Law Students

Student interest in immigration law rises with recent political developments

The legal and political furor set off by the travel ban and related orders has had a profound impact on U.S. law schools. Interest in immigration law is surging, and schools are ramping up programs and staffing to meet soaring demand from students and immigrants.

Nov 1, 2017 1:35 AM CDT

Which law schools have the best professors and classroom experience? New rankings released

Looking for the law school with the best classroom experience, the best career prospects or the best professors? A ranking released Tuesday lists the top schools in these categories and others. The Princeton Review’s 2018 annual ranking is based partly on surveys of students from the current and past two…

Oct 31, 2017 12:14 PM CDT

Pipeline program for underrepresented students to enter legal ed launched by ABA, IU McKinney Law

The American Bar Association on Monday announced the creation of an online pipeline program with an Indiana law school to help undergraduates develop key skills necessary for legal education, including critical thinking, test preparation strategies and reading comprehension. The “Pathway to the Law” program, funded with a $250,000 ABA grant…

Oct 23, 2017 9:45 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

FIU law school alumni ask their former dean to quit Trump’s cabinet

A group of Florida International University College of Law graduates have asked Alexander Acosta, their former dean, to resign as President Donald Trump’s labor secretary on the basis that the administration “demonizes minorities,” and that does not fit with the law school’s vision. Jordan Dollar, a graduate of the law…

Aug 30, 2017 1:55 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

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

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

Thanks to shrinking class sizes, a greater percentage of new law grads find employment

The percentage of law grads obtaining jobs requiring bar passage has increased for the third year in a row, rising from 66.6 percent for the class of 2015 to 67.7 for the class of 2016, according to findings released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement. In all, 87.5…

Aug 3, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Scaramucci was ‘a big personality’ at Harvard Law, classmate says

Updated: Anthony Scaramucci —President Donald Trump’s communications director until Trump reportedly decided Monday to remove him—was well-liked and a “big personality” at Harvard Law School, according to one of his classmates from the class of 1989. “In some ways, Scaramucci is a funnier and smarter version of his boss,” Richard…

Jul 31, 2017 3:16 PM CDT

Asian-Americans are apparently losing interest in law school; report shows outsize enrollment drop

Asian-American enrollment in law school has declined more steeply than that of other racial and ethnic groups, according to a report documenting a glass ceiling for this group in the law.

From 2009 to 2016, Asian-Americans’ first-year enrollment in law school dropped by 43 percent, compared to a 28 percent drop for all students, a 34 percent drop among whites and a 14 percent drop among African-Americans. Hispanic enrollment, meanwhile, increased by 29 percent.

Jul 20, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

ABA committee weighs adding gender identity, ethnicity to law school accreditation diversity rules

Proposed revisions (PDF) to add gender identity and ethnicity to existing rules regarding diversity, nondiscrimination and equal opportunity are being considered by the Standards Review Committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar at its July 15 meeting in Chicago. The proposed revisions state that…

Jul 11, 2017 2:35 PM CDT

Law prof’s exam question on Brazilian wax is deemed harassment; is academic freedom threatened?

A Howard University law professor says academics everywhere should be concerned by his school’s response to a 2015 exam question about a Brazilian bikini wax. The school determined in May that the question by Professor Reginald Robinson constituted sexual harassment under school policy, report Law.com (sub. req.) and Inside Higher…

Jul 10, 2017 4:05 PM CDT

Law student who came to aid of BigLaw partner lands summer associate job

A George Washington University law student who intervened to help a Baker McKenzie partner being attacked by a group of youths has landed a summer associate job with the law firm. Partner John Rowley III tells the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) that he realized law student Andrew Miller would…

Jun 20, 2017 11:10 AM CDT

Want to expand access to justice? Offer tiered training and differing practice licenses, profs say

Corrected: Civil legal assistance is elusive for low-income and even middle-class individuals. Eighty percent of low-income people in the United States can’t afford civil legal assistance, according to a Washington Post op-ed by two law professors. Meanwhile, 40 to 60 percent of the middle class have unmet legal needs.

Jun 7, 2017 8:00 AM CDT