Wall Street Journal, Some Professional Degrees Leave Students With High Debt but Without High Salaries: Professional degrees like dentistry and veterinary medicine are leaving many students with immense college debt, threatening the outlook for fields that provide essential public services, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of federal data. The culprits span graduate programs…

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Perkins Coie partner Brian Potts caused quite a stir when he posted on social media the rejection letter he received when he applied for a position with the firm when he was a 2L at Vermont Law School: Law students: if at first you don’t succeed, try try again. David Lat, Lawyer of the Week:…

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Vanderbilt University Law Professor to Appear on ‘Jeopardy!’: Clue: He’s an expert on First Amendment law and technology policy who will compete on television’s most popular quiz show on Dec. 6. Answer: Who is Gautam Hans, associate clinical professor of law? Hans is scheduled to appear on Jeopardy! for the gameshow’s inaugural “Professors Tournament,” where he’ll compete against Hester Blum, an English…

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Bloomberg Law, Big Law’s Talent Shortage Raises Vexing Questions on ‘Quality’: [P]artners struggle with the idea of hiring more law school graduates because of concerns over “quality.” They only hire the best, they say, and they need to make sure that continues. … Here’s a hypothetical. In 20 years, only 25 law firms exist in the…

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St. Thomas University College of Law, Ben Crump announce Center for Social Justice: Renowned attorney Ben Crump and St. Thomas University College of Law announced Thursday an initiative to prepare new and diverse lawyers to lead the fight for justice. The Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice at the St. Thomas University College of Law will provide innovative programming, symposia…

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Following up on my previous posts (links below):  David Lat (Original Jurisdiction; J.D. 1999, Yale), As The Yale Law School World Turns: The New Haven soap opera continues—with a faculty meeting this afternoon that should be quite the showdown. Happy Friday. It’s time for some updates in everyone’s favorite legal-academic soap opera, As the Yale Law…

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Reuters, Law School as a Teen? These Aspiring Lawyers Are on the Fast Track: Haley Taylor Schlitz is on track to graduate from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in May. But she won’t be able to celebrate at the bar with her classmates—at least not legally. Schlitz started college at 13, entered law…

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Following up on my previous post on the open letter by Simon Lazarus (J.D. 1967, Yale), Where Yale Law School Has Gone Off The Rails, And What Is Needed To Get Back On Track (Nov. 13, 2021):  Brian Leiter (Chicago) shared an update today from Mr. Lazarus, Trap House Enters Its Fourth Month: A Take…

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Following up on my previous posts (links below):  Academic Freedom Alliance, Letter to the University of Illinois Regarding Jason Kilborn: The AFA sent a letter to the University of Illinois on Monday regarding the ongoing complaints concerning Professor Jason Kilborn. In December 2020, Professor Kilborn included on his final exam in a civil procedure class…

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Summary of Actions of the Section’s Council at its Public Meeting Nov. 19, 2021: In closed session, the Council also voted to permit law schools to accept GRE test scores from applicants in lieu of an LSAT score under Standard 503. The Council reminds schools that the use of test scores to make admissions decisions…

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Following up on yesterday’s post, One-Third Of The Way Through The Fall 2022 Law School Admissions Cycle: Applicants Are Down 4.4% And In All LSAT Bands (Especially 170-180 (-13.6%)), Except 150-159 (+0.3%): Reuters, Law School Applicants Are Down, Breaking Five-Year Streak: Is legal education’s pandemic boom beginning to fade? The number of applicants to law…

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Following up on my previous post, ABA Finds Cleveland-Marshall Law School Out Of Compliance With Financial Resources Accreditation Standard:  Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, Notice of Law School Demonstrating Compliance With Standards 202(a), (c), and (d): Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (Nov. 2021): Following consideration…

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ETS Establishes Legal Education Advisory Council to Expand and Create New Pathways in Legal Education: As ETS continues to pursue its vision of expanding and creating new pathways to and through legal education that prioritize fairness and equity, the organization has announced today the establishment of the Legal Education Advisory Council (LEAC) to help deliver…

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We are now 33% of the way through Fall 2022 law school admissions season. The number of law school applicants reported by LSAC is down 4.4% compared to last year at this time. 122 of the 199 law schools are experiencing an increase in applications. Applications are up 50% or more at 7 law schools,…

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Following up on my previous posts: Chronicle of Higher Education op-ed:  This Is A Witch-Hunt Against A Tenured Law Professor, by Andrew Koppelman (Northwestern) Chronicle of Higher Education op-ed: Yale Law School’s Bullying, Coercive Diversity Leaders: How Not To Do Equity Work, by Andrew Koppelman (Northwestern) Chronicle of Higher Education, The Review: 'Many Administrators Are…

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Former State Department Ambassador Morse Tan Selected to Head Liberty University School of Law: Liberty University has announced that Morse Hyun-Myung Tan has been named the new dean of Liberty University School of Law. Tan will assume his duties on Jan. 1, 2022. Most recently, Tan served as Ambassador at Large for the U.S. State Department’s…

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Law360, Columbia U. Settles COVID-19 Tuition Refund Suit For $12.5M: Columbia University has agreed to pay $12.5 million to resolve a lawsuit seeking tuition and fee reimbursements in the wake of coronavirus-spurred campus closures, according to a settlement proposal filed in New York federal court. Students brought a putative class action last year, alleging the…

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Cravath once again has kicked off associate bonus season: 1st Year Associate (Class of 2021):  $15,000 (prorated) 2nd Year Associate (Class of 2020):  $20,000 3rd Year Associate (Class of 2019:  $30,000 4th Year Associate (Class of 2018):  $57,500 5th Year Associate (Class of 2017):  $75,000 6th Year Associate (Class of 2016):  $90,000 7th Year Associate…

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Inside Higher Ed, International Enrollments Begin to Recover: The number of international students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities has begun to rebound following a precipitous pandemic-related drop in international enrollments last fall, according to new data being released today. The number of new international students increased by 68 percent this fall over last fall, and…

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Dan Rodriguez (Former Dean, Northwestern), Legal Education as a Key Stakeholder in Legal Services Reform: The fierce and fascinating struggle underway in the American states over legal services reform brings to the table a large collection of interest groups.  These groups include law firms, legal aid organizations, entrepreneurs who might benefit financially from the liberalization…

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Texas A&M Press Release, New Texas A&M System Center Eyed for Downtown Fort Worth: Hub for collaboration with industry would rise alongside new law school building. Fort Worth government and business leaders and Texas A&M University System officials are working together on plans to build a new downtown research campus to spur innovation and business…

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Following criticism (here, here, here, and here) of the ABA's proposed new diversity accreditation standard, the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar on Friday sent a revised version out for notice and comment: Standard 206. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION(a) A law school shall ensure the effective educational use…

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Scarlet & Gray Advantage: The Ohio State University is creating the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program with a bold goal: to offer undergraduate students the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s degree, debt-free. This program, which will be brought to scale over the next decade, will empower Buckeyes to control their own financial futures and prepare for success…

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New York Post, Ex-professor Fired For Allegedly Masturbating During Zoom Lecture Sues Fordham: A professor fired from Fordham University after he was accused of masturbating during a Zoom lecture is suing the Bronx school, claiming his erectile dysfunction made the allegation “virtually impossible.” The student who filmed the video is also suing Fordham, claiming she…

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