Some of you may be wondering why Laura Leigh Reifinger is no longer a contestant in the "Naked Poll" being sponsored by Time Out New York.

Here is a statement we received from Ms. Reifinger (who, for the record, is an incoming law student at Fordham; she hasn't even started there yet):

I would like to send a sincere apology to friends, family, colleagues and members of the Fordham community who have been offended by this poll and would like to confirm that I have officially withdrawn from the contest.

What started as a silly dare has garnered more attention than I ever thought it would. There are no nude photos of myself, online or elsewhere, nor did I ever intend for there to be. I had no expectations of winning in a pool of 25+ contestants, nor did I plan to actually go through with the shoot if I had won. It was purely the thrill of participating in such a contest and trying to get out the last bit of "wild child" in me while I'm still a student, before facing the reality of "becoming a grown-up."

This just happened to be the wake up call I needed to make me realize that I should already be acting like an adult and that, even though I never posed for nude photographs, this sort of behavior is unacceptable.

It was a stupid thing to do and I take full responsibility for it. I can only hope that those close to me whom I have offended will forgive me for my serious lapse in judgment.

Personally we think it's ridiculous that she even feels the need to apologize. Laura Reifinger did nothing wrong by entering herself in the contest. And because she withdrew, she won't end up posing nude in TONY's pages.

But even if she had been photographed in the buff, what would have been wrong with that? Posing naked in a magazine is neither criminal nor unethical (provided it's not kiddie porn). Appearing nude would not have precluded her from being admitted to the New York bar. See, e.g., Regina Usvjat.

So why did Laura Reifinger -- who, as noted, isn't even in law school yet -- feel the need to take herself out of the running in the "Naked Poll"? Is the legal profession so conservative, stuffy and Puritanical that even future lawyers-in-training can't bare their bodies if they please?

Look, people: the world is a changin'. In our nation's largest state, men can now marry men, and women can now marry women. Freedom is the order of the day. So why get your proverbial panties in a wad because a beautiful young woman wants to pose naked in a magazine?

Earlier: This Law Student Wants To Strip For You

Word about Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe's rather odd commencement address at New York University is spreading rapidly throughout the blogosphere. It's already been picked up by Gawker and Instapundit. Here's an eyewitness account from an NYU alum:

Larry Tribe just gave a seriously weird commencement address at NYU -- especially the end, where he turns an amalgam of cosmologist / 60s love child, and tells all the grads to thank their mom and dad for screwing instead of watching TV, and thereby conceiving them....

Not to be too tough on Tribe, but I think the basic theme of the speech was that he's really, really smart and well read, and knows how to turn creative, even strange, phrases. (I thought we already knew that.)

How did Tribe get picked? Some speculation from our source:

I really think the only reason Tribe was honored, and got to speak, is that he was a key mentor to John Sexton, the president of NYU. Tribe probably recommended Sexton to be the NYU law dean, and then the NYU president, so this looks like payback.

Tribe has accomplished enough to have gotten the degree on his own merits, and I don't begrudge him it, but I'm sure the audience would have loved to have his co-recipient, Michael J. Fox, speak instead of Tribe -- Fox is vastly better known, and liked. On this point, see here.

Posted below is the "thank mom and dad for bonking" clip. A more detailed write-up from our tipster, after the jump.

As law school students wrap up the first year and get their grades, a tough decision must be made by a few. If your grades suck are not competitive, should you slog on?

We're not encouraging you to jump ship, but check out this list of famous law-school dropouts. Those who leave law school midstream are not doomed to failure. The list of law-school dropouts includes six presidents, a vice-president, successful businesspeople, some philosophers, and a member of The Doors. Not too shabby.

Renowned economist Greg Mankiw, now a professor at Harvard, talks about his decision to drop out of law school here. He explains: "[W]hile in law school, I decided, rightly or wrongly, that I had more natural ability in econ than law." Some people are just called to other things -- and there's nothing wrong with that.

Professor Paul Caron of TaxProf Blog has a list of schools with the highest and lowest percentage of 1L dropouts. Here's an excerpt:

The highest attrition rates can be found at:
1. Whittier (51.5% 1L attrition, #161 in U.S. News)
2. Touro (37.4%, #171)
3. Golden Gate (36.9%, #174)
4. Western State (32.6%, not ranked)
5. Jones School of Law (32.3%, not ranked)

The lowest attrition rates can be found at:
1. Yale (0.0% 1L attrition; #1 in U.S. News)
2. Stanford (0.0%, #2)
3. Ohio State (0.0%, #32)
4. Arizona (0.0%, #38)
5. Case Western (0.0%, #63)

The less-than-shocking lesson from the rankings: students with low grades at lower-ranked schools tend to seek out other opportunities.

The WSJ Law Blog asked the question after the first semester. But now may be a more logical time to consider it, since a full academic year has passed. If their grades haven't improved, should students stay or should they go? Here's an open thread to discuss.

Law School Rankings by 1L Attrition Rates [TaxProf Blog]
JD vs PhD: My Story [Greg Mankiw's Blog]
Should a One L With Poor First Semester Grades Drop Out? [WSJ Law Blog]
Famous Law School Dropouts [Now's As Good A Time As Any]

Harvard University -- and that includes you, Harvard Law School -- watch out. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is out to get you. From TaxProf Blog (citing the Boston Globe):

Massachusetts lawmakers desperate for additional revenue are eyeing the endowments of deep-pocketed private colleges to bolster the state's coffers by more than $1 billion a year, asserting that the schools' rising fortunes undercut their nonprofit status.

Legislators have asked state finance officials to study a plan that would impose a 2.5% annual assessment on colleges with endowments over $1 billion, an amount now exceeded by nine Massachusetts institutions. The proposal, which higher education specialists believe is the first of its kind across the country, drew surprising support at a debate on the State House budget last week and is attracting attention in higher education circles nationally.

The idea has prompted a range of questions, including whether it is legal to infringe upon private colleges' tax-exempt status or single them out based on their wealth. It also faces significant opposition from the colleges and some skeptical lawmakers.

And it's not just the Crimson whose blood would run under this plan:

In addition to Harvard, the legislation would affect Amherst College, Boston College, Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College, and Williams College.

Two of these institutions, BC and BU, have law schools. This tax would be bad news for them, but perhaps good news -- in a schadenfreude-ish sort of way -- for Bay State competitors with more modest endowments, like Northeastern and Suffolk. Deans of poorer law schools frequently complain about having to go toe-to-toe in the U.S. News rankings against institutions with vast accumulated wealth (which keeps on accumulating, tax free).

The Boston Globe editorial board thinks this tax plan stinks, calling it "economic suicide" and "an ill-conceived money grab that ignores how vital higher education is to the local economy." What's your view?

Mass. Considers 2.5% Excise Tax on College Endowments > $1 Billion [TaxProf Blog]
Lawmakers Target $1b Endowments; Exempt Status of Schools Debated [Boston Globe]
How to strangle an economy [Boston Globe]

As the 3Ls complete their steady march through finals to graduation, we wonder if those heading into Biglaw are thinking about how the next few years will be like one long finals week.

Remember back in the day when you were idealistic about the law school experience, touring campuses, and trying to decide where to go to become a top-notch attorney? CBS Sports has a column on how to choose the right law school. Yeah, CBS Sports.

Here are our favorites from the list of 17 pieces of advice. We left off "don't be seduced by rankings."

1. Visit the school when there's good weather, if at least half of the guys aren't wearing shorts, flip-flops, and t-shirts, then you don't want to go there. Law school should be fun because being a lawyer isn't fun. If people at the law school are already dressing like they're practicing law (or the law school has some sort of stuffy motto like, "We take the law seriously in the classroom too") then you'll be miserable for three years. Trust me.

5. Think about the size of the law school. My Vandy class had 184 people. That's like a high school. You knew everyone. Some people loved this, others wished the school was bigger because once they got drunk, made out with a midget missing an arm, and later were called a midget lover by the entire class. At a larger law school this probably would have been less likely.

7. When you visit consider the attractiveness of the undergraduate population. One of my good friends went to college in the northeast. He knew nothing about Nashville or Vanderbilt. But he went to a law school fair and the Vanderbilt counselor gave him the usual selling points for a school like Vandy. My friend was unmoved. Then at the end, the guy said, sort of under his breath, "Plus, the undergrad girls are unbelievably hot." Sold. Remember, you don't want to waste your love in the law line at the bar on mediocre girls with bingo wings.

14. Don't go to the Midwest for law school. Pick any other region. Unless you're absolutely certain you want to practice in Chicago. Yeah, yeah, Chicago's awesome but it's also the de facto capital of about eight states. If you really want to end up in Chicago you can get there from lots of places outside the Midwest.

We were surprised to find law school advice on a sports site, but the columnist, Clay Travis, is actually a 2004 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School. He says, "Never underestimate what lawyers will do not to practice law." Indeed.

Though most of his columns are on sports, he lets the law creep in occasionally, such as this column on how each Supreme Court justice might rule on a fantasy sports case. It may have been a bit too "inside legal baseball" for the usual CBS Sports audience, since the only comment is "What the hell is this guy talking about?"

Update: Wondering about the identity of the law student in the photo? See here (and note her comment at 8:54 PM -- she's cool with our using it here).

ClayNation: Looking for law school? Study this precedent [CBS Sports]

We were tempted to give you a scandalous photo of a Catholic schoolgirl with this post, but we thought a heavenly Will Ferrell was funnier. Now, on to Catholic School News.

We've been following the trials and tribulations of Ave Maria School of Law for some time now. The school even has its own category tag on ATL.

In the latest news, reported by Julie Kay in the National Law Journal, more than a dozen faculty members have left since the February 2007 decision to move the school from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Ave Maria, Florida (a town founded by Domino's founder and school head Thomas Monaghan):

The brain drain at the school has been devastating, [tenured professor Richard Myers] said.

"There were 20 full-time people on the faculty a year-and-a-half ago," he said. "Next year there will be five of that group left teaching full-time. That's a dramatic change."

The law school has been actively trying to recruit new teachers, Myers said, with only limited success. The school recently hired a tax professor and a visiting professor, he said.

Prospective law school students may want to steer clear until Ave Maria gets back on track. The extensive list of the departed faculty members is available below the fold.

In other Catholic law school news, we reported earlier this month on St. Thomas's decision not to let students complete their pro bono requirement at organizations with missions that conflict with Catholic values. If you choose to go to a Catholic school for its ranking and not its religious mission, don't expect sympathy if you gripe to your friends about the school imposing its values on you. In our poll, over 57% of the 1,726 voters supported St. Thomas's decision.

More discussion, after the jump.

Marc Dann is Ohio's attorney general... for now. But he won't be Case Western Reserve University's law school commencement speaker, per an e-mail from the dean this morning.

Dann was an ATL lawyer of the day honoree last month for running a dysfunctional office with staff accused of sexual harassment, DUIs, and ethics law violations. Oh, but there's more.

On Friday, Dann held a press conference where he revealed his affair with a staffer. Two of his staff were fired and two resigned last week, including the 28-year-old scheduler with whom Dann had the affair. If sleeping with the boss doesn't get you a raise and a promotion, what's the point? From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

Dann announced the affair at a news conference Friday morning, after investigators released a report on the sexual harassment investigation. The former state senator who once worked in a small Youngstown law firm blamed his inexperience and said he was not equipped to take over a state agency with more than 1,400 employees, including 400 lawyers.

"I don't know how many people here expected me to win the election, but I certainly was not among them. It was a surprise that I won," he said.

Saying that you didn't think you would actually win is the worst defense ever (and seems off-topic). Despite that, Dann says he plans to stay in office and clean up the mess. Good luck with that.

Five Ohio newspapers are calling for his head resignation. For ponderings on whether sex scandal politicians should resign, see Law and More and Vanity Fair. Case Western law prof Jonathan Adler wonders if Dann could save his career with a really good apology -- in song.

Dann had been slated to be Case Western Law School's commencement speaker on May 18, but the dean e-mailed the school this morning to announce Dann's withdrawal. Too bad. His speech could have been fun: "Hey kids, you too can use your Case Western degree to be a total f*#k-up, reward your friends with jobs, sleep with your scheduler, and tap state resources for personal use!"

Dann-related links, collected below. Dean Simson's email, after the jump.

Editorial Consensus: Dann Must Go [Volokh Conspiracy]
The Trials of Marc Dann [Volokh Conspiracy]
Dann should resign/be forced out if he's a lousy AG for OH, not because of That Woman et al. [Law and More]
Gov. Strickland on Attorney General scandal [Cleveland Plain Dealer Blog]
Dann draws more outrage [Dayton Daily News]
It's the Adultery, Stupid! [Vanity Fair]

In the current issue of Foreign Policy magazine, you'll find their list of the world's top 100 public intellectuals. The list appears here (and you can vote for your top five). Bios of the honorees -- and we must confess, some of these names didn't ring a bell -- appear here.

The public intellectuals explicitly identified on the list as lawyers, judges, or legal scholars are (in alphabetical order):

-- Aitzaz Ahsan, president of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association, and a leader in the Pakistan People’s Party;

-- Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate;

-- Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig; and

-- Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit, who wrote the book on public intellectuals.

And here are two other honorees with legal links:

-- University of Chicago law professor and philosopher Martha Nussbaum; and

-- journalist, Harvard Law School graduate, and Kennedy School of Government professor Samantha Power.

What do Professors Nussbaum and Power share in common? Cass Sunstein, as you may recall.

Professor Nussbaum is a former flame of Professor Sunstein, while Professor Power is his current main squeeze. Rumor has it that his move to Harvard Law School from his longtime academic home, the University of Chicago Law School, was prompted by a desire to be closer to the center of power -- Samantha Power, that is.

In their paper Six Degrees of Cass Sunstein: Collaboration Networks in Legal Scholarship, Professors Paul Edelman and Tracey George declared Cass Sunstein to be the "Kevin Bacon" of the law. But it looks like his influence extends beyond the narrow world of legal academia, into the World of Ideas, writ large.

In sum, two percent of the world's top 100 public intellectuals are former or current lovers of Cass Sunstein. This should provide consolation for Cass, who didn't make the list himself.

Professor Sunstein, you are the man.

The Top 100 Public Intellectuals [Foreign Policy]
The Top 100 Public Intellectuals: Bios [Foreign Policy]
Six Degrees of Cass Sunstein: Collaboration Networks in Legal Scholarship [SSRN / Green Bag]

Earlier: The Real Reason Cass Sunstein's Going to Harvard? He's Got the Power

Catholic law schools uphold two legal regimes: the laws of the U.S. legal system, and the laws from the big guy upstairs. Some students are just there for the former, and discomforted by the influence of the latter.

A tipster writes to us about a debate at Minnesota's St. Thomas School of Law. We notice that in their motto -- "Faith, Reason, Community" -- faith comes first. So students probably should have expected something like this:

At Minnesota's new law school, St. Thomas, the students have a 50-hour pro bono requirement. The school just announced that students can't get credit if they do pro bono work for an organization that supports birth control or abortion. It seems kind of goofy.

The Minnesota Post (via Minnesota Lawyer Blog) has an article about a St. Thomas student who tried to fulfill her pro bono requirement at Planned Parenthood. Though she got approval from the student board, Dean Thomas Mengler shot it down:

Mengler announced in a campuswide letter that students would not receive credit for volunteering at Planned Parenthood or any other organization "whose mission is fundamentally in conflict with a core value of a Catholic university."

"As a Catholic university, we have a right and a responsibility to be Catholic," Mengler said in an interview on Tuesday. "Certainly, one of (the church's) core values is sanctity of life."

See also today's Minnesota Star-Tribune (via Mirror of Justice, a leading Catholic legal theory blog).

St. Thomas isn't the only law school struggling to balance secular influences and religious traditions. We recently received an e-mail from a Georgetown alum who tried to direct his donation to the school's pro-choice campus group. They turned him down -- see the e-mail exchange after the jump.

UST Law has unplanned controversy over volunteer credits [Minnesota Lawyer Blog]
Quote of the Year [Mirror of Justice]
Volunteer-credits decision sparks debate at St. Thomas law school [Minnesota Post]
Student's volunteer mission is latest row at St. Thomas [Minnesota Star-Tribune]

Associate Dean Walter J. Dickey, of the University of Wisconsin Law School, is no stranger to these pages. Back in 2006, ATL named him America's hottest law school dean (male, B-bracket).

Now he makes these pages for less positive reasons. From the Badger Herald:

The University of Wisconsin Law School canceled an event with controversial sexual content last Wednesday, and some students are calling the action a possible First Amendment violation.

The Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice had planned an event called “Sex Toys 101” to promote safe alternatives to sex, educate about sexual health and pleasure, and discuss law concerning sex toys, according to the group.

As long as you're outside Alabama, a Tupperware party for dildos should be just fine, right?

Well, maybe not. From a tipster:

[Dean Dickey] cancelled a sex toy party, sponsored by a pro-choice student group, because he found the sex-positive subject matter offensive. And he did it 2 hours before the event, without explanation. Then he hid behind adminstrative rules, then it became clear that he just didn’t like it. First Amendment violation, sex toys, Dean Dickey… You have to run this!

Dean Dickey's dictat displeased the students:

Members of the organization submitted a formal complaint to Law School Dean Ken Davis Friday, requesting a formal apology, refund of event expenses and clarification of student organization event rules.

In an interview Monday, Law School Associate Dean Walter Dickey said the event was canceled for content-neutral reasons, pointing to a Student Organization Office policy that prohibits the promotion or sale of commercial products by a private company.

Professor Marc Randazza's take: "That sure sounds reasonable, and it might be if it wasn’t bulls**t!"

Why does Professor Randazza view Dean Dickey's defense as BS? Find out, after the jump.

We know you all love rankings!

Earlier this month, Leigh Jones of the National Law Journal reported on which schools sent the highest numbers of 2007 law school students to the 250 top-ranked law firms:

Columbia Law School landed in the No. 1 spot again as the school that sent the greatest portion of graduates to NLJ 250 law firms, with nearly 75% of its students in 2007 taking jobs among the nation's largest law firms. The school ranked No. 1 last year, when 69.6% of its graduates went to NLJ 250 law firms. Boston College Law School rounded out the list of the top 20 go-to law schools, with 36.8% of its 261 juris doctor graduates in 2007 heading for full-time jobs at NLJ 250 law firms.

All together, the top 20 law schools that NLJ 250 law firms relied on most to fill their first-year associate ranks sent 54.9% of their graduates to those firms, compared with 51.6% in 2006.

Northwestern won the most improved award. It moved from number 11 to the number 2 spot, sending almost 74% of its grads to top law firms. Two newcomers to the list were UCLA and Boston University. Texas and Fordham fell off the list.

Columbia "won" in terms of the number of students sent to the top 250 law firms, but NYU sent the most grads to firms ranked in the top 20.

Note the NYC and Chicago rivalries in the top four spots. So exciting!

Over at Empirical Legal Studies, Professor Bill Henderson analyzes the data in more detail, focusing on a chart showing the percentage of students at each law school that were hired by a NLJ 250 firm (which he dubs the "funnel cloud" -- fun stuff!). He concludes:

[The] chart has at least two takeaways: (1) the funnel cloud formation shows large law firm employment payoffs are non-linear and that the vast majority of schools offer similarly modest, but not insignificant, entree to this sector; (2) based on the volume of green and red at the top of the chart, most large firms prefer to recruit deeper into the class at a Top 20 school (and will pay a price premium of $160,000 per year) rather than shifting their model to lower ranked schools. 53% of all new NLJ250 jobs between 2005 and 2007 went to Top 20 biggest feeder schools from 2005.

For additional data -- including PDFs showing the employment outcomes of different law schools by region (e.g., NLJ 250 firm, other law firm, clerkship, unemployed) -- check out the links collected at the end of Professor Henderson's post.

Hiring more deeply into top schools [National Law Journal]
Large Law Firm Hiring -- Introducing the "Funnel Cloud" [Empirical Legal Studies]
What rankings don't say about costly choices [National Law Journal]

Law school commencement speakers have a tough gig, coming up with original pearls of wisdom for people who already know it all. We wish this year's crop of speakers luck! The TaxProf Blog has a list up of the chosen few here (also available after the jump).

ATL has a top ten list for you, with the reason he or she made the cut. In no particular order:

1/2/3. Stephen Breyer, at American University / Samuel Alito, at Catholic University / Stephen Breyer, at Northeastern

Breyer- 2. Alito- 1. The rest of SCOTUS- 0.

4. Jerry Springer, at Northwestern

For the ability to generate a comment clusterf*ck. Our question: Will there be midgets?

5. Timothy Finchem (Commissioner of PGA Tour), at UVA

Maybe he'll offer golf swing advice. That's probably more useful than the usual commencement speech wisdom.

6. Scott Turow (legal novelist), at Loyola-New Orleans

As suspenseful as his novels are, we bet he can craft an exciting graduation speech.

7. Sandra Day O'Connor, at William & Mary

As good as a sitting justice? Maybe better, since she can spill more dirt.

8. Ted Turner, at Baltimore

Perhaps the CNN founder will talk about how Nancy Grace has changed the face of justice reporting. Her report on an 18-month-old forced to smoke a marijuana pipe. Wow. Inspirational.

9. AG Michael Mukasey, at Boston College

No Founder's Medal for you!

10. Ohio AG Mark Dann, at Case Western

We hope he rolls up in the "Sunshine Express," his SUV with flames down the side. And brings his trouble-making posse.

Law School Commencement Speakers [TaxProf Blog]

We've been covering the University of Chicago Law School's decision to ban internet in the classroom. Courtesy of another law school, here's some evidence to support denying internet access to law students while in class.

Over at American University Washington College of Law, some students are apparently taking full -frontal advantage of their internet privileges:

From: David Jaffe
Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 5:11 PM
Subject: Classroom Incident
To: undisclosed-recipients

It has been brought to my attention that several students in the second-year part-time division were viewing pornography online during a recent class, in plain view of a portion of the class and with no attempt to disguise their behavior. This conduct not only reflects poorly on the students involved but also may serve to create a sexually hostile environment. Such conduct violates federal law, the rules of professional conduct, and the American University Code of Student Conduct.

WCL expects students to act with integrity and to maintain high personal and professional standards. This expectation is called into question by the inappropriate behavior that I have described. I call on those students who were involved in this incident to present themselves to me with an explanation for their actions, suggesting in the strongest terms that they do so before I am forced to follow a specific course of action through the WCL Honor Code and the American University Code of Student Conduct.

David Jaffe
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
American University Washington College of Law

Solitaire wasn't doing it for them, apparently.

We contacted Dean Jaffe for comment (and to learn the fate of the purported pornaholics). He issued the following comment:

I received in response to the foregoing email a communication from a student who acknowledged opening in class an email forwarded to his non-law school account containing what was meant to be humorous pictures, which he described as having the potential to be taken inappropriately. The student indicated that while someone could have thought the email was in bad taste that it was not pornographic. The student expressed that he did not intend for anyone to read his screen, and asked for the chance to personally apologize to anyone who may have been offended. The student added that he holds himself to a higher moral standard than the email portrayed, but accepted full responsibility for opening the email while at school.

We intend to take the necessary and appropriate steps to resolve this matter and to ensure that other students are not affected in the future.

Was the email in question pornographic? We don't know, since we never saw it. As Justice Potter Stewart famously observed, when it comes to porn, you know it when you see it.

When judges preside over law school moot court arguments, like the one at Columbia Law School last week, they often dish out this compliment to the student advocates: "You're better than most of the practicing lawyers who appear before us."

And maybe they're not just being nice. If we had gotten to this item a bit earlier -- it's from last week -- Roger Phipps would have been a Lawyer of the Day. We're happy to declare him our Lawyer of Last Week.

Over at the Legal Profession Blog, Professor Alan Childress draws attention to this per curiam opinion (PDF) by the Fifth Circuit. Here's an excerpt:

[W]e would be remiss if we did not comment on the conduct of Roger Phipps, counsel for Hartz, during oral argument in this case on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. Phipps’ conduct towards the Court during argument was unprofessional. Even more serious was his admission that during his work on the case (including his preparation for argument), he had not read a key Supreme Court case. His cavalier disregard for his client’s interest and for his obligation to the Court was both troubling and disgraceful. [FN4]

Accordingly, we are ordering Phipps to provide his client, Hartz, a copy of our opinion immediately after it is released. In order to ensure compliance, we are further directing him to supply our Court with proof of service.

Ouch. So what did Phipps do to incur the court's wrath?

Read the text of footnote four, after the jump.

Update: For a postscript to this story, see here.

When it comes to law school graduation speakers, it's hard to please everyone. Earlier this year, controversy erupted at Boston College Law School when U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey was announced as the commencement speaker. Some students, faculty and alumni voiced opposition to AG Mukasey, based on his involvement in the waterboarding / torture controversy (extensive coverage collected here; resolution of the situation described here).

Now we report on commencement controversy news of a rather different (and somewhat less highbrow) sort. It arises out of the decision by Northwestern University School of Law to invite Jerry Springer to serve as this year's commencement speaker. Springer got his law degree there in '68, worked as a campaign aide to Robert F. Kennedy, and served as mayor of Cincinnati. But he's perhaps best known as the ringmaster of scandal and vulgarity on the Jerry Springer Show (and an unsuccessful contestant on Dancing With the Stars).

Some Northwestern students are not happy about Springer's selection. From a tipster:

There is a current uproar in the graduating class at Northwestern Law. The graduation committee thought Jerry Springer would be an appropriate speaker for this year's convocation. Most of the student body is opposed to this, but this administration is sticking by the committee's decision.

Maybe he'll bring Northwestern students with secrets and unresolved conflicts up on stage, then have them confess and brawl. That might be more fun than the usual staid graduation ceremony.

We contacted the school for comment, which issued the following statement, from Dean David E. Van Zandt:

In keeping with the spirit of our community, our commencement speaker annually is selected by a student committee, approved by the administration, and invited by both.

Mr. Springer is an alumnus who has held public office as a city council member and mayor of Cincinnati. He has had a very successful career in the news and entertainment industries.

We look forward to Mr. Springer's participation at commencement.

At least one LLM candidate is trying to prevent Springer's speaking. See the protest letter circulating at Northwestern, and vote in our reader poll, after the jump.

Update: Also after the jump, a defense of Jerry Springer's selection as commencement speaker, which went out over the NU law school listerv.

The National Law Journal and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reported this week on the University of Chicago Law School cutting off internet access in the classroom. For more background on this story, check out our posts from March 25 and March 26. Ahem. Three weeks ago.

We did a poll way back in March. Over 63% of the ATL voters favor internet access in the classroom. These folks won't be happy about this tidbit from the National Law Journal:

[Chicago Law School Dean Saul Levmore] has received inquiries from about 10 other law schools interested in possibly following suit on the move, he said.

The Conglomerate Blog makes a good point:

[I] do believe that shutting down the wireless signal is a short-term fix, at best. I have become convinced that the problems accompanying laptops in the classroom are behavioral, not technological.

So, University of Chicago students, how's it going? Have you found other means of distraction-- doodling, passing notes, daydreaming? Hope you didn't miss our tattoo in exchange for legal services post this morning.

University of Chicago Law School blocking access to Net in classrooms [National Law Journal]
Internet Access in the Classroom? Not at Chicago Law [WSJ Law Blog]
Internet in the Classroom [Conglomerate Blog]

Earlier: Update: Hey Teacher, Leave Those Kids (and Their Internet) Alone!
Hey Teacher, Leave Those Kids (and Their Internet) Alone!

The deeply moving work of Bob Dylan has comforted heartbroken lovers over the years. But it also serves as a source of inspiration and support for heartbroken law school deans, distressed over their institutions' showings in the latest U.S. News rankings.

From an email that Dean Gary J. Simson of Case Western sent out last week to the faculty and staff:

From: Gary Simson
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 11:40 AM
Subject: FYI

For some perspective on the rankings issue and on how substance ultimately shines through in the end over superficial appearances and today's fads:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24000483/from/ET/

Despite Case Western's tumble, Dean Simson's faith in the school remains strong. As he recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "I've taught at [twelfth-ranked] Cornell. I've taught here. I don't see a difference."

Hang in there, Dean Simson. Right now it might seem that Everything Is Broken. But Your Love for Case Western Is Not in Vain. Hold on to your Dignity, and Someday Baby, you will crack the top 25.

Case Western Reserve University School of Law drops in U.S. News & World Report rankings [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
Bob Dylan receives honorary Pulitzer Prize [AP]

Just a quick reminder about an interesting event, previously mentioned in these pages, which is taking place in a few hours. The ABA Journal, which just profiled U.S. News "rankings czar" Bob Morse, is hosting a live chat with him this afternoon. From Edward Adams of the ABA Journal:

Morse will be taking questions from the public on ABAJournal.com on Friday, April 11, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. We hope you and your readers will participate.

More from the Journal:

Robert Morse, the man who created the law school rankings for U.S. News, offers an olive branch to law school deans who have long complained about the effect of the rankings on legal education. “Deans are welcome to call me or come by my office in Washington,” Morse says. “I want to work with them to improve the rankings.”

Some deans and former deans think they should engage the magazine, rather than just complain about it. “I think rankings need to be changed, and the only way that will happen is if law school deans sit down with Bob Morse for honest discussion,” says Nancy Rapoport, who resigned as dean of the University of Houston Law Center after her school dropped almost 20 points in the rankings. “I would attend a meeting like that without hesitation.”

So unhappy law school deans, here's your chance. You can already submit "questions" -- defined in academia as rambling screeds, concluded with "and what do you think of all this?" -- by clicking here. Or just visit the ABA Journal's home page at 3 PM Eastern time.

Additional links about the U.S. News rankings not mentioned in our earlier coverage, after the jump.

While the results are still flowing in from last week's ATL / Lateral Link survey on bar stipends, signing bonuses, and salary advances (1,130 responses and counting), today's survey looks at money flowing in the opposite direction: from individual associates to great big institutions.

In other words, let's talk about your student loans and other big debts.

As we reported earlier this week, the latest U.S. News & World Report law school rankings are out. And some schools are flipping out over their falling rankings. A tipster at the University of Iowa College of Law writes:

[B]elow is an email the Iowa law students received yesterday from Dean Jones about the new US News & World Report rankings. Apparently our dean is setting up small group meetings with the students. No faculty. No other administration. Methinks this may be somewhat of a divide and conquer strategy. These meetings may be in part a result of the newly formed Facebook group "Stop the Bleeding at Iowa Law."

My favorite part, though, is that the "faculty" have dubbed their concern about the rankings "Project Apollo." Well, if they're not going to do anything about it, at least they can come up with a secret, clever code name, so it looks in hindsight like they've been planning D-Day part 2. Bravo profs and administration, you've really impressed me this time.

Dean Jones's email appears after the jump. Meanwhile, a source at University at Buffalo Law School reports:

For the return on investment -- a Biglaw job for $13k a year in tuition (for the top of the class) -- many students were OK with the shortcomings of this law school. [But] with T3 looking over our shoulder, some fellow students are contemplating jumping ship....

It's hard to justify leaving for debt-ridden T25 greener pastures when L. Rev. and a market-paying job in the City are likely. No one likes to be on the Titanic, though.

The message sent to the Buffalo student body by interim dean Makau Mutua, after the jump.

Update (10:50 AM): Add the University of Minnesota Law School to the list of institutions whose deans are sending out school-wide emails about their declining rankings:

Students at the University of Minnesota Law School received this email today from the two interim co-deans. It's pretty hilarious that they try to claim we are still a top 20 school even though we are now ranked #22. It's particularly amusing that they have decided to "address the particular factors that caused a decline this year."

The email from the school's two interim co-deans, after the jump.

Update (11:10 AM): From a source at UNC School of Law:

Since you're posting panicked USN&WR reactions, add this one to your list. You know it's bad when you have to respond in Latin.

Dean Boger's email, after the jump.