Law Schools

The Only Thing That’s ‘Hot’ at This School Is the Temperature

By

Back in mid-March, we brought you a story about a law school in Michigan that had been flummoxed by the sun’s wrath. Now, almost like clockwork, just one month later, we’ve got another story about #firstworldproblems coming from a law school in Connecticut.

The school in question is well aware of its climate control problem, “but it has not yet risen to a level of importance to get funding.” You hear that, law students? Pit stains be damned! Your comfort is meaningless, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars that you collectively pay to attend law school are nothing more than an entry fee to an overpriced sauna.

But should we really be surprised? This school already suffered a major rankings fail in 2012, so asking them to turn off the heat on an 80+ degree day might be too much to handle….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “The Only Thing That’s ‘Hot’ at This School Is the Temperature”

Sign up for the Above the Law newsletter

Subscribe to our free daily email and get breaking news, commentary, and opinions on law firms, lawyers, law schools, lawsuits, judges, and more.

Now That’s Transparency: ‘Most Honest Law School’ Admits a Graduate Is Employed as a ‘Sheep Farmer’

By

When we crowned the University of Michigan Law School as our Most Honest Law School, my colleague Elie Mystal chalked it up to their good, old Midwestern values. But just a few weeks after winning our March Madness competition, Michigan Law actually did something really honest — the school released all of its employer statistics for the classes of 2009 – 2011 (not to mention that it was the first elite law school to release its 2010 NALP report to Law School Transparency). Now if that’s not transparent, then we really don’t know what is.

While you ponder when the rest of the T14 is going to step up to the plate and reveal all of its employment information, we’ll help you analyze the data, and tell you what it could mean for you….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Now That’s Transparency: ‘Most Honest Law School’ Admits a Graduate Is Employed as a ‘Sheep Farmer’”

Morning Docket: 04.16.12

By

Apparently Google thinks this Mob Wife is a 'cheap hooker.' If nothing else, she totally dresses like one.

* The harsh realities of post-recession practice: will Biglaw leaders have to resort to alternative billing practices in order to survive? Well, they better, or else they’re “not going to have a law firm for very long.” [Washington Post]

* I don’t think “secret service” means what you think it means. Listen up, agents, prostitution might be legal in much of Columbia, but it makes America look bad when you can’t afford a $47 hooker. [New York Post]

* Jessica Recksiedler, the judge assigned to oversee George Zimmerman’s case, may have a conflict of interest thanks to her husband. Somebody’s getting banished from the bedroom this week. [Bloomberg]

* Law firms with ties to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have seen record profits compared to their take under Jon Corzine’s rule. That said, even if he called them “idiots,” it was totally worth it. [Star-Ledger]

* UMass Law is being reviewed for accreditation by the American Bar Association, and opponents are throwing some major shade. As if Dean Ward’s scandalous resignation wasn’t enough. [South Coast Today]

* Is this house haunted as a matter of law? That’s what this New Jersey couple is hoping that a judge will say about their rental home. Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened in the tri-state area. [ABC News]

It’s February Bar Exam Results Season Already?

By

Crawfish trying to escape the final exam.

Ah, the February Bar; the exam where people who failed the July Bar go to redeem themselves or perish. It feels too early to start waiting for the results of this dreaded test, but apparently it’s already time for them to start trickling in.

For some of these February Bar takers, even Cory Booker couldn’t save them. But there is a lot to be said for getting back up on the horse on and trying again.

Especially if you live in a state which either has a supremely difficult bar exam or woeful legal education. I just got back from a trip down the Mississippi, and evidently the gators ate everybody’s Bar/Bri books….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “It’s February Bar Exam Results Season Already?”

Law Revue Video Contest: Dishonorable Mentions

By

We started taking submissions for our fourth annual Law Revue Video Contest at the end of March, and now, just two weeks later, we’re ready to pass judgment upon the funny videos submitted by our wonderful readers.

This year, 23 law schools submitted 31 videos for the contest. Some of them were funny, some of them were “meh,” and some of them made us want to cry.

As usual, we’re going to be starting with the videos that made us want to close our heads inside of our laptops. And because I am one bad ass bitch, I’ve been selected to critique them. Aww, don’t worry, I’ll try to be gentle.

The commenters, on the other hand… Let’s face it, your submission earned you a spot in the dishonorable mentions category. You kind of brought this upon yourselves, so get out the lube, because this might hurt….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Law Revue Video Contest: Dishonorable Mentions”

NYU Listserv: I Do Not Think WTF Means What You Think It Means

By

Student listservs are never for the faint of heart. Merely reading them sometimes requires a strong constitution and an itchy delete-key finger. Contributing to your law school listserv can be an even more harrowing experience, especially if you attempt to admonish or change your peers’ behaviors.

So, on one level, we admire this contributor to the NYU Law School listserv, for a brave attempt to clean up the language used in public emails. On the other hand, if you want people to stop using the phrase “WTF,” you should probably learn what it means first….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “NYU Listserv: I Do Not Think WTF Means What You Think It Means”

Morning Docket: 04.13.12

By

Nice mug shot! Happy Friday the 13th!

* A legal threat goes viral: if you’ve been living under a rock, Epstein Becker & Green is repping Fox News in any legal action brought against Gawker for the “Fox Mole.” [New York Observer]

* Jerry Sandusky’s motion to dismiss his child sexual abuse charges have been denied. And the fact that he thought this would get him off is funny on its own. [New York Daily News]

* When shouldn’t you flash an expired DA’s ID card at the cops? During a DUI stop. She can always use the “celeb angels and demons made me do it” defense. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

* New York City’s first female commissioner of the Department of Information Technology is leaving her job to milk the New York Law School cash cow. [Wall Street Journal]

* Law schools are snatching up old ass buildings left and right to house new programs and clinics. Looks like upcoming episodes of “Flip This House” will be brought to you by overpriced tuition. [National Law Journal]

* Yeah buddy! Apparently acting like a drunken idiot in Sleazeside pays off. A lawsuit has revealed Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D’s salary per episode, and it rivals a Biglaw starting salary. [The Clicker / MSNBC]

Law School Will Only Pay $12/hour for ‘Curriculum Development’

By

I wish U.S. News could come up with a data point that tells us how much money law schools invest in educating students and finding them employment, versus how much money they just pour into professorial salaries to people more interested in publishing than teaching.

Because really, this little Craigslist ad from a small law school in California seems to confirm what most people already believe to be true: when it comes the actual teaching of law, law schools are looking to save money.

Have you ever wondered who writes the “answers” to you law school exams? It very well could be out of work recent graduates who found that their legal training doesn’t translate into a full time job…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Law School Will Only Pay $12/hour for ‘Curriculum Development’”

Bail Set for Stephen McDaniel in the Lauren Giddings Murder Case

By

Last week, we wrote about the bail hearing for Stephen M. McDaniel, the Mercer Law School graduate accused of killing his former neighbor and classmate, Lauren Giddings. At the hearing, the prosecution cited a gory internet posting that it claimed was written by McDaniel. But it now appears that the post might have been a fake. When contacted by Above the Law, one of McDaniel’s lawyers, Franklin Hogue, denied that his client wrote the posting in question.

At the bail hearing, the prosecution asked for bond to be set at $2.5 million, while defense counsel sought $100,000 bond. Chief Judge S. Phillip Brown took the matter under advisement.

Yesterday he issued his ruling….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Bail Set for Stephen McDaniel in the Lauren Giddings Murder Case”

Barrister’s Ball Blowout: A Night of Booze, Barf, and Blood (and B*tching About the Budget)

By

It’s springtime, and you know what that means: the Above the Law tips inbox has started overflowing with lurid tales of Barrister’s Ball debauchery. To start the season off on the right foot, we’ve got story for you from a law school that’s been on our watch list before for alcohol-related offenses.

Apparently students at this Massachusetts law school don’t know how to hold their liquor, much less how to properly budget for a such boozy extravaganza. This event is rumored to have cost the Student Bar Association more than $20,000, with overbudget expenses alleged to have reached the $8,000 mark.

Not too shabby for an affair where various bodily fluids were spilled. The ensuing drama all played out on the school’s online forum, where the following message appeared:

Can we all make a pact not to post this to ATL like someone did with those crazy booze swilling alcoholic 1Ls (now 2Ls)?

Alas, it seems that the kids at this school aren’t good at holding their secrets, either….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Barrister’s Ball Blowout: A Night of Booze, Barf, and Blood (and B*tching About the Budget)”

Morning Docket: 04.12.12

By

* The EEOC suit against Kelley Drye was brought “for a reason.” You hear that, Biglaw? Other firms with mandatory retirement policies better take a look at their partnership agreements and make some changes. [Am Law Daily]

* Media whore lawyers unite! Cheney Mason of Casey Anthony fame has come out of the woodwork to support George Zimmerman. Still waiting on vital impressions from Gloria Allred. Oh wait… [Naked Politics / Miami Herald]

* Just think, maybe if Planned Parenthood of Texas had taken Tucker Max’s money, they wouldn’t be suing the state for banning their organization from the women’s health program. Nah, they’d still be suing. [Reuters]

* Georgetown Law is planning to launch an executive education program, but don’t worry, they’re not going to be competing with Harvard. They know they’re the safety school in this scenario. [National Law Journal]

* Love will definitely make you do some really crazy things, like watch The Expendables. Or allegedly commit a murder-suicide because your husband might’ve had an affair. Things like that. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

* Kim Kardashian’s dubious defense of the day: “I’m Armenian and hairy.” The only-famous-for-her-sex-tape star is trying to use that as an excuse to get a lawsuit over a hair removal product dismissed. [Fox News]

Open Thread: 2013 U.S. News Law School Rankings (76 – 99)

By

Welcome back to our series of open threads on the latest batch of U.S. News law school rankings. Last time, readers weighed in on the law schools that made up the top half of the traditional second tier. And when we say the “traditional second tier,” we’re harkening back to a time when not all law schools with numerical rankings were classified as “first tier” educational institutions. It’s not an elitist thing, we promise. It’s just easier this way.

That being said, today we’ll take a look at the schools ranked #76 through #99. What does it take to be recognized as a Top 100 law school by U.S. News these days?

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Open Thread: 2013 U.S. News Law School Rankings (76 – 99)”