California Law School Deans Are None Too Pleased That The Bar Exam’s Passing Score Will Not Be Lowered
One law dean called it a 'tragedy.'
One law dean called it a 'tragedy.'
Will the cut score on California's bar exam be lowered?
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
Watching the State Bar fumble time and again over the past few years has been watching the proverbial train wreck.
* Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer spent Monday with special counsel Robert Mueller's team, chatting about all sorts of things related to the Russia probe. They presumably spoke about more than Trump's choice of Russian dressing. [POLITICO] * During a meeting held at Debevoise & Plimpton's New York office, the members of the Weinstein Company's board ratified their decision to fire Harvey Weinstein from his own company. Every employment lawyer's worst nightmare later resigned from the board. [DealBook / New York Times] * "Democratic attorneys general are getting national injunctions to stop the Trump administration. In just two short years, the national injunction went from rare to routine." The Trump presidency has ushered in the era of nationwide injunctions, and not everyone seems to be a fan of this type of one-size-fits-all jurisprudence. [CNN] * In case you missed it, come 2019, there will be three legal genders in California: male, female, and non-binary. Under the Gender Recognition Act, citizens of the Golden State may select non-binary as an option on state-issued IDs, driver’s licenses, and birth certificates. Congratulations on this landmark legislation. [Esquire] * The number of this year's law firm mergers is set to break records, but you better get ready for MOAR MERGERS. Per Janet Stanton of Adam Smith Esq., deals are happening behind the scenes, and partner defections may serve as an indication of merger talks. Can you think of a firm that's been losing partners? [Am Law Daily]
These deans aren't asking for much, they just want a bar passage score that's in line with the rest of the country.
The name of the game in California cannabis mergers and acquisitions should be buyer beware, and then some.
Legal work isn’t slowing down, and the firms that win won’t be the ones working harder — they’ll be the ones working smarter.
* The ACLU is ready to fight a Louisiana school district after they told student athletes they must stand for the national anthem or they'll get kicked off the team. [Huffington Post] * New York landlords that harass rent stabilized tenants beware -- AG Eric Schneiderman has his eye on you. [Cityland] * The Supreme Court's role in building Hugh Hefner's naked empire. [Law and More] * Starting a new Biglaw job? Tips to keep your finances in order. [Corporette] * Will lowering California's bar cut score do more harm than good? [Lawyerist] * The party behind Brexit has a new logo that looks a little like they cribbed it from a law school. [LegalCheek]
A one-stop shop for lawyers who want to learn as much as they can about a judge.
Los Angeles is finally starting to embrace comprehensive cannabis control and oversight.
There's also the question of whether we can expect California to embrace things like canna-crawls and bud and breakfasts.
LexisNexis sat down with John Ursin, Managing Partner at Schenck Price, to learn how the firm is using legal AI to strengthen client service and daily legal work.
* Yes, it's true: Jeff Sessions came thisclose to resigning as attorney general, after Donald Trump berated him following the appointment of special counsel Bob Mueller in the Russia probe. [New York Times] * Bye-bye to blue slips? It wouldn't exactly be "nuclear," since their treatment has varied greatly over the years. [BuzzFeed] * The State Bar of California tries to cut down the arguments in favor of a lower cut score on the bar exam. [ABA Journal] * Technology platforms are driving an increase in transparency that's having profound consequences for the employer/employee relationship (as I recently discussed on the podcast of Akerman employment-law partner Matt Steinberg). [Akerman] * Embattled Equifax has turned to Phyllis Sumner and King & Spalding for much-needed legal help in the wake of its massive data breach. [Law.com] * Statutory interpretation question: can you be both the victim and the perpetrator in a child pornography case? [How Appealing] * The ranks of nonequity partners continue to grow; has this trend gone too far? [Big Law Business] * Prosecution of individuals in cases of corporate wrongdoing (aka the Yates Memo), and Justice Department policy on enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states where it has been decriminalized -- both are "under review" at the DOJ, according to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. [Law.com]
This tale is truly insane.
Will we EVER find out if there's a new cut score for this test?
What should you as a California cannabis business owner do to protect yourself?
Is this a good move?