Following up on this morning's post, Brian Tamanaha's Revenge:  Balkinization: I'm the Villain:

Thus far I have refrained from responding to critiques of my book, but this one is too personal to leave unanswered.

First let me make clear that I have had no contact of any kind with SLU's new dean and have no plans to "lunch" with him; nor will I meet with him if he reaches out to me. …

Walker's second cheap shot — "How convenient" — also misses the mark. I have been arguing for years — long before I moved to Wash. U. — that non-elite law schools should not emulate the academic model set by elite law schools. …

As for reform, I believe every law school (from Thomas Jefferson to Harvard, to SLU and Wash. U.) should carefully examine tuition, debt, and the allocation of resources, and every faculty should strive to find ways to operate in a more cost efficient fashion. If that's "Tamanaha's revenge," then I'm guilty as charged, and legal educators across the country can throw darts at me.

Update:  Anders Walker (Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, St. Louis), Tamanaha's Response:

Tamanaha does not seem to notice the contradiction in praising our junior faculty, most of whom have interdisciplinary degrees, meanwhile arguing that "non-elite law schools should not emulate the academic model set by elite schools." … Why not make non-elite law schools even more dynamic sources of talent by introducing post-tenure review …

Tamanaha has written an incendiary book that WILL be read by university presidents, trustees, and others eager to cut cost, strip faculty resources, and stick it to law professors. Even if Tamanaha doesn't want to lunch with these people, it doesn't matter. He will be the topic of conversation.