Boston University Law School

Later, When Students Have Sex On Or With A Duck Boat, The Law School Will Regret Rationing Water

By

Did you know public drinking fountains were a Prohibition-era program to provide an alternative to liquor and beer? More factoids from Ken Burns’s Prohibition at 11:00.

It’s about to be law school “prom” season. This is a fun season for Above the Law. Law students go out, get drunk, and have adventures. Then we write stories about it.

Then the law schools get embarrassed and make rules and engage in hand-wringing over adults drinking like children. It’s the circle of life.

I think concern over rampant student binge drinking is a little overwrought, but then I heard about the school that will be rationing free water at the prom this year and thought, “Boy, way to not do the one thing that would really help….”

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Later, When Students Have Sex On Or With A Duck Boat, The Law School Will Regret Rationing Water”

35 Comments

Which Is the Most Wicked Awesome Law School in Boston?

By

Law schools, properly understood, ought to be viewed as regional vocational schools. You will have to pass the bar exam for the state in which you want to practice, and a law school in that state, in theory at least, is more likely to prepare you for the specific content on the state bar. Typically, the majority of alumni don’t stray too far, so the strongest network will be local, for local jobs. It’s to your advantage to go to school where you want to practice, sometimes even more so than going to a higher-ranked school.

With this in mind, last week we looked at our ATL Insider Survey results pertaining to New York City-area law schools. We examined how current law students rate their schools in terms of academics, career counseling, financial aid advising, practical/clinical training, and social life.

Today we turn to Boston. The results of our survey might surprise you….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Which Is the Most Wicked Awesome Law School in Boston?”

23 Comments

Career Alternatives for Attorneys: Professional Balloon Twister

By

Can you make this? I didn’t think so.

Our latest career alternative for attorneys is definitely outside the box. It’s not like, say, going into finance, or consulting, or even writing and blogging. It’s really different.

We’re talking about balloon twisting. Yes, that’s right — like the kind of you see at children’s parties, or done by street performers. In fact, today’s profile subject earned extra money during law school by performing as a balloon twister on the streets of Boston….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Career Alternatives for Attorneys: Professional Balloon Twister”

3 Comments

Non-Sequiturs: 09.13.12

By

Reichen Lehmkuhl

* In response to our contest for the best law firm offices, Vivia Chen proposes a contest for the shabbiest law firm offices — and gets the ball rolling with one nominee. (Hint: CHECK YOU hallways.) [The Careerist]

* Professor Eugene Volokh shares his views on the juicy leaked law review emails we covered earlier. [Volokh Conspiracy]

* And Professor Josh Blackman has some ideas about the identity of the conservative professor discussed in the controversial emails. [Josh Blackman's Blog]

* Villanova hired ESPN’s Andrew Brandt to be the director of the school’s Center for Sports Law. Students would probably be more excited if this meant ESPN was interested in hiring them. [SB Nation Philly]

* Sumner Redstone of Viacom just donated $18 million to Boston University Law. Quick, Boston College, hurry up and find an old rich guy to make a multi-million dollar donation to your school! [Hollywood Reporter]

* Reality TV hottie Reichen Lehmkuhl, perhaps better known for being Lance Bass’s ex-boyfriend, reports that he’s going to law school. He should be required to attend class without his shirt on. [Instinct Magazine]

4 Comments

Quote of the Day: Dancing Judicial Queen

By

Justice Ginsburg

The sight of a Supreme Court justice on stage twirling around with her hands in the air to a goofy song next to a spinning 6-year-old girl is not one that I can soon forget, no matter how many times I undergo hypnosis.

– Boston University law professor Jay Wexler, describing what it was like to attend an interactive school musical with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg while working as her clerk.

8 Comments

Quote of the Day: This… Is American Jurisprudence!

By

Judge Christina Harms

Being a judge is not like being a contestant on “American Idol.” You are not looking for votes.

– Former Judge Christina Harms, commenting on the need for judicial independence in the court system. Harms recently came under fire after ordering that a schizophrenic woman have an abortion and be sterilized.

Controversy arose when the Massachusetts Appeals Court overturned the decision, and now Harms claims that Boston University School of Law has reneged on a job offer due to her “unpopular” ruling.

38 Comments

Desperately Seeking Michael: Help This Girl Find Her Missed Connection at BU Law!

By

After the Patriots lost the Super Bowl, some people in Massachusetts got really riled up. Students at UMass Amherst rioted, and hundreds of crybaby Pats fans could be seen Bradying up and down the streets of Commonwealth’s capital. But when all of that was happening, a girl and a boy met by chance while attempting to catch a cab. The young couple shared the ride home, but perhaps they could have shared much more if only phone numbers had been exchanged.

We’ve wondered in the past if Above the Law readers could crowdsource a lawsuit, but could it work for a budding romance? Let’s find out….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Desperately Seeking Michael: Help This Girl Find Her Missed Connection at BU Law!”

30 Comments

Congratulations To Our 2011 Law Revue Video Contest Winner!

By

After the closest vote in (the three-year) history (of the Law Revue contest), we are finally able to crown the best law revue video in 2011.

May all of the pride and good feeling in all the land be sent henceforth to Boston University School of Law, for their winning video submission: I Like The Law.

Their video bested the submission from UC Davis Law, Davis State of Mind, by a mere 47 votes. That’s 47 votes out of nearly 11,000 cast. That’s ridiculous…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Congratulations To Our 2011 Law Revue Video Contest Winner!”

62 Comments

Open Thread: 2012 U.S. News Law School Rankings (16 – 30)

By

And now things get interesting. As we continue to run through the U.S. News 2012 law school rankings, we get to a crucial set of schools. The schools in this batch are certainly top tier, but they’re not “top 14″; for the most part, though, they charge like top 14 schools (especially the private ones).

So this is the batch of schools where we usually hear questions like: Should I go to this school at full price, or a much lower-ranked school for free? And our answer is usually, “How much lower-ranked are we talking about?”

The bottom line is that when people get into schools like Duke, or Penn, they are going to end up going to that school. But when people get into some of the schools on this list, they do seriously consider other options. Should I retake the LSAT, score better and apply again? How much financial aid am I getting? What’s the job market like in the [secondary market] this school is located in, just in case I get stuck there? Is it worth it to go into this much debt for a degree from that school?

These factors should come into play no matter which law school you get accepted to, but at this point on the U.S. News list, cost factors take on increased importance…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Open Thread: 2012 U.S. News Law School Rankings (16 – 30)”

213 Comments

Here in the United States, if the professor ends class early, we do not complain.

By

Ending class early? She strenuously objects.

And maybe that’s why we’re falling behind the rest of the world educationally. But at least we’re having fun, right?

This story comes to us from Boston University Law School (a top 10 law school by alumni median income, by the way). A professor accidentally ended class 15 minutes early, and it looked like class was about to be dismissed — “until one officious intermeddler promptly strode up to the podium and passionately pointed to her watch,” according to our BU Law tipster.

The objector politely “reminded” the professor that there were still 15 minutes left in class — “on arguably the most strenuous day of the week for our section,” said our source. “We all could have used the extra 15 free minutes.”

Perhaps the officious intermeddler didn’t know about our American customs? “Due to her status as a foreign LLM student, and since no one knows her name, she has been dubbed ‘LLM Lady,’” our tipster explained. “She has been the topic of discussion among our section all day now.”

And “LLM Lady” has also been the subject of some amusing Facebook exchanges….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Here in the United States, if the professor ends class early, we do not complain.”

85 Comments
Page 1 of 212