Law Schools

Putting ‘A’ on Law School Cookies Poses Problem for Alabama Bakery, Cease-and-Desist Letter Says

It isn’t clear that Mary Cesar did anything wrong by filling an order from the University of Alabama School of Law for 10 dozen cookies decorated with the letter A, for consumption at a reception for recent graduates. But after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from an Atlanta, Ga., company that…

Aug 23, 2012 6:36 PM CDT

Has Student Loan Debt Impeded Your Romantic Relationships?

Marriage is a union of love–and frequently, of finances. So when you’re saddled with student loan debt, it could give your potential partners cold feet. NPR spoke with a woman who was dumped for just that reason. “I was really floored at the time, because I just didn’t consider that…

Aug 22, 2012 8:07 PM CDT

Law Prof’s Ideal, Affordable Law School Not Possible in Reality, Chemerinsky Says

“If you are not going to law school … what is your alternative path?” asks Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law. “And in purely economic terms, is it better than law school? … It’s not just monetary … There are all sorts of…

Aug 22, 2012 2:39 PM CDT

NY Judge Appears Skeptical of Fraud Claim Against Brooklyn Law School over Jobs Data

A New York judge appeared skeptical of fraud claims against Brooklyn Law School during a hearing Tuesday on a motion to dismiss. Judge David Schmidt of Kings County, N.Y., had “pointed questions” for lawyers on both sides, but seemed “deeply skeptical” of plaintiffs’ claims that the school’s jobs data amounted…

Aug 22, 2012 12:49 PM CDT

Tuition and Fees at Private Law Schools Break $40K Mark, on Average

Tuition and fees at law schools continue to increase, topping $40,000 on average this year at private law schools, according to an examination of published rates. The National Law Journal did the analysis and found that tuition and fees are outpacing inflation at both private and public law schools this…

Aug 20, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Arizona Couple to Pursue Harvard Law Degrees Together

High school sweethearts Ron and Sarah Gonski made a pact: They’d study for the LSAT together, apply to law schools across the country and choose the one that accepted them both. Now this fall, the couple will start classes at Harvard, their first choice. The Gonskis’ path to law school…

Aug 16, 2012 11:32 AM CDT

Elon Law School to Open Elder Law Clinic

Elon University School of Law announced this week that it plans to open a student-staffed Elder Law Clinic this fall and will begin reviewing cases Wednesday. The clinic will provide free legal counsel to low and moderate-income area residents aged 60 and over, according to a post on the North…

Aug 15, 2012 3:55 PM CDT

Drexel Law Prof to Use $500K Grant to Expand LawMeets, an Online Lawyering Skills Platform

Law students looking for real-world experience negotiating deals and counseling clients have a virtual sandbox thanks to a Drexel law professor whose innovative start-up has won backing from the National Science Foundation. At the end of July, the NSF awarded Prof. Karl Okamoto $500,000 to expand his Web-based LawMeets, which…

Aug 14, 2012 12:44 PM CDT

PI Attorney Plans to Do SLU Law Dean’s Job for a Year, Plus His Own Law Practice

Thomas Q. “Tom” Keefe Jr. was already hard at work running his his Belleville, Ill., personal injury and criminal defense law firm. But amidst a week of turmoil at Saint Louis University School of Law, where the law dean suddenly announced her resignation in an angry letter, came further surprising…

Aug 13, 2012 5:14 PM CDT

Oregon Chief District Judge Blasts High Cost of Legal Ed

The chief judge for the U.S. District Court of Oregon, used some opinion space to criticize higher education, especially law schools, for saddling graduates with oppressive debt. Details of a March 5 opinion by U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken were reported in an article following up on an Oregonian series…

Aug 13, 2012 2:49 PM CDT

ABA Task Force to Study Future of Legal Education

The ABA has created a task force to study the future of legal education. The 18-member Task Force on the Future of Legal Education will spend the next two years examining how well law schools are meeting the needs of the legal profession, according to a recent press release. Outgoing…

Aug 9, 2012 9:17 PM CDT

Law Schools That Misreported Student Debt Figures to ABA, US News Are Identified

We now know the names of three of the law schools that misreported average student debt figures to the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar and to U.S. News & World Report. The three schools—identified in this Wall Street Journal Law Blog posting—are Barry University School…

Aug 9, 2012 8:36 PM CDT

Law Schools Could Be Admitting 80 Percent of Their Applicants This Fall, Statistics Suggest

If you are an aspiring law student with low grades and scores on the Law School Admission Test, this could be your year. University of St. Thomas law professor Jerry Organ explains why in a post at the Legal Whiteboard that chronicles declining enrollments from 2010 to 2011, along with…

Aug 9, 2012 12:45 PM CDT

Turmoil at SLU: Law Dean Resigns, Cites Funding Issues, ‘Hostility,’ Prez Says She Was to Be Fired

Updated: The dean of St. Louis University’s law school has resigned after a year on the job and plans to return to teaching as a tenured faculty member. In a Wednesday resignation letter, Annette Clark stepped down from the job, effective immediately, and brings up multiple issues with the SLU’s…

Aug 8, 2012 7:47 PM CDT

6th Circuit Rules Tenure Didn’t Protect Fired Cooley Law Prof, Cites One-Year Contract Term

A federal appeals court has ruled against a tenured law professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School who claimed she was improperly fired. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the former professor, Lynn Branham, on Monday, report the National Law Journal and TaxProf Blog. Even…

Aug 8, 2012 1:49 PM CDT