Alito Defends Citizens United, Says Opponents’ Bumper Stickers Are Pithy but Misguided

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. says opponents of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision have waged a successful public relations campaign, even if their point is misguided. Opponents have targeted Citizens United for its holding that corporations have a First Amendment right to expressly support political candidates with independent spending.…

Nov 19, 2012 2:35 PM CST

Foundation’s Forgivable Loans to U of Texas Law Profs Draw Fire; Former Dean Got $500K

A program of forgivable loans used to supplement the salaries of some law professors at the University of Texas and a former law dean lacks transparency and should be ended, the general counsel for the UT System and the state attorney general’s office have recommended. Although legal, the loans, which…

Nov 15, 2012 6:42 PM CST

Judge Dismisses Alumni Lawsuits Against Two Chicago Law Schools

A judge has dismissed class-action lawsuits against two Chicago law schools by graduates who alleged that they were tricked into attending by the schools’ misleading post-graduation job prospects. Cook County, Ill., Circuit Judge Mary Mikva, in a pair of rulings Friday, threw out the alumni suits against John Marshall Law…

Nov 12, 2012 9:02 PM CST

Nine-Month Job Stats Don’t Measure Value of Law Degree, Retiring Dean Says

The news media is underestimating the value of a law degree, according to America’s longest-serving law dean. You can’t measure the value of a law degree by your job at graduation, or even your job nine months later, according to Rudy Hasl, who will retire in June as dean of…

Nov 7, 2012 11:59 AM CST

Law School by the Numbers: 300K Additional Law Grads by 2020; 73K New Jobs Forecast for Decade

The numbers illustrate the problems for law grads. The Washington Post does the math in a story that contrasts a “dirt cheap” law school with another that is the second priciest in the country. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 73,600 new lawyer jobs from 2010 to 2020. But…

Nov 5, 2012 10:29 AM CST

Law Schools Opt for Downtown Locations Closer to the Legal Action

It’s become something of a trend: Law schools are moving to downtown locations where they are closer to courts and businesses. The Oklahoma City University School of Law is the latest to opt for a move, the National Law Journal reports. It will relocate to a former high school building…

Nov 1, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

No Will, But a Way: Law Prof and Students Launch African Probate & Policy Initiative

Nov 1, 2012 9:20 AM CDT

A Debate on the Future of Legal Ed Breaks Down to the Real Versus the Ideal

Nov 1, 2012 7:30 AM CDT

Some Law Firms and Courts in Storm-Ravaged Areas Remain Closed

Some law firms, law schools and courts in areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy planned to be closed again on Wednesday. K&L Gates in Newark, N.J., has closed its 44-lawyer office indefinitely, the National Law Journal reports. The office is located in an area where transportation is difficult because of…

Oct 31, 2012 11:41 AM CDT

Duncan School of Law Drops Lawsuit Against ABA Over Accreditation Denial

Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law has dropped its federal antitrust suit against the ABA over the denial of its bid for provisional accreditation. The school, which has also withdrawn its appeal of a decision before an ABA appeals panel affirming the denial of its application, will file a…

Oct 30, 2012 8:51 PM CDT

Law School Says Lead Plaintiff in Job Stats Suit Against It Turned Down a Full-Time Law Firm Job

A California woman who says she can’t find work as a lawyer and is suing the law school she graduated from turned down a $60,000-a-year job from a Southern California law firm shortly after graduation, Thomas Jefferson School of Law says in a court filing. Anna Alaburda, the lead plaintiff…

Oct 30, 2012 2:00 PM CDT

Unable to Find Public Interest Jobs, Some Harvard Law Students Settle for BigLaw

Harvard law student Adelaide Pagano turned down a summer associate position at a Boston law firm because she wanted a job in the public sector. She is still looking. The Harvard Crimson profiles Pagano’s plight and the difficulties Harvard law students face as they pursue public interest jobs. “Public service…

Oct 29, 2012 2:32 PM CDT

Several Law Schools Announce Hurricane Sandy Closings

Law students at schools in many cities bracing for Hurricane Sandy will have the day off on Monday. Among the law schools that have announced closings are Georgetown, George Washington University, New York University, New York, Columbia, Rutgers at Newark and Camden, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Yale. George…

Oct 29, 2012 12:25 PM CDT

Scalia’s Advice to Law Students: Take Bread-and-Butter Classes, Not ‘Law and Women’

Law students have just one chance to learn the basics, so they should avoid “frill courses,” Justice Antonin Scalia said on Thursday. Scalia spoke at the University of Wyoming after a hunting trip in which he did not bag any antelope, the Associated Press reports. Previous coverage said Scalia planned…

Oct 26, 2012 2:20 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: ‘Financial Literacy’ at NYU Law; A 10th Law School in Illinois?

Redefining the Basics Last week, New York University Law School announced plans to remake its curriculum. This week at the New York Times’ Dealbook blog, University of Colorado Law School professor Victor Fleischer and Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports took note of NYU’s new mandatory financial literacy course for first-years.…

Oct 26, 2012 1:30 PM CDT