Law Schools

Cooley Law School complaint demands ‘fair and transparent’ ABA accreditation proceedings

The ABA needs more transparency when making accreditation determinations for law schools, and it illegally posted a letter to its website regarding Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School's compliance with an admissions standard, the school argues in an amended complaint filed Jan. 29.

Jan 31, 2018 4:43 PM CST

LSAC reports increase in law school applications

The number of law school applications has increased by 10.6 percent when compared to last year at this time, according to information released by the Law School Admission Council. According to a U.S. News & World Report article, the LSAC also reports that students with higher LSAT scores were more…

Jan 29, 2018 3:00 PM CST

$20M windfall for UC law schools in wrongful foreclosure suit shrinks to $150K

A federal judge has vacated a punitive damages award against Bank of America that gave $20 million to the University of California’s five law schools in a wrongful foreclosure case. The five law schools will now receive $150,000 as a result of a bank settlement with the plaintiffs, Erik and…

Jan 24, 2018 7:00 AM CST

BYU Law takes on ‘debt collection epidemic’ with new online tool

BYU Law School is addressing the “debt collection epidemic” in Utah by launching a new online tool. The project, called SoloSuit, is the first designed by LawX, BYU Law’s legal design lab. “Early in the semester, we realized that debt collection was a legal crisis in Utah,” said Kimball Dean…

Jan 24, 2018 6:00 AM CST

5 lessons for teaching law and technology

This piece was co-authored with Keith Porcaro, a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center. Over the fall semester, we ran an experiment at the Georgetown University Law Center. Through a course we co-created and taught, we used technology to help students critically think through criminal justice policy and law. To…

Jan 22, 2018 8:30 AM CST

Baylor Law to offer LLM program in litigation management

Baylor Law School will be launching what they say is the nation’s first executive LLM in litigation management program for experienced lawyers this coming fall. Texas Lawyer had the story. Many law schools have LLM programs that focus on litigation or trial advocacy. Baylor’s new LLM program, on the other…

Jan 19, 2018 1:15 PM CST

Is sweet spot for avoiding academic attrition at law schools a median LSAT of at least 150?

Among ABA-accredited law schools with median LSAT scores above 150, academic attrition has recently decreased. But there’s been an increase at schools with median LSAT scores below 150, Jerry Organ writes at TaxProf Blog.

Jan 16, 2018 3:17 PM CST

UC Irvine’s Richardson is the only woman of color serving as dean at a top 30 law school

Corrected: Legal scholar L. Song Richardson took over as dean of the University of California at Irvine School of Law on Jan. 1. Richardson is currently the only woman of color to serve as a dean of a law school with a top 30 ranking in U.S. News & World…

Jan 12, 2018 11:33 AM CST

Facts in Cooley Law School decision weren’t challenged, ABA argues in summary judgment motion

Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School admits applicants who are unlikely to graduate and be admitted to practice law, and a recent decision to publish a letter about its noncompliance with an admissions standard was based on undisputed facts, the American Bar Association wrote in a summary judgment motion (PDF) to dismiss the Michigan law school’s due process lawsuit.

Jan 10, 2018 4:15 PM CST

North Carolina Central, Arizona Summit found out of compliance with ABA accreditation standards

The ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently notified two law schools—North Carolina Central University School of Law and Arizona Summit Law School—that they were not in compliance with specific accreditation standards. Additionally, the section released a December 2017 accreditation committee decision that the Appalachian School of Law remains noncompliant with Standards 501(a) and 501(b), which deal with law school admissions.

Jan 8, 2018 1:32 PM CST

Law school had asked students to watch for ‘suspicious’ grad who later opened fire on deputies

Officials at the University of Wyoming College of Law had asked students to be on the lookout for one of its graduates, Matthew Riehl, less than two months before he opened fire on several deputies in suburban Denver. Officers killed Riehl, a 37-year-old Iraq war veteran, after he opened fire…

Jan 3, 2018 1:07 PM CST

Students at top law schools ask for more mental health support

Today’s law students may be more open about discussing their mental health issues than previous generations, but law schools still draw many Type A individuals, frequently on a never-ending quest for perfection.

Jan 3, 2018 8:00 AM CST

10 Questions: Harvard Law’s dean of students began as a ballerina

Marcia Lynn Sells, dean of students at Harvard Law School, once performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of co-founder Arthur Mitchell.

Jan 1, 2018 3:40 AM CST

Disability rights movement’s legislative impact sprang from on-campus activism

Throughout many years, disability rights activism has flourished through programs that advocate independence and provide young people opportunities to discuss with peers how laws could improve their lives.

Jan 1, 2018 12:30 AM CST

The top 10 legal news stories of 2017

It’s hard to imagine a year more packed with major legal news than 2017, much of it generated by President Donald Trump's administration. We may never get used to the frenetic pace. Here are 10 stories—themes, really—that dominated legal news reports.

Dec 22, 2017 9:00 AM CST