Washington State Legal Community Braces for Huge Turnover in Lawyer Population

Washington state’s legal community is bracing for a huge turnover in its lawyer population over the next five years. The expected turnover, driven largely by demographics and economics, poses big challenges for firms both large and small, though small firms and solo practices seem especially vulnerable, the Puget Sound Business…

Aug 24, 2012 8:46 PM CDT

Model Ethics Rule Allows Lawyers to Practice in New State for Up to a Year, Pending Admission

Lawyers who move to a new state can practice there for up to a year while seeking admission under a new model ethics rule approved Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. A comment to the rule explains why it is needed. “This rule recognizes that a lawyer admitted in…

Aug 6, 2012 8:21 PM CDT

If You Think You Won’t Succeed, You Probably Won’t, Panelists Say

If someone thinks they won’t succeed, partly because of stereotypes, that notion will harm performance, says Steven Spencer, a psychology professor at the University of Waterloo, whose work focuses on motivation and the self. The Ontario, Canada, professor discussed his research at an event Thursday sponsored by the ABA’s Council…

Aug 2, 2012 6:56 PM CDT

What Was the Strangest Thing You Saw at the Bar Exam?

We’ve heard many stories of bizarre occurrences at the bar exam, and not all of them were tall tales. Last year we reported about a Northwestern law grad who went into labor during the bar exam but stayed until she had completed the test–and she passed! Last week, Bloomberg Law…

Aug 1, 2012 7:48 PM CDT

Calif. AG Supports Illegal Immigrant’s Quest for Law License

California’s attorney general is supporting the state bar-admission quest of a man who was brought to the United States illegally as a toddler. Although Sergio Garcia, 35, applied for legal residency in 1995, his application is still pending, reports the Associated Press. His father is already a U.S. citizen and…

Jul 20, 2012 6:52 PM CDT

Illegal Immigrant Should Be Admitted to Practice, Calif. State Bar Tells State Supreme Court

Just because a lawyer is licensed to practice doesn’t mean he or she has a legal right to work. But that distinction shows that a law license should be granted to an illegal immigrant, Sergio C. Garcia, who has met the requirements for admission, argues the Committee of Bar Examiners…

Jun 19, 2012 5:10 PM CDT

Want to Save Money? Try Attending ‘Fast Track’ Law School Abroad

If you are considering law school or read the ABA Journal, you may already be aware of much of the information on a new list of “10 things law schools won’t tell you.” The list by SmartMoney.com includes: “Lawyers are a dime a dozen,” “Salaries are shrinking” and “You’ll be…

Jun 7, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Mass. Bar Task Force: Legal Education Could Take a Page from Medical Education’s Book

The Massachusetts Bar Association’s Task Force on the Law, the Economy and Underemployment released a report last week exploring the causes of and solutions for underemployment of law school graduates. The task force, made up of 12 licensed lawyers, one law student and one university pre-law adviser devoted six months…

May 21, 2012 9:30 PM CDT

California Supreme Court Considers Whether to Grant Law License to Illegal Immigrant

The California Supreme Court is considering whether to grant a law license to an illegal immigrant, a paralegal who came to the United States as a young child. The immigrant, Sergio Garcia, came to the United States from Mexico with his parents when he was 17 months old, the Los…

May 17, 2012 11:42 AM CDT

Another Hurdle for Would-Be Lawyers in New York: 50 Hours of Pro Bono

New York’s chief judge has announced a new requirement: Would-be lawyers will have to perform 50 hours of pro bono before they can get a law license. New York will be the first state with the pro bono requirement, the New York Times reports. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman said the…

May 2, 2012 11:55 AM CDT

Mission Accomplished: Military Spouse Network Gets ABA, White House Attention

May 1, 2012 6:40 AM CDT

Despite ABA Accreditation Issue, Duncan Law Grads Can Sit for Tenn. Bar Exam

Denied in December the provisional accreditation it had hoped to win from the American Bar Association, a Tennessee law school, in addition to filing an appeal directly with the ABA, has been waging a federal court battle, as yet unsuccessfully, to force the ABA to change its mind. However, Lincoln…

Apr 25, 2012 7:30 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Suit Against Avvo Dismissed; Ex-Associate Starts Book on Cross-Country Walk

Was NYLS Suit Dismissal a Win for Law Schools? At Balkinization, Washington University law professor Brian Tamanaha (whose book Failing Law Schools comes out in July) wonders if the dismissal of a lawsuit against New York Law School by nine of its graduates is really a victory. Tamanaha said that…

Mar 30, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

These Schools Exceed Expectations for Bar Pass Rates

Most law schools have bar exam pass rates that correlate to their students’ scores on the Law School Admission Test. But some outperform expectations. The National Jurist (reg. req.) developed a mathematical model to determine which schools most exceeded expectations for bar pass rates in 2009 and 2010, compared to…

Feb 21, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Suit by Law Student Claims Her School Negligently Admitted Her

A law student in Tennessee with $80,000 in education debt claims in a suit filed this week that her school should not have admitted her. The $750,000 suit by Morgan Crutchfield says Lincoln Memorial University accepted her even though she had not completed her undergraduate degree and will be ineligible…

Feb 17, 2012 12:30 PM CST