American Bar Association / ABA
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American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools
The Fall Of Systemic Deception At Law Schools
We long ago declared victory for law school transparency. Here's why. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Bar Exams, Law Schools
Stats Of The Week: Evolving Standards Of Bar Passage Expectations
The latest proposal to impose bar passage standards on law schools is surprisingly tough. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
American Bar Association / ABA, Bar Exams, Law Schools
ABA Poised To Tighten Accreditation
When a school cannot figure out how to maintain accreditation under such reasonable rules, it should close.
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American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools
Attrition May Jeopardize Accreditation Status Of Dozens Of Law Schools
Dozens of law schools around the country have made unethical admissions choices in the face of financial pressure, but will any pay the price? -
American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools
Stats Of The Week: TJSL Is Just A Symptom, The ABA Is The Disease
TJSL might have acted egregiously, but the ABA enables them. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Bar Exams, Law Schools
The ABA Takes First Step To Tighten Bar Pass Standards
Law schools soon won’t be able to hide from a clear and enforceable bar pass standard. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Bar Exams, Law Schools
What Will The ABA Do To Restore Trust In Law Schools?
What are the 6 loopholes law schools use to get away with poor bar exam results? -
American Bar Association / ABA, Bar Exams, Law Schools
The ABA Must Enforce Its Non-Exploitation Standard
If the ABA waits too long to act, we will end up with yet another group of students in 2016 being set up to fail. - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
American Bar Association / ABA, Women's Issues
Why Is The ABA Backwards On Maternity Leave?
The American Bar Association is cutting maternity leave for some of its employees. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Job Searches
Does The ABA Care More About 'Access To Justice' Than It Cares About Members’ Access To Jobs?
The mere fact that the ABA needs to deliberate at all over the issue of LLLTs is a sharp reminder that the ABA is not fully committed to advancing the interests of new lawyers. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Legal Ethics, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners, Technology
Back In The Race: Protecting Autonomy
Outsiders are putting out proposals that will alter the autonomy and livelihoods of solos and small firms -- who are they, and what are they proposing? -
American Bar Association / ABA, Death Penalty, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.10.14
* Huge Net Neutrality development: President Obama believes the FCC should reclassify the Internet as a utility. Will his three appointees listen to him? [Vox]
* Rick Springfield’s butt faces retrial. [Lowering the Bar]
* The ABA Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar is recommending the sale of Charleston Law School to InfiLaw. Well, now we should feel secure in knowing this is a great plan. [TaxProf Blog]
* An interview with famed mob lawyer turned mayor, Oscar Goodman. [Coverage Opinions]
* In Alabama, if a jury misbehaves and doesn’t sentence a murderer to the death penalty, the judge has full power to overrule them. Delightful. [The New Yorker]
* A white former prosecutor has to work really, really hard to get himself arrested, along the way exposing just how racially stilted the criminal justice system is. [The Atlantic]
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9th Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Art, Biglaw, Blogging, Gay, Gay Marriage, Gender, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Sentencing Law, State Judges, Tax Law
Morning Docket: 10.08.14
* How are Nevada and Idaho officials reacting to yesterday’s Ninth Circuit ruling striking down gay marriage bans in those states, and how soon might marriages get underway? [BuzzFeed]
* In other LGBT legal news, New York City is likely to make it easier for transgender individuals to amend their birth certificates. [New York Times]
* Good news for Joan Orie Melvin, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice turned convicted felon: her unorthodox sentence has been stayed (again). [How Appealing]
* Eduardo Leite, who has led Baker & McKenzie since 2010, gets another two years at the helm of Biglaw’s biggest firm. [American Lawyer]
* Cravath associate Micaela McMurrough scores a victory in tax court for artists. [New York Times]
* The ABA has issued a new opinion addressing ethical issues raised during the sale of a law practice. [American Bar Association]
* Why do lawyers blog? Tim Baran of Rocket Matter talks to 23 of us. [Legal Productivity]
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools, Money, Quote of the Day
The ABA Doesn't Care If Law Students Are Poor
Law students would be better off if they could receive pay for academic internships, but the ABA doesn't care. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools, Quote of the Day
The ABA Changes The Way We Do Law School
How will law schools be spending their money starting next year? -
Affirmative Action, American Bar Association / ABA, California, Crime, In-House Counsel, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Murder, Old People
Morning Docket: 08.13.14
* “I’m 98, and I don’t want to depart this world with this thing hanging over me.” Miriam Moskowitz was convicted more than 60 years ago, and now Baker Botts is trying to help clear her name before she dies. [WSJ Law Blog]
* “Get a lawyer, you know how this works.” Boston Scientific’s chief counsel was killed earlier this week, and police think that they may have identified a suspect — his former flame — in the brutal murder. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
* According to a recent study, California’s affirmative action ban has done some damage to minority admissions rates at both Berkeley Law and UCLA Law, and now things like this happen to their minority students. It’s quite sad. [Daily Californian]
* The ABA has delayed taking action on Concordia Law’s bid for accreditation, and instead appointed a fact-finder. We’ll help you with this fact of the day: we don’t need more law schools. [National Law Journal]
* If you’re thinking about signing up for a JD/MBA, then congratulations, at least one of those degrees may prove to be useful to you in some way, someday. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Cass Sunstein, Celebrities, Crime, Deaths, Federal Judges, John Roberts, Law Schools, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Violence
Morning Docket: 08.12.14
* “No person, no matter how high, is above the law.” It would seem Chief Judge John Roberts is unfamiliar with many of the attorneys we write about on a daily basis. [Associated Press]
* Considering many Americans can’t name a single justice, whether the high court issues 9-0 or 5-4 opinions likely matters little, but Cass Sunstein has a study on it. [New York Times]
* Judge Mark Fuller (M.D. AL) spent a night in jail this weekend after an alleged domestic violence incident with his wife. He paid $5,000 bond before he was released. Uhh… Roll Tide? [CNN]
* The ABA moved forward with reforms to help students gain clinical and distance-learning opportunities. Alas, being paid for work was too controversial this time. [National Law Journal]
* A woman who was trapped inside a law firm as a gunman opened fire before killing himself is now suing everyone for damages. You’d probably sue, too — it must’ve been terrifying. [Times-Picayune]
* Robin Williams, the beloved actor who recently played a very disgruntled lawyer, RIP. [ABC News]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Disasters / Emergencies, Drugs, Federal Judges, Law Schools, Marijuana, Morning Docket, Student Loans
Morning Docket: 08.11.14
* Baker & McKenzie was bumped from the top spot in the Global 100 last year when DLA Piper swooped in to steal the firm’s glory. This year, B&M is back with a vengeance, and richer than ever. Take that, DLA dopes. [Am Law Daily]
* “I’m pretty sure I just got fired.” Before the bud business was big enough for Biglaw, the mere suggestion of going green was allegedly enough to warrant some pretty major disciplinary action from a leading law firm. [National Law Journal]
* Judge Thomas Griesa is toying with holding Argentina in contempt for saying that it didn’t default. Argentina struck back with the social media hashtag #GrieFault. Clever. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s defense team has an expert who says that any jury in Massachusetts will be tainted because of the “inflammatory” news coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. [WSJ Law Blog]
* The ABA’s new Task Force on the Financing of Legal Education held its first public hearing to try to figure out why law school tuition is high. The ABA is so late to the party it’s not even funny. [ABA Journal]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Death Penalty, Job Searches, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Summer Associates
Morning Docket: 08.04.14
* All work and no play makes summer associates sad, but they had a really great time this year, what with the lucky law students attending Broadway shows, sporting events, and Russian cabarets. Sounds like fun! [Am Law Daily]
* Alas, not everyone was getting wined and dined this summer. Some lawyers can’t even find a place to work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal services sector lost ~200 jobs during the month of July. [WSJ Law Blog]
* It may be the “worst time in the history of legal education to go to law school,” but because of new programs being launched, at least some of our recent graduates will be less screwed. [New York Times]
* “The ABA is used as a whipping boy for standing in the way of innovation,” but soon it’ll vote on revisions to its accreditation standards. Welcome to the party, ABA, thanks for being late. [National Law Journal]
* It took 15 doses of lethal injection drugs to execute Joseph Wood when it should’ve taken one. Don’t worry, it wasn’t cruel and unusual punishment — the Arizona Department of Corrections says so. [CNN]
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5th Circuit, Abortion, American Bar Association / ABA, Anthony Kennedy, Biglaw, Constitutional Law, Gay Marriage, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 07.30.14
* When it comes to bans on same-sex marriage, for Justice Anthony Kennedy, animus is a “doctrinal silver bullet” — the fact that there was no animus involved in the enactment of many of them may be problematic at the high court. [New York Times]
* Relying on some obscure Supreme Court precedent, the Fifth Circuit saved Mississippi’s lone abortion clinic after striking down as unconstitutional a state law that would have required doctors to have hospital admitting privileges. [National Law Journal]
* Given the situation over at Bingham McCutchen, people are starting to wonder about whether all the guaranteed contracts to members of merger partner McKee Nelson’s partnership helped to shape the firm’s current financial plight. [Am Law Daily]
* Hot on the heels of Cooley Law canceling its first-year class at Ann Arbor and announcing tentative plans to close the campus, the ABA approved the school’s affiliation with Western Michigan. Yay? [MLive.com]
* Here’s one way to become a lawyer without racking up massive amounts of debt: you could try to “read” the law like Abraham Lincoln, and work as a law firm apprentice. That sounds delightful. [New York Times]