Law Schools

Student lawsuits against Charlotte School of Law consolidated

A defense motion to consolidate three putative class actions filed against Charlotte School of Law—all of which allege that the for-profit law school misrepresented its ABA-accreditation status and bar passage rates—was granted Friday by a North Carolina U.S. District Court judge. The lawsuits were filed by former Charlotte School of…

Oct 17, 2017 12:54 PM CDT

Study of black Harvard law grads finds many leave private practice; 66% would recommend legal career

Black graduates of Harvard Law School leave private practice at a higher rate than white or black lawyers nationwide, according to a study of the graduates from 2000 to 2016.

Oct 17, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

After Hurricane Maria, some University of Puerto Rico law students come to mainland schools

Hiram Meléndez Juarbe was one week into teaching law school classes at the University of Puerto Rico when Hurricane Irma hit, and before they could reopen, Hurricane Maria arrived.

Oct 13, 2017 11:30 AM CDT

ABA Legal Ed committee suggests changes to rule on law school admissions tests

After recent announcements from various law schools that they will accept the GRE from applicants in addition to the LSAT, an American Bar Association section committee recently made various accreditation standard recommendations (PDF), including doing away with the separate admissions test rule entirely.

Oct 11, 2017 3:58 PM CDT

Is Department of Education data on student loan defaults an accurate reflection of law schools?

Among the thousands of schools listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s student loan default data released last week, 23 were law schools, all of which have individual identification numbers for participating in Title IV aid. The institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit group that works to increase…

Oct 2, 2017 3:15 PM CDT

Former law student says he recanted racial profiling claim because of FBI pressure

A former University of Virginia law student says he recanted a claim that he had been racially profiled by university police officers in 2011 because he was pressured during an interrogation by the FBI. Johnathan Perkins is a black lawyer working in the general counsel’s office at Harvard University. He…

Oct 2, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Which freestanding law schools had the highest loan default rates for fiscal year 2014?

Updated: Six freestanding law schools recorded student loan default rates greater than 2 percent for Fiscal Year 2014, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education. The Institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit group that works to increase the public’s understanding of student debt, designed…

Sep 28, 2017 5:20 PM CDT

Pepperdine Law grad donates record $8 million to the school

Laure Sudreau, a 1997 graduate of Pepperdine University School of Law, has donated $8 million to fund its global justice program. The gift, which comes with naming rights, is the largest single endowment in the law school’s history, writes dean Paul Caron at Tax Prof Blog. “We are humbled by…

Sep 22, 2017 10:15 AM CDT

The legal education model is out of touch, writes new ABA commission member

Legal education is too complex, expensive and disconnected, and the American Bar Association has an “effective monopoly” on law school accreditation, according to Gillian Hadfield, a member of the organization’s Commission on the Future of Legal Education. Hadfield, a professor of law and economics at the University of Southern California,…

Sep 21, 2017 2:15 PM CDT

Rodriguez to step down as dean of Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law

Daniel Rodriguez, dean of Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, will be stepping down from the position at the end of the 2017-18 academic year, the school announced Tuesday.

Sep 19, 2017 2:45 PM CDT

JDs from middle-ranked schools in states with many public colleges may give best investment return

Between 2010 and 2014, net tuition declined the most at middle-ranked law schools, due to merit scholarship patterns associated with maintaining or improving rankings, according to a law review article by Jerome M. Organ, which looks at variable returns on investing in a law degree.

Sep 15, 2017 3:35 PM CDT

6th Circuit rejects law prof’s claim that ‘mark of the beast’ pay raise constituted retaliation

A federal appeals court has tossed a suit by a retired Cleveland-Marshall College of Law professor that contended his $666 pay raise was intended as retaliation for a successful union organizing campaign for law faculty. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the suit by Sheldon Gelman and…

Sep 14, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Law school’s civil rights center is barred from litigating cases

The Center for Civil Rights at the University of North Carolina’s law school will no longer be able to litigate cases after a vote by university leaders on Friday. The vote bans all centers in the University of North Carolina system from engaging in litigation, but the Center for Civil…

Sep 8, 2017 4:32 PM CDT

Florida state courts to close Friday for Hurricane Irma; some Georgia courts also announce closings

Updated: The Florida Supreme Court has issued an order closing all Florida state courts on Friday and extending time limits through Monday. Some state courts in Georgia, meanwhile, were also announcing closings as Hurricane Irma threatened the coastline. The Florida order (PDF) noted that Gov. Rick Scott has declared a…

Sep 6, 2017 1:25 PM CDT

Feds started criminal investigation of Charlotte School of Law, according to civil filing

A federal criminal investigation involving Charlotte School of Law was opened more than a year ago, according to recently unsealed court documents in a qui tam lawsuit. The Orlando U.S. attorney’s office recently opted not to intervene in the case. The lawsuit was filed by Barbara Bernier, a former Charlotte…

Aug 29, 2017 5:44 PM CDT