Law Professors

Law Grads Who Fail the Bar Have a Difficult First Five Years, Then Spring Back

What has happened to the estimated 150,000 law grads who failed to pass the bar exam? A UCLA School of Law researcher who set out to answer the question found that these bar-exam failures had staying power, faring more poorly than even college graduates in the first five years after…

Sep 11, 2009 7:44 PM CDT

Law Prof: Sometimes Accused Criminals Should Be Allowed to Blame the Victim

A criminal law professor at Rutgers School of Law-Newark has written a new book arguing that in some criminal cases, defendants should be allowed to blame the victim. Law professor Vera Bergelson outlines her approach in a book called Victims’ Rights and Victims’ Wrongs, according to a press release. “Considerations…

Sep 11, 2009 4:28 PM CDT

Law Prof Charged with Tax Evasion, Claims Severe ADD, Prosecutors Say

An associate law professor at Hamline University who apparently practiced tax law while in private practice has been accused of tax evasion. Prosecutors claim law professor Robin Magee, an expert in criminal law, didn’t file her state tax returns for 2004 through 2006 until this year, never filed for 2007,…

Sep 10, 2009 12:42 PM CDT

University of New Mexico No. 1 on List of Top Law Schools for Hispanics

The University of New Mexico School of Law awards 30 percent of its degrees to Hispanics and has a law faculty that is 23 percent Hispanic, earning the school first place on a list of top law schools for Hispanics. Diversity at the law school “has developed organically from surrounding…

Sep 9, 2009 12:52 PM CDT

UCLA Law Dean Michael Schill to Take Helm at U of Chicago Law School

Michael Schill has announced that he will resign as dean of the law school at the University of California at Los Angeles in order to accept a new job as dean of the University of Chicago Law School. His resignation will take effect at the end of the calendar year,…

Sep 8, 2009 7:02 PM CDT

Berkeley Profs Team Up to Launch New Cyberlaw Cases Blog

Two academics at the University of California at Berkeley are teaming up to launch a new law blog that will feature what they consider the top 10 pending cases in the United States concerning Internet, software and database issues. Their Cyberlaw Cases blog will be unique says Jason Schultz in…

Sep 3, 2009 10:52 PM CDT

ABA Should Publish Better Job Info for Naive Law Students, Prof Says

Some critics say the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar accredits too many law schools, producing more graduates than there are good jobs available. Indiana University law professor William Henderson notes antitrust problems with slashing accreditation, and offers a different suggestion: The ABA should publish detailed…

Sep 3, 2009 3:36 PM CDT

Ex-Gov Sptitzer Lines Up New Gig as Adjunct College Prof

Forced to resign from office as New York governor last year after he became embroiled in a prostitution scandal, former state attorney general Eliot Spitzer has lined up a new side gig. He is teaching a once-a-week law and policy course as an adjunct political science professor at City College…

Sep 2, 2009 10:30 PM CDT

Law Prof Recalls Ted Kennedy as Average on Paper, Good on His Feet

A law professor who had taught Ted Kennedy at the University of Virginia remembers him as better at oral advocacy than written tests. Law professor Mortimer Caplin taught both Ted Kennedy and his brother Robert, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Ted “was kind of an average paper student, but he was…

Aug 27, 2009 2:04 PM CDT

Former Prof Arrested, Accused of Taking 2 Guns, 53 Rounds Into Law Library

A former adjunct faculty member at the University of Louisville’s law school was arrested Friday after allegedly bringing two handguns and 53 rounds of ammunition into the law school library around 8:30 a.m. Police were initially called about Thomas Irwin, 56, because a library employee who recognized him knew that…

Aug 26, 2009 8:13 PM CDT

Where Are They Now? Ex-ABA Leaders Grey and Stein Take on New Roles

Two former ABA leaders are taking on leadership roles in organizations promoting a better legal profession and improved laws. Former ABA President Robert J. Grey Jr. has been appointed interim executive director of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, formed in May to promote diversity in the legal profession, according…

Aug 26, 2009 6:33 PM CDT

Were John Yoo and Jay Bybee Duped into Approving Waterboarding?

CIA medical personnel later objected to a description of the safety of waterboarding contained in a report sent to Justice Department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee. The suspect report formed the basis for a legal memo approving waterboarding of terrorism suspects, the Washington Independent reports. The Office of Medical…

Aug 26, 2009 12:37 PM CDT

News Flash to Law Students: If You Get a Summer Job Offer, Accept Now!

Amidst the worst legal market in the memory of many practicing attorneys, a Northwestern University School of Law career services official offers some advice to law students. Those lucky enough to land an offer for a summer associate job in 2010 at the beginning of the BigLaw on-campus interview season…

Aug 25, 2009 11:26 PM CDT

Founding Dean of Ave Maria Resigns, But Remains Active

After being on medical leave for more than a year, the founding dean of Ave Maria School of Law has stepped down. President Bernard Dobranski has resigned, the law school announced today, and acting dean Eugene Milhizer will now be acting president as well, reports the News-Press of South Florida.…

Aug 21, 2009 5:42 PM CDT

Would-Be Law Prof Sues for Age Bias, Asks Why Schools Don’t Value Experience

Updated: A Michigan lawyer who didn’t get an interview for a faculty job at the University of Iowa has sued for age discrimination. Immigration lawyer Donald Dobkin says he was 55 when he responded to a law school ad last year seeking teachers with experience in administrative law, immigration and…

Aug 21, 2009 12:22 PM CDT