Author: Kevin R Johnson
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Tuition Increases for College and Law Students: How will law schools respond?
The Board of Regents of the University of California last week approved tuition increases for undergraduates, which will have ripple effects on law school fees. Needless to say, tuition increases are not popular with students. As a dean, I found first hand that tuition increases were not popular with law students. Importantly, tuition increases decrease…
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Beginning of the End of the ABA Accreditation of Law Schools?
The American Bar Association (ABA) long has regulated the quality of law schools and legal education. As a former law dean who for a couple years served on the Accreditation Committee, I can say that the inspection and review process is rigorous, time-consuming, and, at times, perplexing and frustrating. Over the years, I have heard…
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The End of Hispanic Serving Institutions?
In recent years, many colleges and universities have been striving to become Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), which requires at least 25% Hispanic enrollment. For years, Hispanic enrollment had lagged behind the percentage of Hispanic high school graduates, including in California. At least before 2025, HSI status made universities eligible for various education grants. In 2024,…
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Study: Women Attorneys in Higher Education Leadership — Some Improvements But Work Remains to Be Done
A collaboration between the AALS research team and Katharine T. Schaffzin, Director of the Institute for Professional Leadership and Douglas A. Blaze Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, the Women Attorneys in Higher Education Leadership study was designed to understand the experiences, career pathways, challenges, and characteristics of women attorneys…
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Law Schools and Judicial Clerkships
Judicial clerkships are incredible learning and career advancement opportunities for law graduates. Law firms encourage former clerks to apply attorney jobs. One law firm on its website says the following: “From the US Supreme Court to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, a number of our lawyers have clerked for US judges. We…
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Law School Applications are Up and Up, What Now?
As law schools well know, law school applications are way up. National Jurist reports that “Kaplan’s recent survey of law school admissions officers said the current law school application boom, fueled by a nearly 20% surge in applicants last cycle, shows no signs of cooling.” How will law schools respond? Will they be more selective in…
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The Longevity of Law Deans
I recently learned that the median tenure of law school deans has declined to just 2.4 years. That seems very short! The trend raises important questions about the sustainability of law deanships and the challenges that deans face in leading law schools. Dean Patricia E. Roberts of St. Mary’s with the Association of American Law Schools is…
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Bar Pass Results are Out: What Should Law Schools Need to do to Help Those Who Will Take it Again?
For law professors, this is a bittersweet time of year. Many students pass the bar exam and are off and running in their legal careers. Others, however, did not pass and must retool and try again. Not all get the attention of Kim Kardashian but many go into hiding from embarrassment. There are many sources…
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The Conversation: How a Colorado law school dug into its history to celebrate its unsung Black graduates
I read with great interest this article (“How a Colorado law school dug into its history to celebrate its unsung Black graduates”) by Rebecca Ciota in The Conversation. The article documents the efforts to document the history of African American graduates of the University of Colorado Law School. In 2024, inspired by an article published by Boston…
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25 years strong: Critical Race Studies program marks a milestone with an all-star symposium
Critical Race Theory has been under attack. But it remains alive and well at some law schools. A few weeks ago, leaders from across the generations gathered for a summit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of UCLA’s Critical Race Studies program and to reflect on its massive impact in the law and education, and look ahead. The…
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Ingredients of Great Law Schools?
U.S. News and World Report rankings of law schools have great influences on morale of faculty, students, alumni, administrators, and other law schools. Almost all of us take a look at the U.S. News rankings and find them interesting reading if nothing else. I have always thought that law schools (and rankings) should consider the…
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A Cool Resource: AALS Rosenblatt’s Deans Database
AALS Rosenblatt’s Deans Database Professor and Dean Emeritus Jim Rosenblatt has collected information on sitting law deans. I was once on the list but, for better and worse, am no longer. I always enjoyed seeing Jim at the AALS annual meeting. He seemed to stop by and say hello to deans at many law school…
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ASU Law launches Civil Rights, Migration and Workplace Law Initiative
Law schools are paying attention to the current focus on immigration, workplaces, civil rights, and immigration enforcement. Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law has launched the Civil Rights, Migration and Workplace Law Initiative. The initiative, led by Professor David Lopez, focuses on how law shapes access to economic and political opportunity and promotes…
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as an Institutional Imperative
DEI has become controversial in higher education circles. Efforts at inclusion of all remains an important institutional goal. I outline some thoughts on the subject in Kevin R. Johnson, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as an Institutional Imperative, 55 University of Toledo Law Review 207 (2024) (Full Document). While compliance with the law is essential, the…
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Lecture reflects on evolution of legal education
Many of us have been pondering the future of legal education. AI, DEI, and other developments are changing the legal landscape. SUNY Buffalo’s James McCormick Mitchell Lecture will be delivered by UB professor John Henry Schlegel, whose talk, “Reflections on Legal Education and the Post-War Middle Class,” promises a deeply personal and historically rich exploration…