Law Schools

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

Whatever happened to these younger-than-the-norm law grads?

Recent reports on a youth who is entering law school at the age of 18 spurred Law.com to track down some other law school grads who began their studies at an early age. Their careers were varied, and not all remained in the field. According to the Law.com article (sub.…

Aug 25, 2017 2:15 PM CDT

Blockchain, project management, AI score among top legal innovations in prof’s index

What’s the buzz in BigLaw legal tech? Blockchain, project management and artificial intelligence are dominant topics, according to Michigan State University law professor Daniel W. Linna Jr. On Tuesday, Linna launched the website Legal Services Innovation Index, which tracks the frequency of tech terms on law-firm websites. “It’s a starting…

Aug 23, 2017 7:30 AM CDT

Teen goes to law school and aims for the presidency

Aaron Parnas is once again aiming high. Parnas went to college at age 14, taking high school and college classes at the same time for the same credit, Law.com (sub. req.) reports. He graduated from college in two-and-a-half years, a few weeks before his high school graduation. Now he is…

Aug 21, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

After students wait a day for answers, Charlotte Law says it took down website to comply with law

Charlotte School of Law intends to comply with North Carolina law, and its leaders say that is why its website went dark Monday following news that its proposed teach-out plan was rejected and it missed the deadline for state licensure.

Aug 16, 2017 2:28 PM CDT

Charlotte School of Law closes after ABA legal ed council rejects teach-out plan

Updated: After being placed on probation, losing federal student loans and enduring months of speculation, the teach-out plan that Charlotte School of Law submitted to the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has been rejected. Under North Carolina law, Charlotte School of Law…

Aug 15, 2017 2:17 PM CDT

UC Berkeley Law reduces budget by 2 percent amid university-wide cuts

Corrected: University of California at Berkeley School of Law reduced its budget by $2 million and will eliminate some of its associate dean positions in the face of university-wide cutbacks, the Daily Californian reports. Carol Christ, who took over as chancellor July 1, unveiled a plan to reduce the university’s…

Aug 15, 2017 1:04 PM CDT

Charlotte School of Law’s state license expires after missed deadline

The Charlotte School of Law’s operating license has reportedly expired, leaving unclear what happens next to the embattled school or its students. WBTV and Inside Higher Ed had the story. The law school did not met a Thursday deadline set in by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors,…

Aug 11, 2017 6:04 PM CDT