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DePaul College of Law Dean Ousted

Glen Weissenberger DePaul Dean.JPGThe dean of the DePaul University College of Law, Glen Weissenberger, has been removed. But this doesn’t sound like your ordinary law school administration shuffle. Dean Weissenberger alleged that there was a significant mistake in the documents DePaul sumbitted to the ABA for its accreditation review, and now he is gone.

The university provost told the faculty and staff yesterday:

Dear College of Law Faculty and Staff,

I write today to inform you that there will be a change in leadership at the College of Law effective immediately. At my recommendation, the president and I have removed Glen Weissenberger as dean and hired a new interim dean who will be announced soon.

I can assure you that this decision, which is being made in the best interests of our students and the College of Law, was made only after long and careful thought and consideration. I respect all you have accomplished under Glen’s leadership. However, the working relationship between the dean and the administration had deteriorated to the point where it had become difficult to accomplish the college’s work, hence my recommendation to the president for this action.

Our faculty and staff are the lifeblood of the College of Law, and I recognize that you have a right to be informed about why I made this difficult decision. I invite all faculty and staff to attend a private meeting at [Redacted] where I will answer questions to the best of my ability, recognizing that this is, in part, a personnel matter and I will not be able to answer all inquiries.

We have selected a highly qualified and respected member of the legal community to serve as interim dean, ensure a smooth transition and continue the momentum you have given to the college. I look forward to making an announcement about the candidate in the very near future.

Sincerely,

Helmut Epp
Provost

We reached out to Dean Weissenberger and his response suggested that this situation is far beyond a mere administrative disagreement.

Details after the jump. And an update.

DePaul College of Law logo.JPGDean Weissenberger’s response to his ouster emphasized that he had done nothing wrong, but also reminded his students not to feel sorry for him:

I want to thank you for your many e-mails and telephone messages offering support in regard to my termination as dean.

First, Julie and I are doing fine. After surviving cancer, this is nothing!

Second, I want to assure you that I was not terminated for any wrong doing of any kind. My termination was based specifically on a letter I sent to the ABA supplementing information which the ABA already received. I was told by the ABA that I had a duty to submit this information immediately because the Accreditation Committee is meeting next week. I gave notice to the University that I would be filing the separate letter. I am attaching a copy of the letter, because it is part of the record in our ABA accreditation process.

The letter Dean Weissenberger referred to suggests that there was a significant mistake in the numbers DePaul communicated to the ABA. Here is what Dean Weissenberger sent to the ABA:

I write to apprise the Accreditation Committee that it currently has information about the law school’s Retention Margin that is inaccurate. This matter has been central to the law school’s accreditation since the 2001 inspection.

Paragraphs (71) through (76) regarding “Finances” of the July 22, 2008 Decision of the Accreditation Committee are no longer accurate. Consistent with our exchange of e-mails, I believe I have an obligation to promptly advise the Accreditation Committee of any statements in its June 22, 2008 Report that are not accurate. Also, our May 1, 2009 submission to the Committee did not address the pertinent issues, and as such, it communicates the erroneous proposition that the University administration and the College of Law have reached an agreement on the matter of the “Margin Agreement.” In fact, we have not. Again, I believe I have a duty to correct this misinformation as soon as it is recognized.

But there also seems to be a power struggle going on between the outgoing dean and Provost Epp:

An explanation of the issues are fully explained in the attached two memoranda recently sent to the Provost. The Provost has not responded to these memoranda.

The absence of a clearly defined process surrounding the distribution of the margin funds, and the uncertainty of receiving these funds, seriously impair the law school’s ability to further its mission and maintain the quality of its program. The amount of funds at issue is substantial. These funds would be used to advance several goals identified in our Strategic Plan.

Dean Weissenberger seems to have the students on his side in this fight with the university.

Above the Law has obtained an email that was sent out by the DePaul Student Bar Association. The SBA does not sound happy about the university’s decision:

Dear Students;

It saddens me to bear the news that Dean Weissenberger has been removed as dean by the University’s Administration as of yesterday, June 18th. It has upset many of us and has disheartened us that the University has made this decision. Though the University’s reasoning has been vague, it is common knowledge that the University has always been resistant to Dean Weissenberger’s initiatives to improve our law school. For example, the University’s Board of Trustees has thwarted Dean Weissenberger’s efforts to increase the law school’s space, funding and endowment, and has turned deaf ears on Dean Weissenberger’s vocal support for the law school. By stating that their “working relationship with the Dean has deteriorated” and
unilaterally firing him, it would seem the University is no longer interested in hearing any more of these suggestions.

As you know, Dean Weissenberger has advocated for great change to our law school and has been an ardent supporter of the student body. Currently many of the faculty and staff have expressed their support for Dean Weissenberger and will continue to unite on his behalf. The
SBA itself has pledged its unconditional support for Dean Weissenberger, and I encourage all of you to join us in showing your support.

In the following days the SBA Executive Board will be meeting with faculty to establish an initiative and will attempt to meet with the University board to express our discontent and voice our concerns. I truly believe that together, united, we can be heard. We can impart to the University that their decision has been a large step backwards and may have a profoundly negative impact on our law school. We must show the University that we are steadfast and resolute in our commitment towards the improvements that our law school so desperately needs.

Please share this with your colleagues and classmates. If you have any concerns, comments, or questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or any SBA member. Thank you and I hope for your support.

Wow. This sounds like a great situation for the new dean to walk into. I wonder who even wants the job? Is Rod Blagojevich still available?

We’ll keep you posted. We don’t think we’ve heard the last from (former) Dean Glen Weissenberger.

Update (3:30): Brian Leiter has additional coverage of the Weissenberger situation.

The ABA documents are here: Download DePaul ABA. It’s a lengthy set of materials, but I believe the following is an accurate summary: the College of Law at DePaul was entitled to 75% of its tuition revenues under an ABA-enforced agreement between the College and the University Administration; the University has repeatedly breached this agreement. Professor Weissenberger challenged the University’s failure to honor the agreement. Now he’s been fired.

Also, the DePaul SBA has started a website for students and faculty to speak out in support of Weissenberger. United for Weissenberger.

This is starting to sound like a Dead Poet situation.

Update (4:50): And now there is a Facebook group for the dean. When is Richard Engel heading to DePaul?

Glen Weissenberger letter to ABA.doc [Word.doc]

DePaul Provost Ousts Law Dean Without Consulting Faculty, Plans to Appoint an Outsider as Interim Dean [Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports]

Earlier: Will Robert Post Be the Next Yale Law Dean?
Martha Minow Named New Dean of Harvard Law School

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:25 PM

I knew that guy was a bad seed.

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:25 PM

first

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:26 PM

And without further ado, I now present a series of baseless attacks on DePaul....

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:27 PM

Ok, can someone who goes/went to DePaul or has familiarity with this actually explain what's going on?

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:30 PM

Joan King for Dean!

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:33 PM

This is painfully light on details. Could you find out what the story actually is and get back with us?

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:35 PM

2: too long, did not read.

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:35 PM

The university raids the tuition revenues of the College of Law. Under an ABA Agreement, the College of Law is entitled to 75% of the tuition revenues it collects. The university has been stealing more.

see - Brian Leiter Law School Reports

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:36 PM

who gives a shit about desteve?

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:36 PM

is DePaul a law school?

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:38 PM

Epps must be Catholic or Republican (or both). Both ideologies demand unqualified subservience and kick out those who don't bow down. Good luck to Weissenberger. Most of the Jewish deans of Catholic law schools the Vatican purged a few years ago ended up in better places. May he have the same good fortune.

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:39 PM

Dear Elie,

Your are right of course. In this economy no one would ever want to be Dean of a Law School. Not even in Chicago. They'd rather be unemployed at home with 200000 in debt, or blogging.

To be fair, I understand that a certain female con law professor was recently seen in the Chicago airport on her way to NYC to deliver some sort of lecture.

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13 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:39 PM

I guess this means that John Marshall is better than Depaul.

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:39 PM

This guy used to play with the Spider Simpson orchestra.

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:39 PM

The university would never steal tuition from the law school at John Marshall.

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:42 PM

If there is anyone who can help Depaul University figure out how to siphon off even MORE revenue from the law school, it is Kiwi Camara.

Kiwi for Deanie!!

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:42 PM

The SBA letter presents solid evidence of the former dean's initiatives and positive impact on the school. It is tragic that he was unilaterally fired.

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:42 PM

@15 Nice...

-13

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:43 PM

I had Weissenberger for Evidence back in the day. Seemed like a good guy. Surprised to open ABL and see his smiling face. He's aged a hell of a lot better than me (unless it's an old photo).

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:43 PM

This would never happen in the panhandle of Texas.

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:44 PM

The only thing stopping main campuses from dipping more heavily into revenue generated by their law schools is the ABA accreditation standard. Seems to me if the (former) Dean is right, he's the whistleblower and the provost and president have committed fraud.

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22 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:44 PM

ooh scandal, not bad. but what's really interesting to me is how the law student readers of this crappy site are now to blame for the disaster that was the barbri post and are now being targeted with snottiness in the update.

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:44 PM

Ok, bringing it back to Bar/Bri professor Christina Rodriguez (just for a sec)....

This portion of her handout was overlooked.

I have in my notes, straight from the handout:

No Third Party Standing
But, there are 3 exceptions
Exception #1: Close relationship
P can represent the inured 3rd party if there is a close relationship between P and 3rd party such that P can represent the 3rd party. (hmmmm, circular??)

Examples/Hypes:

Doctor/patient relationship qualifies
Father/daughter relationship did not qualify because father did not have custody.

Tip - QUESTIONS USUALLY FOCUS ON THIS EXCEPTION.

Well, shit. They focus on this exception??? Are you fucking kidding? You give us a circular definition and two worthless examples???

So, to recap...P can rep a 3rd party when there is a close relationship such that P can rep 3rd party. Doctors can rep patients. Fathers w/o custody can't rep their daughters. Oh and by the way, the Bar focuses on the "close relationship" exception.

Unbelievable.

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24 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:46 PM

What about PE for Dean? His email missives to the student body would make ATL at least once a week.

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:49 PM

Guys at my high school used to tip off the ABA to financial shenanigans all the time, it was no big deal.

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26 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:54 PM

There is a clearer explanation of the firing here: www.leiterlawschool.typepad.com

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27 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:56 PM

Joan King would suit the needs of the Provost of Depaul University quite well. She has experience working in a law school administration environment, and she knows how to fudge those numbers and she knows how to pull a numerical rabbit out of a hat.

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28 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 2:58 PM

As a DePaul graduate & former member of the Student Bar Association who has worked with (former) Dean W, he was a wonderful Dean who was an open advocate for the College of Law. This is horrible news.

29 Posted by David Saint Hubbins | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:02 PM

This would never happen in Squatney.

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30 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:03 PM

seriously, I have never heard of this school.

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31 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:08 PM

no really, is depaul a law school? i'm a lawyer in chicago, and am being serious.

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32 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:08 PM

Why does DePaul have a law school? Is there a gaping shortage of lawyer's in IL I'm unaware of?

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33 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:11 PM

# 33 You are kidding right? Chicago has Northwestern, U of C, Kent, DePaul, Loyola & John Marshall in the city. Kent, DePaul, Loyola & even John Marshall have numerous attorneys practicing within the city of Chicago & the state of Illinois. Start paying attention before you seriously insult your opposing counsel by uttering something like that in front of them.

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34 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:12 PM

DePaul is generally considered 4th in Chicago behind Chicago, Northwestern and Loyal, with ITT-Kent and Marshall bottom feeding.

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35 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:13 PM

Where is Chicago? Is it near the Oregon Trail?

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36 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:14 PM

DePaul be sinking...

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37 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:14 PM

Yeah..let's get back to the Barbri post --which now seems to be closed. I wish the disaster that was yesterday could be reduced to the minor "clarifications" posted by barbri.

Let me reiterate, C-ROD was horrible on so many levels. Her delivery inspired little confidence, which required that we watched a second video or reference our books for a second time.

Granted, I am not as smart as some of the brilliant law grads who post here. Frankly, I am tired, I can hardly find my way home after Barbri and damn sure can't remember anything from 1st year. I am relying on BarBri to save my sorry ass, so when they screw up I have a right to freak the fuck out.

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38 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:15 PM

33, of course you are a lawyer in IL, you friggin' db.

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39 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:15 PM

"Out with the white man, in with the Latina. This is my lot in life."

-- SotomayOR!

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40 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:17 PM

DePaul has a law school?

It's pretty sad when the college is forced to dip into the funds of a law school that no one, other than the ABA and city of Chicago, even knew existed.

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41 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:21 PM

DePaul University College of Law is a great insTiTuTion!

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42 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:24 PM

33,

There's-- You-- I have so much to tell you, little man, but so little time. May your powers of observation continue to serve you well???

-32 (or 33?)

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43 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:25 PM

Eric Cartmenez would be a better token latino Bar/Bri teacher than Christina Rodriguez.

How do I reach these KEEEEEDZ??

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44 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:25 PM

37: Relax and get some perspective. Remember, every other student who has hopes of passing the Bar is also depending on BarBri to "save their ass." If BarBri doesn't teach you it, it didn't teach the rest of the examinees. Therefore, no one learns, your score it not effective. Move on and go have a beer.

c/o licensed attorney

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45 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:27 PM

33 - Are you enjoying your conversation with yourself?

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46 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:30 PM

Little people stomping on even smaller people. Who really gives a flying fuck.

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47 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:31 PM

@31 DePaul has the highest number of alumni working as judges in the Cook County court system. Even mayor Daley is a DePaul Law grad. You should probably figure that out before appearing before one of them.

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48 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:33 PM

Comment removed by moderator.

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49 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:35 PM

Comment removed by moderator.

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50 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:39 PM

You'll have to excuse me if I ask this question, and I apologize in advance for it: But is DePaul an ABA accredited law school? I practice in Chicago and have never heard of it, and I just wouldn't want an attorney from DePaul to get in trouble if their school isn't accredited.

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51 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:42 PM

51, you're clearly an idiot since even the largest Chicago firms (Kirkland, MB, etc.,) hire from DePaul. It's usually the top 10%, but they do hire DePaul grads. Try to refrain from being a douchebag, if you can.

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52 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:43 PM

It'd be cool if your name was Paul, you went to DePaul, and worked at Paul Hastings.

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53 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:44 PM

U of C
NU
Kent
Loyola
JMLS
Depaul

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54 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:46 PM

31 = 51 = douchebag

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55 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:48 PM

Kent > DePaul by far.

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56 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:49 PM

51 = 33 = still having an ongoing conversation with self.

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57 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 3:54 PM

53, 55...Kent is about as relevant as Suffolk. You don't want to know any one who graduated from either.

Also, east coast lawyers < Elie's victim mindset douchery

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58 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:08 PM

Provost: "Our faculty and staff are the lifeblood of the College of Law."

One would think that the students are the lifeblood.

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59 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:11 PM

58, Yeah I thought the same thing. I was surpised that they identified themselves as the lifeblood of the university. After all, I doubt the faculty and staff generate the cash necessary to keep the university running.

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60 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:15 PM

o captain my captain?

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61 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:17 PM

47-49

1. Learn how to post once, Einstein.

2. Please realize that when you view this as an accomplishment: "DePaul has the highest number of alumni working as judges in the Cook County court system," then the rest of us view you as the biggest TTT imaginable.

3. The fact that your parent institution would breach a contract in order to deny the law school funds clearly indicates that the university itself views the law school as little more than a cash register. (I'm guessing you bought one of these TTT diplomas).

4. Citing to Mayor Daley does nothing but damage to an institution. You know how the Ivies are deathly quiet about Dublya? Follow their lead.

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62 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:18 PM

I have a LLM from DePaul in Tax (and a JD from Michigan). The rankings of the law schools depend on what level (JD or LLM) and what program (international, tax, etc.), but generally the rankings for grad programs are:

U of C
NU
Kent
DePaul
Loyola
John Marshall.

Kent generally has better grad law programs than DePaul. But DePaul is probably better than Kent if you're just getting your JD and want to practice in Chicago.

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63 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:28 PM

@62-

DePaul is a notorious TTT, even in the Chicago legal community. It does churn out attorneys, that's for sure (which is why so many posters have been citing its "network" in Chicago). But it's patently insane to rank it anywhere too far above Marshall.

In fact, until quite recently, DePaul was in the cellar of the US News rankings. It made one of those suspicious, 40-ranking jumps a few years back. Based on the faculty and the CALIBER (not the volume) of attorneys it's produced, there's little here.

Also, I call BS on your JD. Anyone from a T14 school knows the drop in class at a second or third tier school. You'd have gone to NU's LLM in tax or not at all. Odd are you're JD/LLM from DePaul.

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64 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:42 PM

As an aspiring member of the legal community uninvolved in this matter, it is an embarrassment to read the petty and childish postings on this situation.
Regardless of the institution from which you received your degree, one would hope that the faculty taught each person that an argument is made with a series of factual claims, rather than the mindless namecalling and pathetic banter that I have read above.

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65 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:42 PM

@63 Actually, based on what he wrote I'd say he's a JD/LLM from Kent. Still better than DePaul, but it's an LLM from NU or STFU

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66 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:47 PM

#64

That is why reading comments can be a waste of time, or entertaining -- depending on your point of view.

I find them entertaining. It reminds me of the days I was an immature, self-absorbed douchebag law student/recent grad who was just begninning to realize that I am not as important as I thought.

Seriously, people, get a life. Once you get out of law school, rankings, tiers, and other nonsense becomes far less important. The fact that people find it necessary to debate Kent v. DePaul is simply moronic. Don't you fools have a bar exam to prepare for?

And for the record, I am a practicing attorney in Chicago, and know a lot of DePaul graduates who are excellent attorneys -- that practice in every legal setting (big law, small law, public interest, etc). And no, I didn't to DePaul. I went to Illinois, not that it matters.

I would say get a life losers, but you can be really entertaining...So don't get a life.

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67 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:50 PM

Man, the university was taking all that money, and I still had to pay for the university gym as a law student?

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68 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:50 PM

DePaul Law has been around for over 100 years. Yeah, it is a regional school, but they send graduates to big law all over the Midwest and beyond. To say that you are unfamiliar with the school says more for your ignorance rather than the school's quality.

If I may, I would like to depart from the bashing of DePaul's "TTT" status (which is absolutely untrue and greatly undeserved). The law school consistently gets stellar ratings from the ABA on all fronts, except for space. Last I heard, the law school has the least square-footage per student of any law school in the nation--note, it is in downtown Chicago, with little/no space to expand. This clearly causes the school to be hamstrung in the US News rankings game. This issue was partly resolved recently by the school expanding to two new floors, including a new student center, more classroom space, putting the legal clinics across the street, and providing more room for student orgs (effective Fall 2009). Regarding the historic siphoning of funds by the University, I have heard this complaint for quite some time from faculty and staff at the law school.

It really is a shame that all of this happened. Dean Weissenberger was there when DePaul made it back in the top 100 years ago, and I was confident that my diploma's stock was going to continue to increase as the space issues were resolved and new, quality faculty were brought in by the school's increasing reputation. The University's short-sightedness and questionable allocation of funding is truly unfortunate.

So, if 75% of my tuition money was not going to the law school like it should have for the years I was there, can I get some of my money back?

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69 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:51 PM

To the dickfuck @64,

You're the assclown who corrects a person's grammar at the pub, aren't you? There's a time and a place for everything, and this isn't the time or the place for your rod-up-the-ass attitude. The posts on this blog are celebrated for their "mindless namecalling and pathetic banter."

-A spokesperson for the "legal community" that you'll likely never become a member of.

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70 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:53 PM

@64 Go fuck yourself...how's that for an intelligent argument.

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71 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:57 PM

"It made one of those suspicious, 40-ranking jumps a few years back."

DePaul's improved rankings over the last few years have coincided fairly closely with Glen Weissenberger's tenure as dean.

Weissenberger is good for DePaul, and he is well-liked by faculty, staff and students alike. That the Provost doesn't care to recognize this is not indicative of the lack of quality at the college of law, but of a lack of perspective at the level of the upper administration.

This is the same administration that orchestrated last year's Finkelstein tenure mess, so... maybe they're merely consistent.

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72 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 4:59 PM

66 CHIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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73 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:00 PM

71-

I stand corrected.

It made one of those suspicious, 40-ranking jumps a few years back...because it changed Deans.

Thank you. That clarifies everything.

Now put your DePloma back to use on that doc review.

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74 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:06 PM

64 is a doodyhead.

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75 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:06 PM

No, it's true.

NU didn't offer a night LLM tax program. I think Kent, DePaul and Loyola did. (I practice corporate law anyways.)

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76 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:11 PM

#62, are you looking at the Cooley rankings? Since US News has been ranking law schools, Kent and Loyola have been about even and De Paul was a distant third. Recently, De Paul may have climbed, but it is still below Loyola.

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77 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:15 PM

2009 US News Law School rankings:

Rank
6 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
10 Northwestern University Chicago, IL
77 Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago-Kent) Chicago, IL
87 DePaul University Chicago, IL
87 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
N/A John Marshall Law School Chicago, IL
N/A Northern Illinois University De Kalb, IL

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78 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:21 PM

So De Paul (for the first time ever) ties Loyola, and you claim that De Paul is better than Loyola? Brilliant.

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79 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:21 PM

66, well put. I didn't attend DePaul either (a T14...wow, I'm so great!), but I know plenty of DePaul alumni who are plenty smart and capable.

Sounds like this dean pushed the university a little too hard, in his efforts to improve the law school and its reputation (i.e., ranking).

The ABA folks should (i) issue a statement to DePaul denouncing the termination and calling for his reinstatement and (ii) conduct an in-depth investigation of every law school in the country that is affiliated with a university and present a list showing what percentages of law tuition such schools fork over to their parent universities.

This dean knew the plain, simple truth: if the law school could only keep more of its tuition, it could afford to offer larger, if not full, scholarships to prospective students with higher LSAT scores. That is how the game is played among many of the Tier 1 schools. I imagine that this is less of an issue at Kent, but one wonders what percentage of Loyola law tuiton is given to the parent university.

Poach enough would be University of IL students (and perhaps the occasional, gasp, would be Northwestern student) by dangling free rides in front of their noses, and a mid-Tier 2 school would quickly move into the (unjustly) vaunted Tier 1 realm.

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80 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 5:28 PM

I was talking about the grad law programs, not the "undergrad" law programs.

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81 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 6:33 PM

Recent grad here.
Although I had many complaints about depaul, dean weiss was never one of them. Depaul is the largest catholic university in the country and one of the ten largest private institutions. The undergrad facilities are phenomenal. The law school, not so much, despite tuition that far exceeds the rest of the university. By arguing for proper allotment of funds, the dean was doing a service for students, alumni, and the excellent faculty he has helped bring in. This truly is a set back for the college of law and disappointing to those who recognize the improvement during the dean's tenure.

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82 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 6:57 PM

"Sumbitted"? Well sum-bitch!

WTF Elie?

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83 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 10:01 PM

I'll tell you what. All the recent grads on here crack me up. "Oh my, I went to Kent, Loyola etc. and I know I am way smarter than those DePaul morons. Oh it must suck to have gone to such a crappy schoo.....blah blah blah."

You want to hear a secret? You know shit. Really you know shit. I could expand, but instead I would prefer to wait until you are 10 years in, and just listen to you come to the REALIZATION yourself about the PRO FORMA nature of your position.

Morons. Just bill 9.2 a day and shut your ignorant trap.

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84 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 10:56 PM

FORGET THIS OUSTED DEAN!

Don't you guys care that Western State University College of Law has a new dean!? The new dean is William Adams (he's replacing THE Maryann Jones).

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85 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, June 19, 2009 10:56 PM

Northwestern only started a tax LLM program about 5-6 years ago. so if the poster above got an LLM before that in Chicago, his only options were Kent, DePaul or Marshall

that being said, as a lawyer practicing at a large firm in Chicago (but who did not go to school in Chicago), I always felt like there was U of C and NW at the top, followed by DePaul, then Loyola, then Kent and John Marshall, regardless of what the rankings say

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86 Posted by guest | Permalink Saturday, June 20, 2009 1:44 PM

GOD DAMNIT, Mrs. Garibaldi

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87 Posted by guest | Permalink Saturday, June 20, 2009 3:15 PM

Wow, lawyers still engage in these silly little pissing contests over who went to the better school when they're well into their careers and should have accomplished something on their own merit rather than simply sliding by on the name of their alma mater? Awesome. And here I thought that the douchiness of my fellow law students might dissipate once they achieved something and gained some self-confidence. Apparently, law students remain painfully self-aware and insecure always. Well, shit. I guess I will have to continue to drink too much wine at networking functions because everyone is so insufferably concerned with being better than everyone else.

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88 Posted by guest | Permalink Saturday, June 20, 2009 3:25 PM

DePaul better than Kent or Loyola? Give me whatever drugs you are taking.


-a depaul law grad

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89 Posted by guest | Permalink Saturday, June 20, 2009 3:29 PM

Why are people so worried about rankings anyway? It's a disgrace that they are siphoning this money away from the the law school, and hopefully, if the legal community in Chicago can pull together and show some outrage, they can stop that from happening at DePaul, and hopefully other schools, as well. It's not like DePaul is the only school where this has happened...It just so happens they have a Dean who is brave enough to blow the whistle.

And as for faculty, there are quite a few good professors and programs at DePaul...For example, one professor was quoted in a decision last summer by the Supreme Court, another developed many of the antitrust laws of Australia, and the intellectual property program is ranked as one of the best in the nation.

I wish the Dean good luck, and I hope that the exposure of this problem will encourage the ABA to take a better look at all University-funded law schools to ensure quality education across the board. Law school is expensive, and it would be nice to know that the money was well-spent in the right places.

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90 Posted by guest | Permalink Saturday, June 20, 2009 8:03 PM

What law school you attended becomes fairly irrelevant after about 5 years or so. I practice in Chicago and I know a lot of fine Depaul lawyers. I do think that Kent and Loyola are better schools but it's not that important if you're not in the top 20% of all three.

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91 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, June 22, 2009 9:02 AM

So the University is making more than a 25% profit on law student's tuition? More than 25 fricking percent? What do the Federal loan people have to say about this? What does the ABA have to say about this or the Illinois Supreme Court which I assume have overall jurisdiction over bar admissions?

If Above the Law wanted to raise itself up to the next level it could look at how some other tier II law schools are operating as profit centers for their colleges and how this relates to admissions, bar passage rates, etc.

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92 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, June 22, 2009 9:58 AM

DePaul College of Law is repeatedly screwed by the University; the facilities given the law school are shabby, and it receives little to no funding. That is why I take great pride in slamming the phone down whenever DePaul asks for a donation. And, apparently, facilities matter A LOT to US News and World Report. Kent was just a crap law school until they got shiny new facilities about 8--10 years ago...then they jumped an unbelievable amount of places in the rankings.

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93 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, June 22, 2009 10:10 AM

The real issue here is not whether the school was not sharing revenues per agreement, but the fact that a dean was cashiered for telling the truth to the ABA about an acreditation process. This potentially calls the school's acreditation and the proper licensing of its graduates into question.

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94 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, June 22, 2009 12:40 PM

How exactly does the fact that the University (which is a second rate institution for JAPs with huge sunglasses and Asian exchange students) siphons money from the law school (which has traditionally been associated with said University in name only) affect the licensing of its graduates?

This is a financing issue, not an accreditation issue. The fact that the administration has been exposed as a greedy, myopic, heavy handed bureaucracy has no bearing on the quality of the education that students at DePaul College of Law have and continue to receive. Morons. Typical for this site. I don't know why I don't go back to watching Latarion Milton remixes.

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95 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, June 22, 2009 12:51 PM

@92,

Kent remains a crap law school.

-95

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96 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, June 22, 2009 1:00 PM

You know, for an 87th ranked school, it would seem that it's graduates write pretty well. Indeed, a little better than the brilliant bored who post here frequently.

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