Law Schools

Harvard Law Interns Aiding Death-Row Inmate Detained by Sheriff, Suit Says

Two Harvard law students working as legal interns on behalf of a Texas death-row inmate were stopped by sheriff’s deputies and ticketed for criminal trespassing after they tried to interview a corrections officer at home, a lawsuit alleges. The students, who were interning with the Texas Defender Service during their…

Feb 24, 2009 2:57 PM CST

Tinkering With DWI Evidence Costs NY Judge and Law Prof Their Jobs

Asked by a friend who is a lawyer to write a statement saying that she wasn’t drunk when she left a bar, New York Supreme Court Justice Joseph Makowski reportedly did so. Now the 55-year-old jurist is recanting the statement and resigning from his $136,700-a-year job. And the lawyer he…

Feb 23, 2009 6:33 PM CST

Large Firms Didn’t Cut Back on Hiring Law Grads Last Year

Large law firms didn’t trim hiring from top law schools last year, bringing aboard the same percentage of grads as the year before. Almost 55 percent of students graduating from the top 20 feeder schools for large firms accepted associate jobs last year, about the same percentage as the prior…

Feb 23, 2009 2:48 PM CST

Petition Protests Choice of Mukasey as Speaker at UNC Law Graduation

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey is one again facing protests over his selection as a commencement speaker at a law school. The latest flap is taking place at the University of North Carolina’s law school, where the UNC Student Bar Association chose Mukasey as a speaker, the Daily Tar Heel…

Feb 23, 2009 1:30 PM CST

Infamous Va. Law Student Parties Can Make It Hard to Find a Venue

In some cases, claimed misbehavior by University of Virginia law students was pretty minor. But due to some reputed hearty partying by lawyers-to-be there over the years, law student organizations aren’t always welcome guests when it comes time to book events at local hotels, reports the Virginia Law Weekly in…

Feb 20, 2009 8:21 PM CST

Advocacy Group for Blind Sues Law School Admissions Council

Updated: The National Federation of the Blind filed suit today against the Law School Admissions Council, contending that the LSAC discriminates against those with disabilities because its website and test preparation materials aren’t properly coded to be accessible to visually impaired individuals who use screen-reader programs. The PR Newswire press…

Feb 20, 2009 1:59 AM CST

Should Ethics Be Considered in US News Law School Rankings?

Those in charge of one of the most-watched law school rankings lists are considering an unusual change in their criteria. A “very preliminary idea” of including some sort of ethics measure when compiling the annual list of the nation’s best law schools is being considered by U.S. News & World…

Feb 20, 2009 1:26 AM CST

New UC Law School at Irvine is Ranked in Top 10, Based on Faculty

A new law school at the Irvine campus of the University of California doesn’t even have any students in attendance yet. But it has tied with the University of Pennsylvania for the final spot in a top-10 list published today by Brian Leiter’s Law School Rankings, based on the faculty’s…

Feb 19, 2009 9:27 PM CST

Chemerinsky Invites Editorial Writer to Constitutional Debate

Don’t rile the dean of the new law school at the University of California-Irvine; he may challenge you to a debate. Erwin Chemerinsky extended his latest debate invitation in a letter to the Wall Street Journal responding to a critical editorial, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports. The editorial…

Feb 19, 2009 3:54 PM CST

Wisconsin is Still a Relatively Hot Hiring Market for Lawyers at All Levels

Wisconsin isn’t the first place many might think of when planning a job search. But the state’s legal job market is more stable than many and, while it is slower than it was, still offers opportunities for law students, reports the Wisconsin Bar Journal. That is also good news for…

Feb 18, 2009 8:29 PM CST

Prof. Tribe Hints He’s Available for DC Gig

Harvard Law School Professor Laurence Tribe began his speech accepting the American Bar Foundation’s Outstanding Scholar Award on Saturday night cloaked in an air of valedictory. But that quickly gave way to a peek into his hypothetical future. He reflected on recently starting his latest class in constitutional law, which…

Feb 15, 2009 1:47 PM CST

Law Professors Begin Feeling Economic Pinch

The budget crisis is affecting law school budgets—and the professors and administrators who work there. Some law professors and administrators are facing unpaid leave or frozen paychecks as schools grapple with reduced budgets, according to TaxProf Blog and the National Law Journal. Other schools have implemented hiring freezes and warned…

Feb 13, 2009 5:39 PM CST

Kagan Says She Would Have Defended Military Recruiter Law as SG

Solicitor General nominee Elena Kagan said at her confirmation hearing yesterday that she would have defended a law requiring universities receiving federal funding to accept military recruiters. Kagan, the dean of Harvard Law School, had signed a Supreme Court amicus brief that opposed the law. She and other signers objected…

Feb 11, 2009 11:58 AM CST

‘Grandpa’ Graduates, at 88, from Thai Law School

After 12 years of study, a retired veterinarian in Thailand has earned his law degree, at age 88. A special graduation ceremony was held for Sa-nguan Sunthornwong, who is affectionately known as “Grandfather” to his classmates, reports the Bangkok Post. He had hoped to attend the regular ceremony on Jan.…

Feb 9, 2009 7:51 PM CST

Law Prof Files Retaliation Suit Against Florida Law School

A former law professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law has filed a race and sex discrimination suit against the school. Sherrie Russell-Brown, an African-American, claims in the lawsuit that her problems began after she complained about discrimination at the school, the National Law Journal reports. Russell-Brown…

Feb 9, 2009 1:15 PM CST