The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees has approved the plan to convert the Southern New England School of Law into the state’s first public law school.  Suffolk, New England, and Western New England oppose the new school, questioning the need for the school in light of the dismal job prospects for current Massachusetts law students. Critics also question the financial underpinnings of the plan — as Law Librarian Blog asks, "[c]an the University of Massachusetts expand Southern New England School of Law, keep tuition to $23,500, offer about half the student body scholarships that cut their tuition in half, achieve ABA accreditation by 2012, and do all this at no taxpayer expense?"  For the plight of a recent Southern New England grad, see 61-Year Old Law Grad Can't Pass Bar or Find Job, Tries to Discharge $82k Student Loan Debt in Bankruptcy.

• Above the Law
• Boston Globe
• The Herald News
• Out of the Jungle