Top 10 news stories of 2022
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Every year, we like to take a look back at the news events and stories that most resonated with our online readers. This year, the financial state of the legal industry dominated the list, accompanied by disciplinary cases, law school rankings and the bar exam.
1. “Milbank smashes the associate pay scale with yet another raise”
(Jan. 20)
“Milbank announced Thursday that it is raising associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000, depending on class year, a move that cracks the scale set just last year.”
2. “US News releases its 2023 law school rankings; who switched spots?”
(March 28)
“Yale Law School kept its No. 1 spot on the 2023 U.S. News & World Report rankings, which were released Tuesday, and the University of Chicago Law School moved up—from No. 4 to No. 3 on the list.”
3. “Which law schools overperformed on the bar exam? Some are unranked by US News”
(Feb. 8)
“What helps law schools garner better-than-expected bar passage rates? A high ranking by U.S. News & World Report isn’t necessarily part of the formula, according to a new study.”
4. “Judge disparaged lawyer, apparently unaware of livestream: ‘Can you imagine waking up next to her every day?’”
(Jan. 18)
“A high-profile criminal defense lawyer plans to file an ethics complaint against a Chicago judge who disparaged her last week during a livestreamed video.”
5. “After 20 tries, law grad passes the bar but is barred from law practice in Massachusetts”
(April 26)
“A persistent law graduate who passed the bar exam nearly 30 years after his 1985 graduation won’t be able to join the Massachusetts bar as a result of a decision by the state’s top court.”
6. “Backlash follows lawyer’s recorded celebratory comments about how he won his case”
(June 7)
“A medical malpractice lawyer who bragged about obtaining a defense verdict, even though a man ‘was probably negligently killed,’ didn’t know that his remarks to colleagues would be recorded.”
7. “Law firms came ‘dangerously close’ to losing almost a quarter of their associates in 2021, new report says”
(Jan. 11)
“Law firms ‘are spending huge amounts of money and putting their profits at increasing risk’ as they battle to hold on to their associates.”
8. “After Davis Polk sets new bar for associate raises, Cravath ups the ante”
(March 1)
“All eyes were on Cravath, Swaine & Moore after Davis Polk & Wardwell announced associate raises last week that set a new, higher standard.”
9. “3 law schools dinged for low bar pass rates”
(Dec. 14)
“On Tuesday, the ABA posted notice that the Ave Maria School of Law, the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and Vermont Law School are out of compliance with Standard 316, which requires a bar passage rate of at least 75% within a two-year time period.”
10. “‘Shameful’ insular cases should be overruled, Gorsuch says, as SCOTUS rules against Puerto Rico resident”
(April 21)
“The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Thursday that the United States doesn’t violate the equal protection clause by denying disability benefits to residents of Puerto Rico.”
