Author: Kevin R Johnson
-
Dating in Law School: Dating Tips for the Tinder Etc. Generation
The National Jurist has an article (“Dating in law school: 8 lessons on love, balance and healthy relationships“) that was intriguing. It also reminded me that I was very old fashioned as well as out of touch. “Law school has a way of making everything feel high stakes. Every class matters. Every exam matters. Every…
-
Is Your University or Law School in Financial Trouble?
Illinois Institute of Technology and its law school are letting faculty go. Joe Patrice for Above the Law highlights a review of law schools that suggests that many are on the financial ropes. “Professor Paul Campos has spent years chronicling law school financial shenanigans. In his new paper (which he flagged over at Lawyers, Guns & Money . .…
-
Prior Positions Deans Held Before Their Current Deanship
I previously posted about data (here, here, here, here, and here) in AALS Rosenblatt’s Deans Database. The database includes a list of Prior Positions Before Deanship. No surprise but many current deans were previously deans elsewhere or associate deans. As Afra Afsharipour has written, the associate dean position is the primary pipeline for future deans.,
-
How Law Schools Welcome the Incoming Class
A new law school year is coming upon us. I began wondering about the traditions at different law schools for welcoming the entering class. Here is what I received when I asked my trust Microsoft Copilot: “Traditions of Incoming Law School Classes Incoming law school classes often develop unique traditions that reflect their diversity, backgrounds,…
-
Book of the Day: Firsts Abroad: First-Generation Students’ Journeys Outward and Upward by Jeremy Townley
Firsts Abroad: First-Generation Students’ Journeys Outward and Upward by Jeremy Townley Law schools have increasingly focused on first generation students. Should schools be promoting study abroad for first gen students? Rutgers University Press (2026) The publisher’s description of the book: Across the country, flagship universities and liberal arts colleges, regional state campuses and Ivy League institutions…
-
Student Activism Causes UC San Diego to Cut ties with the Border Patrol
Is your university working with the U.S. government in immigration enforcement? UC San Diego, which is near the U.S./Mexico border no longer is. Phoebe Huss for CalMatters reports on what appears to be successful student activism. Students and faculty at UC San Diego protested in response to campus police collaboration with the Border Patrol through a federal grant…
-
Madhavi Sunder — U.S. News: Measuring What Matters in Legal Education?
Madhavi Sunder looks critically at the U.S. News and Review law school rankings in this piece. Here is an abstract: “The most influential ranking system for law schools — the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings report — does not consistently measure what matters most in legal education: excellent and impactful scholarship and teaching focused on…
-
Justice Department Accuses Duke Law School of Racial Discrimination in Admissions
Christine Charonsky for Law.com (subscription required) reports that “The DOJ alleges Duke Law deliberately used race in admissions for its 2023–2025 entering classes.Investigators claim Duke Law used diversity-focused essays and application `tags’ to produce admissions advantages for Black and Hispanic applicants.The DOJ is seeking a voluntary compliance agreement, while Duke says it is reviewing the…
-
Podcast: Tech problems foiled the Washington July 2026 bar exam. What’s next for law grads?
As has been reported in many places, the July bar examination in Washington was a debacle of epic proportions. In this podcast, Seattle U Law Dean Anthony E. Varona talked about the incident and various concerns with the proposed solutions by the Washington State Bar Association and the Washington Supreme Court. UPDATE (Aug. 7): See…
-
Law Deans Win Primaries for Governorships
David Yellen on X: “It is interesting and cool that the Democratic nominees for Governor in Colorado and Michigan are both former law school deans: @pweiser (University of Colorado) and @JocelynBenson (Wayne State). Both were successful deans, and are outstanding public servants and nice people.” / X After victories in their respective, former law deans…
-
An expanding approach to bar admissions? New Mexico creates an alternative to bar admission
News on bar admissions. The New Mexico Supreme Court yesterday announced approval of a skill-based pathway for law-school graduates to become licensed lawyers. Justices previewed the program for state legislators in June, saying it could help address the state’s shortage of lawyers. A news release Tuesday noted that New Mexico officially qualifies as a “legal desert”…
-
Breaking News! ABA Law School Diversity Standard Survives—For Now
Christine Charnosky at Law.com (registration required) reports that the American Bar Association House of Delegates voted today to send the proposed repeal of Standard 206 back to council to reconsider. “The council had argued that repeal was necessary to protect its federal recognition and preserve state courts’ confidence in ABA accreditation. Opponents maintain that diversity…
-
Michael Simkovic: The War for Talent — Law Professors Who Publish in the Three Most Selective Finance Journals
Michael Simkovic‘s new paper “The War for Talent” may be of interest to readers. Here is the abstract: Law professors who publish in the three most selective finance journals are rare, and law schools compete for them. Since 1990, thirty-nine professors at fourteen U.S. law schools have published fifty-seven such articles. Pairing three decades of…
-
The Dean Controversy at the University of Kentucky School of Law Continues
Controversy continues over the appointment of a dean of the University of Kentucky law school. Eugene Volokh on the Volokh Conspiracy (Court Expresses Doubt About Lawprof’s Attempt to Block Appointment of Federal Judge as U Kentucky Law School Dean) provides an update on the court challenge by a faculty member to the new dean. As…
-
How Many Former (Recovering) Law Deans?
I previously posted about data (here, here, here, and here) from AALS Rosenblatt’s Deans Database. The database lists 564 former law deans and lists their times of service (which is especially interesting in light of the dip in law dean tenure to less than three years).
-
Book of the Day: Research Handbook on Global Legal Education
Research Handbook on Global Legal Education (Elgar 2026) Research Handbooks in Legal Education and the Legal Profession Edited by Swethaa S. Ballakrishnen, University of California Irvine School of Law and Bryant G. Garth, American Bar Foundation, USA Publication Date: August 2026 This Research Handbook examines legal training and its impact on law and society. Leading experts…
-
The Most Stressful Law Schools
Chat GPT generated the following response to “what are the most stressful law schools?”: “There’s no universally accepted ranking of the “most stressful” law schools, because stress depends on grading policies, academic culture, cost of attendance, job placement pressure, and student support. However, schools with highly competitive environments, demanding workloads, or intense recruiting cultures are…
-
Article: Reimagining Legal Education: The Transformative Power of Small-Group Instruction by Michael I. Meyerson
This law review article caught my eye. I have always enjoyed teaching medium to large classes. But seminars were often the best learning experiences for all involved. Reimagining Legal Education: The Transformative Power of Small-Group Instruction by Michael I. Meyerson Abstract Legal education is failing its students. Those entering their first year of law school…
-
How legal education is adapting to AI
Check out this website to compare policies, teaching guidance, and institutional strategies across law schools—grounded in the schools’ own documents. So far, it has the responses of UC Berkeley, Chicago, Suffolk, and Texas. UPDATE (Aug. 3, 7:45 PST): More law schools have responses listed.
-
Illinois Institute of Technology declares “financial exigency” and begins firing faculty
Brain Leiter breaks the news that Illinois Institute of Technology has declared a “financial exigency” and has begun firing faculty. “Up to one-third of the faculty may be terminated, although in the law school, Chicago-Kent, it appears the number is lower (maybe one-fifth by some accounts). . . . If readers have more details, please…
-
Law Deans by Ethnicity and Gender
I previously posted about data (here, here, and here) from AALS Rosenblatt’s Deans Database. Below is the database’s Deans by Ethnicity and Gender “Caucasian Male – 89 (44.28%)” “Caucasian Female – 44 (21.89%)” Black or African American Male – 16 (7.96%) Black or African American Female – 27 (13.43%) Hispanic or Latino Male – 6 (2.99%) Hispanic or Latino Female…
-
Union Controversy Brewing in Recognition of University Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Union activity of non-tenure track faculty has been on the rise in recent years. There has been some and controversy surrounding the activity and university responses. Mark Kreidler for Capital and Main reports on a controversy at the University of Southern California. A group of faculty “voted to unionize in June, the university cloaked its decision…
-
Dean Conway’s Return to the Faculty: Politics at Work?
Austen Parrish offered a wonderful post on Dean Danielle Conway’s legacy as dean at Penn State Dickinson Law. A true visionary and dear friend to many, Dean Conway is returning to faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law after a tremendously impactful seven years as dean at Penn State Dickinson Law. She is the current President of…
-
Book of the Day: How to Offer Effective Wellbeing Support to Law Students
How to Offer Effective Wellbeing Support to Law Students Edited by Lydia Katherine Bleasdale (Elgar 2024) Publisher’s description: This How to Guide will provide readers with information and insights which will better equip them to support law students in a higher education setting. Featuring contributions from an array of eminent academics and student support professionals, this book…
-
Most Bike-Friendly Law Schools
A Chat GPT artificial intelligence search generated the following for the most bike-friendly law schools: Law School Why it’s bike-friendly University of California, Davis School of Law Located in Davis, often considered one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the U.S. Over 100 miles of bike paths, flat terrain, and most students bike to campus.…