Legal Education

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

Italian judge accused of bullying law students for sex

After accusations that he pressured female students for sex, made merit scholarship recipients sign secrecy and loyalty oaths and implemented a dress code that mandated miniskirts for women, an Italian judge and law school leader has been barred from teaching and faces removal from the bench. Francesco Bellomo, who the…

Jan 9, 2018 12:19 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

Most California ABA-accredited law schools see first-time bar pass rates rise in July 2017

Seventeen of California's 21 ABA-accredited law schools saw first-time test-taker pass rates increase for the July 2017 bar exam. Four of those 17 schools recorded first-time pass rates below 55 percent.

Jan 3, 2018 7:00 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

Safe for work: Top legal news 2017

Law-office coffee breaks come with a strong dose of law-focused chatter. In 2017, Trump administration legal initiatives were a constant source of politically charged news. But headlines that drew the most interest were largely calming water-cooler distractions.

Dec 22, 2017 7:00 AM CST

New bar pass rate questionnaire will yield better information but create more work for law schools

There’s no bar passage data on this year’s law school consumer information reports, which came as a surprise to some. That information, with more recent numbers than in years past, is expected to be released in March 2018.

Dec 21, 2017 2:00 PM CST

How did some law schools increase first-time pass rates by at least 10 points in 2017?

A year after offering a three-credit, graded multistate bar exam course, which includes videos created by professors that students watch before class, Campbell University School of Law saw a greater than 13-point increase in the pass rate for first-time test-takers in North Carolina in July 2017.

Dec 20, 2017 9:00 AM CST

Some schools flagged by ABA this year have not raised admissions standards, latest data indicates

In the past year, the ABA publicly notified various law schools that they are not in compliance with accreditation standards, and based on 509 reports for 2017, it appears that many of those schools have a ways to go to come into compliance, David Frakt writes at the Faculty Lounge.

Dec 19, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Law school enrollment shows loss and gain—both slight

There’s a 0.7 percent decrease in law students at ABA-accredited schools between 2017 and 2016, according to data released Friday.

Dec 15, 2017 12:01 PM CST

Some Charlotte School of Law students wrongly denied discharge of federal loans, NC AG’s office says

Dozens of former Charlotte School of Law students who were on approved leaves of absence when the law school closed in August were improperly denied closed-school loan discharge, according to the North Carolina attorney general’s office.

Dec 14, 2017 12:00 PM CST