Law Professors

Harvard Law Prof Gave Up Prescient Blogging for Federal Bully Pulpit

The Harvard law professor who was appointed congressional overseer for the Troubled Asset Relief Program was outspoken about abusive lending practices even before her new position brought media exposure for her cause. Elizabeth Warren, a possible nominee to run the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, was a blogger in her…

Jul 27, 2010 1:29 PM CDT

ABA Committee Proposal to Eliminate ‘Tenure’ Word Raises Law Profs’ Ire

An ABA committee is considering a proposal to eliminate the word “tenure” from law school accreditation standards, bringing objections from law professors who say job protection is tied to quality of legal education. The ABA Standards Review Committee is considering a subcommittee proposal to clarify that law schools are not…

Jul 27, 2010 12:29 PM CDT

Divorce Lawyer to Testify Against Ex-Client in High-Profile Rick Pitino Extortion Trial

A little over a year ago, matrimonial attorney Dana Kolter wrote a letter for his client Karen Sypher. In it, he asked for $10 million from University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, threatening to make public, in Karen Sypher’s divorce case from Pitino’s equipment manager, Tim Sypher, an allegation…

Jul 26, 2010 11:27 PM CDT

Harvard Law Prof Considers Sherrod Flap a Metaphor for Country’s Racial Attitudes

The quick condemnation of an edited video of a speech by black agricultural official Shirley Sherrod highlights the nation’s reluctance to address the issue of race, a Harvard Law School professor says. “At the barest suggestion of race, we line up at opposite corners and start hurling accusations,” says law…

Jul 26, 2010 1:35 PM CDT

Male? Female? Neither? No Problem: Some Law Schools Offer ‘Others’ Option for Applicants

Traditionally, applicants were often asked to check a box stating whether they are male or female. But as recognition grows that the answer to this question isn’t always clear, some law schools are changing their approach to provide greater recognition to the rights of the transgendered. Among these institutions are…

Jul 22, 2010 11:53 PM CDT

Middle-Class Dilemma: Can’t Afford Lawyers, Can’t Qualify for Legal Aid

Lawyers are just too expensive for many people needing legal help, a law professor says. “You can hardly find a lawyer who charges less than $150 per hour, which is out of reach for most people,” University of Southern California law professor Gillian Hadfield tells the Wall Street Journal. At…

Jul 22, 2010 1:36 PM CDT

University of Montana Law School Investigating False Sniper Warning

An e-mail warning of a rooftop sniper on Tuesday led officials at the University of Montana law school to evacuate the law building and call in Missoula police. Officers toted assault rifles and wore body armor, the Missoulian reports. They never found a sniper. Law school officials are investigating the…

Jul 21, 2010 1:42 PM CDT

Researchers Who Studied Newly Hired Law Profs Found 52 Liberals, 8 Conservatives

Researchers studying the political leanings of newly hired law school tenure-track professors say their findings may point to the need to increase the intellectual diversity of law schools. The study by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law found that 52 out of 149 new law…

Jul 21, 2010 11:23 AM CDT

Law Prof’s Article Not Just a ‘Pebble’ as UT Drops Klansman’s Name from Dorm

The University of Texas will remove the name of a dead law professor from one of its dorms because he was once a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. The university’s governing board voted today to change the name of Simkins Residence Hall, according to the Houston Chronicle and the…

Jul 15, 2010 3:14 PM CDT

Courts Reward Helicopter Parents, Two Law Profs Say

Courts are rewarding “intensive parenting” and making it a legal standard, particularly in custody disputes, two law professors say in a paper that will be published in the U.C. Davis Law Review. The child-rearing trend, also known as “helicopter parenting” and “smothering mothering,” has dominated parenting in the last two…

Jul 14, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Law Prof Finds Fame After Lindsay Lohan Tweets His Article

Washington and Lee University law professor Erik Luna is aware of Lindsay Lohan’s work in just one film: The Parent Trap, a favorite of his 9-year-old daughter. It appears Lohan is familiar with Luna’s work based on just one article, a critique of the federal sentencing guidelines, according to the…

Jul 13, 2010 11:39 AM CDT

Judge Slashes ‘Excessive’ $675K Award in Music Download Case to $67.5K

A Harvard Law School professor representing a graduate student in a high-profile music downloading case has finally won a significant victory. On Friday a federal judge slashed the $675,000 awarded last year by a Boston jury against Charles Nesson’s client, Joel Tenenbaum, to $67,500, saying that it is “unconstitutionally excessive”…

Jul 12, 2010 5:26 PM CDT

King & Spalding Summer Associate Dies in Commuter Train Accident

A summer associate at King & Spalding with a seemingly bright future who was to start his third year of law school this fall died early Sunday in a Washington, D.C., commuter train accident. Joseph Doyle’s death was announced Monday in an online letter to the College of William &…

Jul 7, 2010 5:18 PM CDT

Law Prof Files Suit Claiming Duquesne Discriminated in Appointment of Interim Dean

The aftershocks continue after the abrupt ouster of the popular dean of Duquesne law school more than two years ago. The latest development: A Duquesne law professor is alleging in a lawsuit that the school discriminated against her in the appointment of an interim dean after the school told Donald…

Jul 7, 2010 2:12 PM CDT

Accused Child Killer Casey Anthony Loses Another Lawyer

Casey Anthony, the central Florida mom accused of murdering her 3-year-old daughter, Caylee, two years ago has lost another defense lawyer. Andrea Lyon, a DePaul University law professor who specializes in the death penalty, is stepping down strictly for financial reasons, News 13 reported Thursday. Lyon is the second lawyer…

Jul 1, 2010 5:35 PM CDT