Miriam H. Baer (Brooklyn; Google Scholar), Taking Integrity Risks Seriously, 93 Fordham L. Rev. 1119 (2025):
Several recent scandals in higher education have illuminated notable weaknesses in the academy’s scholarly self-monitoring function. Plagiarism, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and shocking allegations of data fraud have arisen in contexts suggesting real weaknesses in peer review and other internal monitoring mechanisms.
Although the legal academy is different in many ways from the rest of higher education, it is hardly immune to the familiar precursors of fraud—opportunity, pressure, and rationalizations. Moreover, the academy's reliance on student-written law reviews creates additional challenges for holding wayward legal scholars accountable for their integrity violations.
This Essay, written for a Symposium hosted by the Fordham Law Review, argues that the legal academy must pay its integrity risks greater attention, especially in light of emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence.
After setting forth a brief taxonomy of wrongdoing, the Essay examines we have not heard the opposing side from the University of Oregon. However, the account of Professor Raban is deeply disturbing and should be a concern for not just the university but the legislature.’s strengths and weaknesses in meeting its integrity risks, and then, drawing on lessons from the corporate compliance field, proposes several reforms.
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