Law Professors

‘Unrealistic Goal’ Helped Ex-Inmate Journey from Prison Cell to Yale Law

Andres Idarraga’s future didn’t look promising when his drug-dealing caught up with him and he was sentenced to a 14-year term in a Rhode Island prison. He was about 20 years old and had never graduated from high school. But he began spending all his free time in the prison…

Sep 11, 2008 11:46 PM CDT

More Law Schools Hiring Professor Power Couples

For several law schools, the hiring of law professors has become a package deal. As the number of law professor couples increases and the competition for top faculty becomes more intense, several law schools are hiring both spouses, the National Law Journal reports. The legal newspaper says these law school…

Sep 11, 2008 1:32 PM CDT

Law Profs’ Campaign Contributions Overwhelmingly Favor Democrats

Law professors have donated more than $1 million to the political parties and the presidential candidates, with more than 90 percent of the money flowing into Democratic coffers. Law profs donated $623,472 to the parties, and almost 93 percent of it went to Democrats, TaxProf Blog reports, using figures from…

Sep 10, 2008 1:41 PM CDT

Will Calif. Supreme Court Provide Bar Data for Controversial Study?

Seeking to pursue a controversial study about the effectiveness of law school affirmative action programs, researchers have sued the State Bar of California for access to 30 years of examination records. They are now asking the state supreme court to compel the bar association to turn over the bar exam…

Sep 8, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Foley Hoag, Law Profs Represent Georgia in World Court Hearing

Foley Hoag and two law professors are representing the Republic of Georgia in an emergency hearing before the International Court of Justice. The hearing set to begin Sept. 8 claims Russian forces and Russian-supported separatist militias engaged in ethnic cleansing against Georgians, according to a Foley Hoag press release e-mailed…

Sep 3, 2008 2:09 PM CDT

Bankruptcy Filers Play Catch Up for at Least a Dozen Years

Individuals who file for bankruptcy are at a disadvantage for a dozen years in terms of savings and even longer in terms of net worth and home ownership, according to a study by a law professor and research scientist. The study found that bankruptcy filers were more likely to be…

Aug 27, 2008 3:46 PM CDT

Off-Label Drugs Will Be Next Enforcement Focus, Law Prof Predicts

Every year, when Dallas attorney Steve Kardell kicks off the corporate compliance and governance class he teaches at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, he starts by predicting the subject of the next wave of company scandals. Last year, he pointed to subprime lending. The year before, it was…

Aug 27, 2008 3:39 PM CDT

Does Lack of Chutzpah Account for Dearth of Articles by Female Law Profs?

The top law reviews are printing fewer articles by women than men, according to a study by a Brooklyn Law School professor. She says the reason may be gender bias, a suggestion that is provoking some debate among bloggers. Professor Minna Kotkin analyzed articles in the top 15 law reviews…

Aug 21, 2008 2:47 PM CDT

AALS Moves Seminars Due to Profs’ Protest About Hotel Owner’s Views

To avoid a threatened boycott, the Association of American Law Schools won’t hold its annual meeting seminars at a hotel owned by a gay-marriage opponent. The AALS says in a statement that it will abide by its contract to reserve hotel rooms at the Manchester Grand Hyatt but it won’t…

Aug 19, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Law Profs Threaten Boycott of Meeting Due to Hotel Owner’s Views

Updated: Four groups representing law professors and legal writing professionals are threatening to boycott the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools because of the views of the man who owns the hotel where the meeting may take place. The meeting is slated to be held in January…

Aug 5, 2008 2:19 PM CDT

Law Librarian’s Beef: High-Tech Law Students Do ‘Wal-Mart’-Style Research

The law library director for Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law says law students today are more impatient and less likely to take the time to find complete answers to legal questions. DeCarlous Spearman talked about her observations in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. “Students now want…

Aug 4, 2008 6:03 PM CDT

Professor Obama’s Exam Questions Revealed, But Not Revealing

Recent law exam questions and model answers written by Barack Obama when he was a professor touch on hot-button issues of the day, but are so even-handed as to be “simultaneously impressive and maddening,” columnist Ruth Marcus writes. The questions were posted alongside a New York Times article on Obama’s…

Aug 1, 2008 2:16 PM CDT

Obama Was Popular Law Prof Who Didn’t Publish or Take Tenure

Barack Obama refined his public speaking style and his beliefs during his 12 years teaching law at the University of Chicago. But he did not publish any legal scholarship, and he did not accept a tenured position, the New York Times reports. His critics view the lack of scholarship as…

Jul 30, 2008 6:15 PM CDT

Internet Lawyer By Day, Law Prof By Night

Adam Palmer’s day job is working as policy counsel for .ORG, a public interest Internet domain registry based in Reston, Va. But his avocation is protecting children from Internet predators, and he travels around the world teaching other attorneys how to prosecute such cases. That’s why he volunteered to teach…

Jul 29, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Fall Classes May Be Ditched at Troubled Kentucky Law School

Updated: The construction schedule for a new, expanded library will determine whether fall classes will be held at the troubled Barkley School of Law in Paducah, Ky. School spokesman Ray Lane told the Paducah Sun that classes will be canceled if the new $5 million library and the renovation of…

Jul 28, 2008 12:31 PM CDT