Legal Education

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

Cooley Law School loses request for temporary restraining order in lawsuit against ABA

A Michigan federal district court has declined to grant Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School a restraining order against the American Bar Association, saying Cooley was essentially asking the ABA to withhold information from prospective law students.

Dec 13, 2017 6:28 PM CST

These 7 law schools may be the most underrated

Brigham Young University’s law school is the most underrated in the nation, according to an interpretation of a new study.

The study ranks law schools based on undergraduate grade point averages and Law School Admission Test scores.

Dec 13, 2017 11:23 AM CST

Former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to rejoin University of Chicago Law School

Valerie Jarrett, who served as senior adviser to President Barack Obama, will return to the University of Chicago in January as a distinguished senior fellow with the law school. Previously, Jarrett served as vice-chair of the university’s board of trustees, and chair of its medical center’s board of trustees, according…

Dec 12, 2017 10:30 AM CST

CBS develops comedy based on law school experiences of Dr. Phil’s son

CBS is developing a comedy called Class Action that is based on the law school experiences of Dr. Phil’s son, Jay McGraw. The show follows a law student who is looking for an easy experience, but instead finds himself in a group of eclectic law students who have to argue…

Dec 11, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Questions on California bar exam line up with lawyer jobs data, study finds

The content of the California bar exam lines up with national surveys about skills expected for first-year lawyers, but a state-specific assessment would be helpful, according to a recent content validation study from the State Bar of California. The report, sent to the California Supreme Court on Dec. 1, the…

Dec 7, 2017 4:23 PM CST

Chemerinsky no longer plans to invest in Los Angeles alternative weekly newspaper

Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the law school at the University of California at Berkeley and an ABA Journal columnist, no longer plans to invest in a Los Angeles alternative weekly newspaper. According to the OC Weekly, Chemerinsky confirmed Tuesday evening that he was no longer interested in joining the…

Dec 6, 2017 2:45 PM CST

Law profs ask if Flynn and a Trump transition team member violated the Logan Act

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s admission about his discussions with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak “leave little doubt” that he violated the federal law known as the Logan Act, according to an op-ed by two law professors. Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner of the University of Chicago make the case…

Dec 4, 2017 9:49 AM CST

Chemerinsky plans to invest in Los Angeles alternative weekly newspaper

Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law and a columnist for the ABA Journal, has an additional title: media investor.

According to a blog post from LA Weekly, Chemerinsky plans to join a group of investors that bought the alternative newspaper serving Los Angeles, but who hadn’t been revealed before Friday.

Dec 1, 2017 4:30 PM CST

ABA voices opposition to elimination of school loan interest deduction in Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

In response to a tax bill proposal to eliminate student loan interest deductions, the American Bar Association has asked that they be kept in place. “Of particular interest to the American Bar Association is the powerful financial disincentive for law students to enter the important function of public service in…

Nov 29, 2017 3:41 PM CST

Oxford grad’s suit claims bad teaching cost him the chance to attend an Ivy League law school

A graduate of Oxford University claims his lower-than-expected grades there 17 years ago made it impossible to attend an Ivy League law school in the United States or to perform well in legal jobs in the United Kingdom. Faiz Siddiqui claims his grades were affected by inadequate teaching in one…

Nov 28, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Increase in LSAT test takers is seen as evidence of ‘Trump bump’

The number of people taking the Law School Admission Test has increased this year, leading some to suggest the increase is driven by a “Trump bump.”

Nov 21, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Cooley Law School has it ‘exactly backward’ and students deserve to know the truth, ABA filing says

The American Bar Association decision that Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School was “significantly out of compliance” with an accreditation standard regarding admissions was final and not subject to further appeal, the association argued Friday in a response brief to Cooley Law's motion for a temporary restraining order to seal the finding.

Nov 20, 2017 5:06 PM CST

University of Illinois at Chicago reveals ‘preliminary discussions’ to add John Marshall Law School

The University of Illinois at Chicago revealed on Monday that it has been in “preliminary discussions” with the John Marshall Law School to explore absorbing it into the university.

Nov 20, 2017 3:26 PM CST