Law Schools

Afternoon Briefs: Future civil rights lawyers win scholarships; LSAC-funded pipeline program seeks requests for proposals

Future civil rights lawyers receive scholarships The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund has named the first 10 “Marshall-Motley Scholars,” who will receive law school scholarships in exchange for a commitment to serve as civil rights lawyers based in the South for eight years. The scholars include former interns in…

May 18, 2021 3:52 PM CDT

Law school noncompliance with diversity standard should require public notice, ABA legal ed section says

Proposed revisions to strengthen law school accreditation standards addressing diversity, inclusion and nondiscrimination were approved Friday by the council of the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

May 17, 2021 3:26 PM CDT

Former New Jersey judge who aimed to increase diversity on the bench dies at 75

A former New Jersey judge who helped create an organization to address the needs of Black students, graduates and practicing attorneys after the Newark, New Jersey, riots in the late 1960s has died.

May 14, 2021 9:12 AM CDT

Florida Coastal’s financial aid reinstatement request denied; private equity firm pulls out

The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday rejected a request to reinstate the Florida Coastal School of Law’s federal financial aid.

May 13, 2021 2:36 PM CDT

What comes next for law schools with two-year bar pass rates below 75%?

Of the 10 law schools that in 2020 received noncompliance notices for having two-year bar passage rates below 75%, half appear to again have pass rates that do not meet that threshold, according to ABA data released in April.

May 13, 2021 11:23 AM CDT

2nd Circuit tosses Harvard Law grad’s Rehabilitation Act claim over bar exam accommodations

The New York State Board of Law Examiners has sovereign immunity from a lawsuit claim by a Harvard Law School graduate who sued over failure to accommodate her anxiety-related disability, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Apr 30, 2021 10:47 AM CDT

Florida Coastal’s proposed teach-out plan dinged by ABA’s legal ed section because of lack of details

A proposed teach-out plan from the Florida Coastal School of Law, which the ABA directed it to file in April, after the for-profit school lost access to federal student aid, has been rejected.

Apr 27, 2021 11:27 AM CDT

Human Rights Watch fires general counsel after she used N-word in classroom lecture

Human Rights Watch fired its general counsel earlier this month after she used the N-word in an April 1 Zoom lecture on hate speech as an adjunct professor at Columbia University.

Apr 27, 2021 9:47 AM CDT

NALP executive director talks empowering careers, recruiting and professional development

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Jim Leipold, the executive director of the National Association for Law Placement—an organization focused on career counseling and planning; recruitment and retention; and the professional development of law students, lawyers and its members.

Apr 23, 2021 9:06 AM CDT

2020 law school grads having harder time finding jobs, data shows

For 2020 graduates of ABA-accredited law schools, 77.4% had long-term, full-time jobs that required or preferred bar passage, compared to 80.6% for the class of 2019.

Apr 20, 2021 3:57 PM CDT

If Biden approves loan forgiveness, what could it mean for law school debt?

People with law school loans could benefit if President Joe Biden authorizes a plan to forgive all or a portion of student debt, but it could exclude those who owe private lenders and impose limits based on income, experts say.

Apr 12, 2021 11:25 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Slower-paying law students wait-listed; ‘tiger mom’ law prof back in the news

Law school wait-lists students who finished late in deposit race The University of Notre Dame’s law school is facing criticism for putting pressure on would-be law students to make their decisions quickly. The school requires admitted students to pay their $600 deposit by April 15—but if the school meets its…

Apr 9, 2021 4:26 PM CDT

Law profs abound on Biden’s new commission to study changing the Supreme Court

Law professors make up the bulk of the members on President Joe Biden’s newly created Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, tasked with studying proposals to reform the high court.

Apr 9, 2021 3:15 PM CDT

As Florida Coastal tries to get student loan funds reinstated, ABA seeks teach-out plan

The U.S. Department of Education has terminated the Florida Coastal School of Law’s access to federal student financial aid, and the for-profit school has been directed to file a teach-out plan with the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 6, 2021 12:51 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Last equal pay claim against Jones Day is tossed; law students’ quest for refunds is rejected

Judge tosses last equal pay claim in suit against Jones Day A federal judge on Wednesday tossed the last equal pay claim by the last plaintiff in the gender bias suit against Jones Day. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss of the District of Columbia said Jones Day did not undercompensate…

Apr 2, 2021 12:33 PM CDT