Law Students

Best Summer Associate Events: Risky Roller Derby, Drinking Fishing Trip

A cocktail-fueled fishing tournament and a “lowbrow” roller derby event are the two finalists in Above the Law’s “Summer Associate Event Contest of 2009.” Summer associates spend the day on firm shareholders’ personal fishing boats in Carlton Fields’ annual fishing trip in Tampa, Fla., Above the Law says. “Usually, it’s…

Jul 15, 2009 2:08 PM CDT

Incoming 1L Writes Columnist About Fear of Never Having Fun Again

A panicked woman about to enter law school writes an advice columnist about her fears—of loneliness, a life of drudgery, missed opportunities and huge student loans. The woman tells Salon columnist Cary Tennis that she really wants to be a writer, but she has also always dreamed of becoming a…

Jul 15, 2009 1:39 PM CDT

Morgan Lewis Axes 2010 Summer Program, Plans to Eliminate Lockstep

In a video conference with all associates and staff today, the chairman of Morgan Lewis & Bockius has reportedly announced a series of economy moves. They include axing the 2010 summer program and all on-campus law school interviewing this fall and pushing back the start dates for current summer associates…

Jul 14, 2009 8:56 PM CDT

U of I Law School Got Scholarship Cash for Clout Admissions

The University of Illinois law school got $300,000 in university scholarship money in exchange for admitting politically connected applicants, according to newly released documents obtained by a Chicago newspaper. The law school got the discretionary funds over four years to lure better qualified applicants to attend the school, the Chicago…

Jul 9, 2009 4:34 PM CDT

Indiana Law School Seeks 24.5% Tuition Boost

Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law is proposing a tuition hike of 24.5 percent for in-state students. Tuition would increase from $19,988 to $24,000 a year if the idea is approved, the Indianapolis Star reports. The newspaper notes that the higher tuition is still a good deal, since the school…

Jul 9, 2009 12:58 PM CDT

On-Site Interviews Drop by 45 Percent at Texas Law School

Students at the University of Texas School of Law at Austin are getting an early taste of the poor job market. The number of scheduled on-campus interviews for 3Ls has dropped by 45 percent at the school since last year, the Daily Texan reports. David Montoya, assistant dean for career…

Jul 7, 2009 4:37 PM CDT

Are Law Schools Like GM? Why Profs Should Mull End of ‘Salad Days’

Indiana University law professor William Henderson remembers his youth in Cleveland during the 1970s and ’80s. Many of his friends’ parents worked for General Motors, which offered high pay, amazing benefits, predictable hours and long vacations. “I remember thinking at the time that GM was both complacent and invincible,” Henderson…

Jul 7, 2009 1:50 PM CDT

Law Profs on Clout-Influenced Admissions: Everybody Does It

A group of law professors at the University of Illinois is taking exception to a Chicago Tribune series showing Illinois politicians and fundraisers used their clout to pressure the university and its law school to admit students. The letter to the Tribune, posted by law professor Larry Ribstein at Ideoblog,…

Jul 6, 2009 1:12 PM CDT

Should On-Campus Interviews Be Postponed Until Spring?

For decades, it has been customary for BigLaw firms to conduct on-campus interviews for summer associates shortly after the law school year begins in the fall. In recent years, there has even been an increasing trend toward starting as early as August. But, given a seeming seismic shift in the…

Jul 2, 2009 7:17 PM CDT

Unpaid Student Loans Derail Law Grad’s Quest for NY Bar Admission

Robert Bowman managed to pass the New York bar exam after the fourth try, but there is one more obstacle keeping him from getting a license to practice law: about $430,000 in student debt and penalties. A New York appeals court ruled (PDF) in March that Bowman had not established…

Jul 2, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

U of Miami Urges 1st-Years to Defer; Legal Job Market Is Uncertain, Dean Says

Due to an unexpected deluge of deposit checks from accepted applicants this year, the University of Miami School of Law is urging incoming students to consider deferring their first year of law school until the fall of 2010. Especially if they weren’t all that convinced that the legal profession is…

Jul 1, 2009 4:26 PM CDT

Salary Gap Widens Between Have and Have-Not Law Grads

New salary figures for law graduates show a growing gap between associates at the big firms and everybody else. A survey of the class of 2008 shows 23 percent of the graduates made $160,000, the amount the big law firms paid to newly minted associates, according to a press release…

Jun 30, 2009 3:01 PM CDT

Mass. State Bar Admits 1st Graduate of Online Law School

For the first time ever, a graduate of an Internet-based law school has been admitted to practice in Massachusetts. Ross Mitchell was sworn in June 22, reports the National Law Journal. He earned his juris doctor degree at Concord Law School, which offers law classes online rather than in a…

Jun 26, 2009 4:29 PM CDT

Unqualified Law Student Admitted in Exchange for Promise of 5 Jobs

The most prestigious Illinois public university took another hit to its reputation Thursday when it released e-mail messages that show an unqualified, but politically connected law student was admitted to the University of Illinois in exchange for a promise that other students would find gainful employment upon graduation. The documents—released…

Jun 26, 2009 10:11 AM CDT

Would-Be Attorney Headed to Harvard Grew Up in Homeless Shelters

Growing up in California, Khadijah Williams had to take an unusual amount of responsibility for running her own life, under highly daunting circumstances. Williams’ mother, who is only 14 years older, encouraged Williams and told her she had the ability to be a major success in life. However, she couldn’t…

Jun 23, 2009 8:27 PM CDT