Law Schools

CUNY Law Program Encourages Grads to Return to the Hood

The City University of New York law school is encouraging graduates to hang their shingles in underserved communities with an 18-month training program on how to run a law practice. The sessions, financed by the school and the state, cover how to find clients, keep financial records, and hire and…

Jan 9, 2008 2:19 PM CST

Attorney Avatars Create Virtual Bar, Virtual Law & Virtual CLE Courses

In many ways, it looked like a standard bar association meeting. But the woman clad in an orange tutu and thigh-high black stockings offered one clue that the attorneys attending the Oct. 20, 2007 meeting in the Second Life Bar Association’s conference room were actually avatars—animated characters created to represent…

Jan 8, 2008 8:29 PM CST

Big Salaries Linked to Big-Name Law Schools; Small Pay Is Larger Reality

Graduates of 58 law schools make average starting salaries of $60,000 or less, a fact ignored by many of the stories touting $160,000 starting salaries at big law firms. Instead, the reality is that there are two classes of law grads, the National Jurist reports: those who earn the big…

Jan 8, 2008 2:39 PM CST

Iowa Law’s Career Office is Making House Calls

For University of Iowa College of Law grads who are at a standstill, not quite sure what to do next, expect a house call. UI law school officials have begun an innovative new program in which a college rep travels across Iowa or across the country to meet face-to-face with…

Jan 3, 2008 10:10 PM CST

Study: ‘Millennials’ More Collaborative, Private Law Schools More Challenging

So-called millennial students who have opted for law school continue to be more collaborative, social and engaged in resumé-boosting activities than older students, a new study released today reveals. Older students, however, reported doing more to prepare for class and participate in classroom discussions. The 2007 Law School Survey of…

Jan 3, 2008 7:20 PM CST

Md. 3L Produces Net Hit: ‘Law School Musical’ (Video)

Now a third-year law student at the University of Maryland, Owen Jarvis faced a “drastic” shift in expectations when he first entered law school. But instead of dropping out, Jarvis channeled his frustrations into his computer, writing a song and producing an illustrated YouTube video titled “Law School Musical,” the…

Jan 3, 2008 12:01 AM CST

Why U.S. News Rankings May Mislead

Potential law students who want a job at a top law firm shouldn’t blindly follow the rankings of U.S. News & World Report. Students who attend a top-tier law school are likely to get interviews at any law firm they desire, according to a Wall Street Journal op-ed (sub. req.)…

Jan 2, 2008 1:51 PM CST

Former Michigan Law Prof Fights Alleged Gay Bias

A cutting-edge breach-of-contract case brought by a former law professor denied tenure at the University of Michigan could have an impact on gay bias claims and education law nationwide, depending on its outcome. Because there is no law in Michigan protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,…

Dec 20, 2007 8:09 PM CST

November a Big Month for Law School Lawsuits

In the last month alone, law students have filed at least four lawsuits against their schools, prompting the National Law Journal to question the reason for the flurry of litigation. David Van Zandt, dean of Northwestern University School of Law and president of the American Law Deans Association, said the…

Dec 18, 2007 2:12 PM CST

Top French Attorneys Need US or U.K. Legal Degree

To get a top job at a law firm in France, a law degree from a well-regarded American or British law school is virtually required. That’s because France has no law school viewed as first-rank, so BigLaw firms looking for French lawyers view the foreign law degree as a virtual…

Dec 14, 2007 4:32 PM CST

$25M Gift to Indiana U’s Law School

A $25 million gift for legal education has been made to the Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington by the Lilly Endowment. It is reportedly the largest gift the law school has ever received. It will be used “for an initiative to attract and retain exceptional teachers and scholars…

Dec 12, 2007 10:11 PM CST

Law Prof to Would-Be Supreme Ct. Clerks: Keep Trying

Being a stellar law student isn’t all it takes to win a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship. Perseverance is almost as important as the prerequisite U.S. Court of Appeals clerkship, a law prof who’s been there told students at a recent Harvard Law School meeting. Even if the first application or…

Dec 7, 2007 9:25 PM CST

No Jail Time for Loyola Law Prof Who Helped Client Find Counsel

A Louisiana appeals court has overturned a contempt finding by a state judge that would have required a law professor working with the Orleans Parish public defender’s office in New Orleans to serve a brief jail term and take a legal ethics course. Steve Singer, who is on leave from…

Dec 5, 2007 7:35 PM CST

Hackers Hit Duke Law School Site

Computer hackers broke into a website at Duke University School of Law, and may have stolen social security numbers and other confidential information for as many as 1,400 or more prospective and actual applicants. The security breach is still being investigated, but a law school spokeswoman says officials “have some…

Dec 5, 2007 5:30 PM CST

Loyola Law Grad Irked by Katrina Accommodation Loses Suit

A New Orleans federal judge has tossed a lawsuit by a Loyola University New Orleans law grad who sought the refund of tuition that enabled him to receive free classes at another law school. Plaintiff Brian Branch, now a Louisiana lawyer, took advantage of an offer made after Hurricane Katrina…

Dec 5, 2007 3:37 PM CST