New Mexico Law School Dean Nominated to Head Bureau of Indian Affairs

Kevin Washburn, dean of the University of New Mexico Law School, was recently nominated to head the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. A member of Oklahoma’s Chickasaw Nation, the Associated Press reports, Washburn has led the law school since 2009. If the nomination is confirmed, Washburn will replace Larry Echo…

Aug 7, 2012 4:26 PM CDT

Outgoing ABA President Emphasizes Commitment to Young Lawyers

Corrected: Outgoing ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III emphasized the association’s commitment to law students and young lawyers in a speech to the ABA House of Delegates Monday morning. Robinson said a newly created ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education will make recommendations in the next…

Aug 6, 2012 5:41 PM CDT

No Fudging: Revised Standard Bars Law Schools from Publishing Misleading Consumer Info

Law schools must disclose more consumer information on their websites under changes to accreditation standards concurred in by the ABA House of Delegates Monday. The changes to so-called “Standard 509” require all consumer information released by law schools to be complete, accurate and not misleading. Penalties can be imposed for…

Aug 6, 2012 4:46 PM CDT

Sunstein to Exit Job as White House Regulatory Czar, Return to Harvard Law School

After three years as so-called regulatory czar, Cass R. Sunstein will be leaving his powerful White House post at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to return to Harvard Law School, where he taught prior to joining the Obama administration. A friend of the president’s from the days when…

Aug 6, 2012 10:21 AM CDT

Ex-Student Pleads in Law School Break-In; State Says He Tried to Intercept Transcript Request

A former law student at the University of Virginia has taken a plea in what authorities described as a registrar’s office surveillance camera scheme intended to intercept a law firm’s request for his transcript. Joshua Peter Gomes pleaded guilty on Friday to a reduced charge of unarmed robbery, reports the…

Aug 6, 2012 10:01 AM CDT

Law School Curricula Are Changing, Survey Shows

Today’s law school curriculum looks nothing like the one you probably had when you went to law school 10, 20 or 30 years ago, a new survey shows. Law schools have dramatically increased all aspects of skills instruction–including clinical, simulation and externships–in the wake of a 2004 change in law…

Aug 4, 2012 7:30 PM CDT

Legal Ed Section’s Council Votes Not to Accredit Foreign Law Schools

The governing council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has decided not to get involved in the business of accrediting foreign law schools. The council, which met Friday during the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago, voted 15-0, with two abstentions, not to begin accrediting…

Aug 3, 2012 10:29 PM CDT

First Class Is on Verge of Beginning Studies at Concordia U Law School

At least 71 students and perhaps as many as 75 are about to begin their studies at the new Concordia University School of Law in Boise, Idaho, which is opening its doors to its first class this month. Each will have a judge or lawyer assigned as a mentor, reports…

Aug 3, 2012 11:44 AM CDT

If You Think You Won’t Succeed, You Probably Won’t, Panelists Say

If someone thinks they won’t succeed, partly because of stereotypes, that notion will harm performance, says Steven Spencer, a psychology professor at the University of Waterloo, whose work focuses on motivation and the self. The Ontario, Canada, professor discussed his research at an event Thursday sponsored by the ABA’s Council…

Aug 2, 2012 6:56 PM CDT

Law Prof Outlines Four Things Baby Boomers Should Never Say to Millennials

Baby boomers are full of advice for the younger generation. Some of it is just plain misguided, according to a law professor who blogs at Inside the Law School Scam. Writing at Salon, University of Colorado law professor Paul Campos tells baby boomers to nix these pronouncements: 1) Education is…

Aug 1, 2012 12:53 PM CDT

Today’s Law Students Shun Human Interaction, Choose Convenience over Self-Denial, Prof Says

Generation after generation is faced with same complaint: Your elders worked harder, faced more hardship and conquered greater obstacles. Now the former academic dean at SUNY Buffalo Law School is airing his beefs about the younger generation in blog posts about how current law students differ from their predecessors. According…

Aug 1, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

To Teach or Not to Teach: Adjunct Work Can Come with a Hefty Price

Aug 1, 2012 7:00 AM CDT

Harvard to Help Qatar Foundation Open a Law School in Doha

The Institute for Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School is assisting with a plan by the Qatar Foundation to establish a law school at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Doha, reports the National Law Journal. “At the heart of this cooperation is Qatar Foundation’s vision to establish a…

Jul 30, 2012 9:47 PM CDT

Law Schools Willing to Negotiate Scholarships; Illinois Gives Aid to Every New Student

Tuition at public law schools has risen by about 1,000 percent since 1985, when the average in-state was $2,000. As law schools compete for fewer students this year, they aren’t dropping tuition, however. Instead, the schools are negotiating scholarships and considering applications past the deadline, the Wall Street Journal (sub.…

Jul 30, 2012 12:01 PM CDT

Several Top Law Schools Are Still Accepting Applications for Fall 2012

Several of the top 50 law schools are still accepting applications for the fall 2012 class, though the numbers vary based on the person who is asking. At first glance, 28 of the top 50 schools were still accepting applications as of July 24, as many as four to six…

Jul 26, 2012 4:10 PM CDT