Author: Kevin R Johnson
-
Can AI Handle BlueBooking? Thank Goodness.
Hate bluebooking? Well, perhaps AI might help. This article “Bye-bye, Bluebook? Automating Legal Drudgery With AI-Augmented Rule Following,” by Matthew Dahl and Eric Martínez look at how AI might handle this unpleasant task: Abstract One of the central promises of legal AI is to automate drudgery—the formal, repetitive tasks of lawyers’ work that consume time…
-
National Law Review: The 2026 Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia
The National Law Review lists the 2026 Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia. Eight are law school deans.
-
What U.S. News Does Not Include in Its Law School Specialty Rankings
U.S. News & World Report has a number of specialty rankings for law schools. The 2026-27 U.S. News Specialty Rankings: But why not civil rights law, entertainment and sports law, family law, immigration law, labor and employment law, and public interest law? I am sure that there are other important specialty areas missing as well.
-
“Two incarcerated Minnesotans become first in nation to graduate law school”
I must have somehow missed this but it truly is news. Here is the headline: “Two incarcerated Minnesotans become first in nation to graduate law school.”: “Two Minnesotans have made history by becoming the first people in the country to earn a law school degree from an accredited program while incarcerated. Maureen Onyelobi and Jeffery…
-
The Best Law Podcasts
This is what Copilot tells me are the best law podcasts: “Top legal podcasts offer insights into Supreme Court cases, law practice management, criminal defense, and investigative journalism, making them essential for law enthusiasts and professionals alike. Recommended Legal Podcasts 1. More Perfect – Hosted by Julia Longoria, this podcast explores the U.S. Supreme Court, its…
-
Inside Higher Education: 3 Things to Know About the Department of Education’s Accreditation Proposal
Jessica Blake for Inside Higher Education offers three possible outcomes of the proposed changes to accreditation: 1. It Could Open Up the Market to New Accreditors 2. Critics Say the Proposal Amounts to Executive Overreach 3. It Could Overhaul Traditional Peer Review
-
Barry Currier on State or Regional Accreditation of Law Schools
The future of law school accreditation by the American Bar Association is uncertain. Should a Law School’s “Regional Accreditation” Be Enough for Bar Admission? by Barry Currier , who was involved with the law school accreditation process with the ABA for many years, looks at the question of regional law school accreditation: “One of the…
-
Department of Education Threatens ABA’s Accreditation of Law Schools
The Trump administration is seeking to strip the American Bar Association’s accreditation council of federal recognition—a move that could disrupt legal education more broadly. See this Inside Higher Ed report. The Department of Education recommended that the ABA Council no longer be recognized as an accrediting agency. Here is the full 86 page staff report,…
-
Law Schools With Biggest Substance Abuse Problems
We all know that law students and lawyers frequently have significant rates of substance abuse. Because AI knows everything, I decided to see what it might tell me. This is what a Copilot search generated: “Law Schools with the Largest Substance Abuse Problems There is no single, publicly available list of law schools with the `largest’ substance…
-
5 time management strategies every 1L needs to succeed in law school
Ashley Heidemann for National Jurist has some pretty good advice for first year law students. Simple but important. Here are her top five time management strategies: 1. Outline throughout the semester. 2. Prepare for class efficiently. 3. Be selective about networking events. 4. Plan backward from major deadlines. 5. Schedule time to take care of…
-
Podcast: What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law
I will be honest. I love to listen to podcasts as background when I am working. Although there are many law professor blogs, there are not nearly as many law professor podcasts. Next week, I will post a list of some of the best general law podcasts. Here is a podcast about constitutional law that…
-
AI Says: Here is the best way for a law professor to begin a class
I love this AI stuff. As the school year begins, I thought about the best way for a law professor to start a law class at the beginning of the school year. Here is what Copilot generated. I thought it was pretty good — and impressively detailed — advice: “The best way for a law…
-
Dean Paul Caron Reappointed Dean of Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Good news for TaxProf blog emperor Paul Caron: Following a five-year review, dean Paul L. Caron has been reappointed the Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. The announcement was made on August 20 by Pepperdine University provost Jay Brewster. From the Office of the Provost: I am pleased to announce…
-
Accreditation Council Announces Special Open Session to Vote on Standard 206
Accreditation Council Announces Special Open Session to Vote on Standard 206 CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2026 – The Accreditation Council will convene for a virtual special open session on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to vote on whether to repeal Standard 206. If the Council votes to repeal in that meeting, the decision will be final, and the repeal will…
-
From the Bookshelves: An AI Policy Primer for Students by Matthew Sag
AI for the law masses! An AI Policy Primer for Students by Matthew Sag “This is a policy primer on AI that I wrote for my students at Emory Law, specifically for a course on “Current Topics in the Law and Policy of AI” in 2026, but it may be of general interest. The first…
-
Departing Deans – Listed Alphabetically by School (4)
I previously posted about data (here, here, here, here, here, and here) in AALS Rosenblatt’s Deans Database. It is early in the new school year but here who we know are leaving deanships. Law School Name California (San Francisco)–University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Faigman, David Florida State University College of LawWill be moving to the FSU law…
-
Best Law Schools for Aspiring Law Professors
Here is what Microsoft 365 Copilot generates for “Best Law Schools for Aspiring Law Professors”: “If your goal is to become a law professor, attending a top-tier law school can significantly boost your academic career by providing rigorous training, influential networks, and access to research resources americanprofessionguide.com. Top Law Schools for Professors Based on U.S. News rankings and scholarly impact…
-
“A Pink Private Jet, Luxury Homes, and a Growing Legal Battle: The Fall of an Immigration ‘Lawyer of Miracles’”
I thought that this story about immigration lawyer discipline might be of more general interest. Put it in the “Believe it or Not” category. Or a cautionary tale of professional irresponsibility Here is the story: “A Pink Private Jet, Luxury Homes, and a Growing Legal Battle: The Fall of an Immigration ‘Lawyer of Miracles’” “A…
-
Book of the Day: Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships
NPR brought to my attention book by Shireen Rizvi and Jesse Finkelstein, co-authors of Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships. On NPR, Rizvi shared techniques from the book called TIP, which stands for temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing and paired muscle relaxation. She says these four skills can help in…
-
LSAC on the NALP Class of 2025 Report
In a cautionary fashion, James Leipold for the Law School Admission Council writes that “the employment outcomes for the law school class of 2025 tell a nuanced story, as the National Association for Law Placement (NALP)’s recent analysis of this data in its annual Selected Findings (PDF) report makes clear. One the one hand, the overall employment…
-
Supreme Court Clerk Feeder Law Schools
The following law schools had the most Supreme Court clerks in recent years. Courtesy of David Lat. I learned of the Lat study from Linked In. See here.
-
National Jurist Top Law Schools for Technology Law
Ranking School Name Center Clinic Journal A+ American University X X X A+ Case Western Reserve U. X X X A+ DePaul University X X X A+ Georgetown University X X X A+ Santa Clara Law X X X A+ Seattle University X X X A+ SMU Dedman School of Law X X X A+…
-
RIP: Russell Weaver, Executive Director of SEALS and Professor of Law
Russell Weaver, Executive Director of Southeastern Association of American Law Schools (SEALS) and Professor of Law at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law SEALS Announcement | August 12, 2026It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that the SEALS Board shares the news of the passing of Russell Weaver, Executive Director of SEALS and…
-
Law School Reforms to the 1L Experience and Academic Probation
Do law faculty committees need something to do? Here are detailed possibilities for reform: The First Year Experience Prentiss Cox (Minnesota), Kill 1, 20 Harv. L. & Pol’y Rev. 103 (2025). “This Article argues that meaningful change requires directing our attention to the central pillar on which law school education rests—the firstyear of law school, the `1L’…
-
AALS Announces National Task Force on the Regulation of American Legal Education
Washington, DC (August 11, 2026) — The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) today announced the formation of a National Task Force on the Regulation of American Legal Education, a distinguished group of judges, legal educators, lawyers, and higher education leaders who will examine the future of law school accreditation and pathways to bar admission in…