Law Schools

UnitedLex partners with law schools to give new grads work experience

The concept of a residency program for law school grads is far from new, but one legal services provider is turning concept into reality. UnitedLex—a legal services outsourcing firm with 22 centers of operation worldwide, including North America, the United Kingdom, Israel and India—is supporting a legal residency program at…

Feb 1, 2016 1:10 AM CST

Proposal to lift ban on academic credit for paid externships draws heavy opposition

A proposed change in the law school accreditation standards that would lift the ban on students receiving academic credit for paid externships has drawn a lot of comment—and much of the comment is in opposition to lifting the ban. Under the current standards, law students are barred from receiving both…

Jan 29, 2016 4:15 PM CST

Profession at a crossroads: Will lawyers lead, follow or get out of the way?

In October, I wrote about Richard and Daniel Susskind’s new book, The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts. The Susskinds will be visiting the U.S. (Cambridge and New York City) in a few weeks, so I thought it would be worth a little…

Jan 28, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Revised outlook for growth in lawyer jobs is glum

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released a glum jobs outlook for lawyers that is less optimistic than its forecast in 2014. The Bureau estimates the number of lawyer positions will increase by just 43,800 jobs in the period between 2014 and 2024, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) reports.…

Jan 28, 2016 8:29 AM CST

These top-ranked law schools have cut 1L class sizes by more than 25%

Even top-rated law schools are seeing smaller class sizes after a drop in applications. Although admittances at top-tier schools have risen by a median 7 percent since 2011, Bloomberg Business reports, first-year class sizes have dropped by a median of 5 percent at the nation’s top 20-ranked law schools over…

Jan 28, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Outsourcing company will open office in law school library

Suffolk University Law School has found a use for some unused space in its law library. Legal outsourcing company Integreon will create an office there and pay students to work on projects such as due-diligence, e-discovery and document review, contract review and legal spending analytics, according to a story by…

Jan 27, 2016 6:15 AM CST

Harvard closes probe into defaced portraits of black law profs

The Harvard University Police Department has been unable to identify the perpetrator who defaced the portraits of black law professors with tape. The police department closed its probe without identifying a suspect or motive, police spokesman Steven Catalano told the Boston Globe and the Harvard Crimson. The law school is…

Jan 26, 2016 11:21 AM CST

Former law librarian sues Texas school, alleging racial, gender discrimination

A former law librarian at South Texas College of Law is suing the Houston school for alleged racial and gender discrimination. Joseph Kelly Plumbar, who is black, claims that three white co-workers created a hostile work environment and eventually forced him out of his job, the National Law Journal reports.…

Jan 25, 2016 3:20 PM CST

LSAT profiles of current law students signal more troubles ahead; has low point been reached?

The decline in bar-exam scores and bar-pass rates is likely to continue through 2018, given the LSAT profiles of current law students, according to a law professor who has examined the data. However, a turnaround could be ahead for those graduating after that date, says Jerry Organ, a law professor…

Jan 25, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Charleston School of Law launches new spring admissions program

Charleston School of Law in South Carolina has launched a new admissions program that allows students to begin classes in the spring and graduate in 2½ years. The new program, one of only a few such programs in the country, distinguishes the school as an “innovator” in legal education, Dean…

Jan 22, 2016 1:55 PM CST

Lawyers no longer dominate Congress; is commercialization of profession to blame?

Lawyers once dominated Congress, but they are being “squeezed out” today by those who have made politics a career, according to a new research paper. In the mid-19th century, nearly 80 percent of members of Congress were lawyers, according to the paper (available here). The percentage fell to less than…

Jan 20, 2016 8:06 AM CST

More than 25% of law students have had psychiatric and substance-use disorders; are they hiding it?

A significant number of law students are struggling with mental health and substance use issues, yet they are reluctant to seek help, according to a survey published last month. More than a quarter of surveyed law students said they had been diagnosed at some point for depression, anxiety, eating disorders,…

Jan 12, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Former clinical law prof is disbarred after apparently ignoring ethics probe

A former clinical law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law has been disbarred after failing to cooperate in an investigation into his alleged abandonment of cases at the school’s employment law clinic. New York’s appellate division, first department, disbarred Michael L. Silverman in a Jan. 5 opinion,…

Jan 11, 2016 8:57 AM CST

Texas governor opposes plan to deny CLE credit for program on Christian ethical perspectives

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is accusing the state bar of religious discrimination for a decision to deny continuing legal education credit to a program on faith and law. The State Bar of Texas notified St. Mary’s University School of Law in November that it would no longer give lawyers CLE…

Jan 8, 2016 7:13 AM CST

Judge refuses to toss suit over law school’s employment stats; trial is set for March

A California judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that Thomas Jefferson School of Law inflated its employment statistics. In a Dec. 28 decision (PDF), Judge Joel Pressman of San Diego allowed the students’ claims and set a March trial date, Above the Law reports. “Never before has a…

Jan 7, 2016 9:53 AM CST