and on Wednesday she announced the 10 members of a commission that will work on the issue. A joint statement (PDF) from Bass and Maureen O’Rourke, the new chair of the council of the…

Aug 16, 2017 3:45 PM CDT

After students wait a day for answers, Charlotte Law says it took down website to comply with law

Charlotte School of Law intends to comply with North Carolina law, and its leaders say that is why its website went dark Monday following news that its proposed teach-out plan was rejected and it missed the deadline for state licensure.

Aug 16, 2017 2:28 PM CDT

Charlotte School of Law closes after ABA legal ed council rejects teach-out plan

Updated: After being placed on probation, losing federal student loans and enduring months of speculation, the teach-out plan that Charlotte School of Law submitted to the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has been rejected. Under North Carolina law, Charlotte School of Law…

Aug 15, 2017 2:17 PM CDT

UC Berkeley Law reduces budget by 2 percent amid university-wide cuts

Corrected: University of California at Berkeley School of Law reduced its budget by $2 million and will eliminate some of its associate dean positions in the face of university-wide cutbacks, the Daily Californian reports. Carol Christ, who took over as chancellor July 1, unveiled a plan to reduce the university’s…

Aug 15, 2017 1:04 PM CDT

ABA Medal winner John Feerick calls on lawyers to help close the justice gap

ABA Medal winner John Feerick called on lawyers to help close the justice gap by volunteering to help those in need and by supporting the Legal Services Corp.

Aug 12, 2017 9:25 PM CDT

Charlotte School of Law’s state license expires after missed deadline

The Charlotte School of Law’s operating license has reportedly expired, leaving unclear what happens next to the embattled school or its students. WBTV and Inside Higher Ed had the story. The law school did not met a Thursday deadline set in by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors,…

Aug 11, 2017 6:04 PM CDT

After transparency criticism, ABA law school employment questionnaire revisions postponed

Criticism over plans to change questionnaire rules for law school-funded employment—which some legal education critics say would negate all recent action for transparency—has led to the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar on Friday referring the matter to the Standards Review Committee for its October meeting.

Aug 11, 2017 4:30 PM CDT

Reduction in law school applications result in favorable upsides for some

Law school applications have dropped precipitously in the face of a weak job market and questions about the future for legal employment, according to U.S. News & World Report, though applicants have gained leverage in negotiating scholarships and financial aid. Another upside for those interested in going to law school…

Aug 10, 2017 10:08 AM CDT

Should Congress regulate sexbots? Law prof sees need for hearings

George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf says the sexbot industry is raising concerns about whether the devices can promote criminal acts. Sex robots can be programmed to simulate rape or can be made to look like children, yet they are not being regulated in the United States, Banzhaf says.…

Aug 8, 2017 10:28 AM CDT