Author: Jeremy Paul
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Beyond the Best and Brightest
Expanding on a story in Above the Law, Judd Legum reports how Liberty Law School is openly recruiting interns for the Department of Labor with postings that suggest alignment with President Trump and hard work are all that’s necessary. Strong GPA’s not required. [Posting below.] There may be more to the story but if it’s…
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Book of the Week
Offering something slightly out of the ordinary this week, a children’s book, Just Shine: How to be a Better You. It’s an uplifting story written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor that was inspired by her mother’s gift for making others around her glow more brightly. I had the privilege this week of hearing the Justice describe…
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Alternative Paths to Licensure Engender Revisions to ABA Standards
Wisconsin’s diploma privilege and New Hampshire’s Daniel Webster Scholars program are inspiring additional states to consider paths to bar admission other than the bar exam. In light of this development, the ABA’s requirement concerning 75% pass rate on the bar exam no longer fully reflects the extent to which law schools are succeeding at preparing…
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ABA EDGES TOWARD AXING DIVERSITY REQUIREMENT
Having already suspended its accreditation rule requiring law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity in admissions, student recruitment and programming, the ABA Council took the next step in potentially eliminating the rule altogether when the Council voted, pending a notice and comment period, to suspend the rule through August 2027.. Final decision is expected…
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Book of the Week
Today’s lengthy debates among the Supreme Court Justices about the parameters and wisdom of the major questions doctrine has me eager to tackle this forthcoming monograph, Last Branch Standing, from longtime court watcher Sarah Isgur. She promises to teach us lessons about the relationships among the justices and offer insights about court processes and deliberations.…
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Ilya Somin Prevails in Tariffs Case
Congrats to Ilya Somin, Professor of Law at George Mason who led the charge in litigation leading to today’s Supreme Court decision by Chief Justice Roberts invalidating President Trump’s efforts to use the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad tariffs worldwide. Prof. Somin’s account on the Volokh Conspiracy is here. The Court’s…
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Tim Wu on Ezra Klein
Don’t miss Timothy Wu, Julius Silver Professor of Law, Science and Technology as a featured guest on the Feb. 26 episode of the Ezra Klein podcast to discuss his new book The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity. Ezra Klein and Professor Wu are joined by Cory…
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New ABA Rule on Representing Clients with Decision-Making Limitations
On Feb. 9, ABA Adopted New Ethics Rules aimed at modernizing how attorneys are expected to represent clients with decision making limitations. Syracuse Distinguished Professor of Law, Nina Kohn, who played a key leadership role in achieving needed reforms, writes about some of the changes in Forbes and outlines, with Charlie Sabatino, the improved approach…
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Accelerated JD/MBA Redux
Contrary to one of my earlier posts, I have learned that Southwestern Law School and the Drucker School of Management have been operating an accelerated JD/MBA program in Los Angeles since 2010. The National Jurist covered the announcement here. This information suggests the the brand new, similar program, at USC is the second such program…
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Book of the Week
John Fabian Witt, Allen H. Duffy Class of 1960 Professor of Law and Professor of History at Yale brings us The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America, which tells the tale of how a young heir, Charles Garland, used his fortune to found the American Fund for Public…
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Law for Influencers
A few years back I was taking a friend’s son, age 17, on a tour of Northeastern. I asked him what he was looking for in a college. He told me he wanted a place that would help him build his brand. I guess he was ahead of his time. “Influencing” now seems to be…
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Penny Andrews Honored
The AALS Section on Women in Legal Education is hosting its annual conference at Boston University, today, Feb. 13. The full program is here. Last night’s opening dinner and panels celebrated and honored the work of Penny Andrews, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law and Director of the Racial Justice Project at New York…
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Fast Track JD/MBA at USC
USC announces first accelerated JD/MBA program on the West Coast. Students can earn both degrees in only three years, and applications are now being accepted for Fall 2026. See press release here. Speed to graduation seems to be taking hold elsewhere as well as the Mass Board of Higher Ed voted this past Tuesday to…
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Forum on ABA Accreditation
Next Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 2:00 p.m. EST The Federalist Society will host a virtual forum on states’ moving away from ABA Accreditation. You can find details and register here. Featured speakers are Prof. Derek T. Muller, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School Prof. Daniel B. Rodriguez, Harold Washington Professor of Law, Northwestern University Pritzker…
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Book of the Week
Jamila Michener, Assoc. Prof. of Govt. and Public Policy at Cornell and Mallory E. SoRelle , Tony and Teddie Brown Prof. of Public Policy at Duke have penned Uncivil Democracy (Princeton Univ. Press). Despite our country’s significant investment in civil litigation as a way to pursue justice, the authors argue, the court system is more…
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Faculty under Surveillance
NYTimes reports faculty across the country becoming increasingly concerned about university and government surveillance of classroom comments and syllabi in an effort to enforce political agendas from above. The full report is here
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Law Students do Field Research
Indiana Univ. Professors Bill Henderson and Anjanette Raymond (Kelley School of Business and also Queen Mary University of London) offer important insights based on work they did with the Indiana Supreme Court. They asked law students and undergraduates to observe courtrooms and interview lawyers with the goal of identifying pathways to increased access to legal…
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Book of the Week
University at Buffalo Professor Matthew Dimick offers us Ending Income Inequality, a contrarian defense of the idea that legal rules, and not just the tax system, should be used to tackle the severe unequal distribution of wealth that characterizes (afflicts?) contemporary life in the United States. Here’s hoping it sparks lively debate on this important…
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Open Letter from Minnesota Law Faculty
72 Members of the University of Minnesota Law Faculty have signed an Open Letter expressing horror over federal agents’ killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The letter proclaims our colleagues to be “deeply disturbed by the daily lawlessness and brazen abuses of power by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border…
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New Dean at Northwestern
Zachary Clopton named dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. A noted scholar of civil litigation, Professor Clopton has served as interim dean for the past six months and as a member of the Northwestern faculty since 2019. His extraordinary record of accomplishment is detailed here. Congratulations and good luck Dean Clopton.
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ALI Elects Wallace Jefferson President
The American Law Institute announces that Wallace B. Jefferson, former Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court has been elected its new President. President-elect Jefferson served on the Court from 2001-2013, and as Chief Justice from 2004 until the end of his tenure. He will assume office at the end of ALI’s annual meeting, succeeding,…
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Book of the Week
University of San Diego Law Professor Lisa Ramsey is just out with Trademarks and Free Speech from Cambridge University Press. Her case is that current trademark law is insufficiently sensitive to First Amendment concerns, and she argues passionately for reform. You can sign up to hear her discuss the book virtually on Feb. 3 at…
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Principles for Lawyer Independence
Retired Judges Shira A. Scheindlin and John Jones III are leading an effort to develop principles to secure the independence of the legal profession from outside sources, especially from governmental pressure They seek endorsement from lawyers across the land. You can find the principles HERE. They explain their efforts in today’s NYTimes.
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1L Realities
JD Next issues an extensive White Paper based on nationwide survey of law students who completed their first semester in December 2025. Demographic analysis, gaps between student expectations and reality, and practical advice for law students are just a few of the nuggets within.
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Loss of a Legend
Barbara Aronstein Black, the first woman to lead an Ivy League Law School has died at 92. Her career, briefly detailed in this NYTimes obituary below, is a story of resilience, talent and perspicacity. Her admiring colleagues, devoted students and legal education generally have lost a leader. May her memory be blessed and her pathbreaking…