Law Schools
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4th Circuit, Biglaw, Crime, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 05.14.14
* Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may retire by the end of summer 2015, or she may retire by the end of summer 2017, or she may retire whenever she damn well pleases. For the love of God, please stop with this. [Legal Intelligencer]
* The Fourth Circuit appears to be split on Virginia’s gay marriage ban. The Tenth Circuit appeared to be split on Utah’s gay marriage ban. We’ll give you three guesses on the eventual Supreme Court outcome. [New York Times]
* Law deans lose their jobs when their schools drop in rank, and it seems Biglaw chairmen lose their titles when their firms post the worst single-year drop in revenue ever. Sorry Bingham McCutchen. [Am Law Daily]
* Ex-D&Ler Zach Warren wants to sever his case from the likes of Joel Sanders and the Steves, using a “guilt by association” argument. The only thing he’s guilty of is being too cute. [National Law Journal]
* The drama continues at Albany Law, where faculty members now face possible pay cuts or being put on unpaid leave following a “smear campaign” waged against Dean Penelope Andrews. [Albany Times Union]
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Bar Exams, Law Schools
Sad Ivy League Law Grad Says: 'So Many Years Of Schooling Have Led Nowhere, Just To Debt.'
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Basketball, Copyright, Football, Law Schools, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Trademarks
Non-Sequiturs: 05.13.14
* Wal-Mart adds lawyer offices. No, this article isn’t about Infilaw. [ABA Journal] * Now we are! The faculty of Charleston Law is pleading with anyone who will listen to stop Infilaw. [Pro Bono Populi (Charleston School of Law Alumni Association)] * Has the college applications process become a monopoly? There’s an antitrust lawsuit contending it is. Maybe somebody will make the same sort of claim about the law school applications process with all its major security concerns. [Reuters] * The latest traffic stats for blogs edited by law professors. It’s good to see Brian Leiter wasn’t just wrong about being more popular than ATL — he was really, really wrong. [TaxProf Blog] * Goldieblox paid the Beastie Boys (or technically charity) $1 million over using their song for 10 days in an effort to promote smart toys for girls. Good job bringing the lyrics to life, Boys! [Hypebot] * Speaking of intellectual property suits, the University of Alabama sued a company for using a houndstooth pattern because Bear Bryant used to wear hats with a houndstooth pattern that some other company developed. They’ve settled. [SF Gate] * Judge Claudia Wilken has denied the NCAA’s latest effort to delay the Ed O’Bannon trial. At least the NCAA is nearing a settlement on a concussion suit. I wonder if that’ll end up favoring the players? [Associated Press] * Litigation financing meets intra-disciplinary disputes as philosophy professors chip in to help a student sue a Yale philosophy professor for sexual harassment. [Chronicle of Higher Education] * Porsche sued for building cars that are too fast and too furious. [ABC News]
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Bar Exams, Law Schools, LSAT, Politics, Texas
Top Law School Admitted Dozens Of Unqualified -- But Politically Connected -- Students
Law schools have a vested interest in keeping the powerful happy -- they bring prestige, donations, and possible jobs for grads. But does any other school have a roster of students like this? -
Bad Ideas, Law Schools, Technology
Law School Sends Phony Email Threats During Finals Because It Hates Students
Who wants to guess which school pulled this boneheaded move? Hint: It's a top 50 school in the U.S. News rankings... -
Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Rankings, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 05.12.14
* Human Rights Watch wants to “stop killer robots” from being used as cops. In case that was really weighing on your mind. [PC World] * A profile and Q&A with Twitter’s foremost jurist, Justice Don Willett of Texas. He indulges us with answers longer than 140 characters. [Coverage Opinions] * The Berkeley bird beheader gets four years probation and service to an animal shelter. And you just know some bird is going to try and start something with him on the first day. [Associated Press via San Diego Union-Times] * Instead of announcing a new dean, Louisville has given a three-year extension to its interim dean to keep holding the “interim” title. What’s going on? Could one of the commenters be right: that the school doesn’t want to take on a new salary because they expect the school to fold? [The Faculty Lounge] * The Drake Law service dog lawsuit is over. [Des Moines Register] * Today is the last day to enter the New York’s Funniest Professional Competition! [Manhattan Comedy School / Gotham Comedy Club] * Internet collegiality alert: Internet Tax Lawyers blog blatantly rips off another blogger. For shame. [Law and More] * Comparing the U.S. News peer ranking with which faculty’s academic writing really gets read. [Tax Prof Blog] -
Elena Kagan, Larry Lessig, Law Professors, Law Schools, Quote of the Day, Richard Posner, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks, Tim Wu
The Letter Of The Law -- And How To Get A SCOTUS Clerkship With Weak Grades
How can you get B grades in 1L classes and go on to clerk for the Supreme Court? -
Basketball, Biglaw, Clerkships, Law Professors, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, Politics, SCOTUS, Sports, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 05.12.14
* Due to the extreme polarization of SCOTUS, with its near constant 5-4 opinion line-ups, “it becomes increasingly difficult to contend … that justices are not merely politicians clad in fine robes.” Yep. [The Upshot / New York Times]
* Tim Wu, the Columbia Law professor who first introduced the term “net neutrality” to the world, had two of his clerkships (Posner; Breyer) “arranged” by Professor Lawrence Lessig. If only we could all be so lucky. [New York Times]
* We’re getting the sinking feeling that the lack of diversity in law school is one of those problems that everyone and their mother claims to be trying to fix, but the lack of momentum keeps it from ever truly improving. [National Law Journal]
* When contemplating what law schools would have to do to get a bailout, this law professor has three ideas, and they involve changing her colleagues’ lives in uncomfortable ways. Well played. [Boston Globe]
* Cole Leonard is struggling to decide between going to law school and going to Mars. Well, he’s more likely to have a job doing anything on Mars than here on Earth as a lawyer. HTH. [Dallas Morning News]
* The L.A. Clippers have a new CEO, for the time being. Say hello to Dick Parsons, the former chairman of Patterson Belknap, a man who the world hopes is not quite as racist as his predecessor. [Am Law Daily]
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Drinking, Law Professors, Law Schools
Law Professor Gives Adorable Drinking Advice
Law professor warns students about the scourge of 'drink specials.' -
Law School Deans, Law Schools, Sex, Sex Scandals, Sexual Harassment
Lawrence Mitchell Threesomes And Other Startling Allegations In Affidavit
A firsthand account of the inner workings of Case Western Reserve Law School, replete with shocking allegations. -
Biglaw, Books, Death Penalty, Education / Schools, Kids, Law Schools, Mergers and Acquisitions, Morning Docket, Real Estate, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Tax Law
Morning Docket: 05.09.14
* If you want to become a Supreme Court justice, you can start by attending one of these three schools. The schools that produced the most justices are Harvard Law, Yale Law, and Columbia Law. [TIME]
* Many of the transactional practice areas that took a bruising during the height of the recession, like corporate work, M&A, real estate, and tax, seem to be coming back. Sorry litigators. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Following Oklahoma’s botched lethal injection, another death row inmate has been given a new lease on life — for the next six months — while an investigation is being carried out. [Associated Press]
* Members of the defense team for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev not only want their client’s comments after arrest stricken from the record, but they also want the death penalty off the table. Good luck. [CNN]
* A lawyer was arrested after a school board meeting because he complained for too long about a graphic sex scene in a book his daughter was assigned to read for school. That’s typical. [New York Daily News]
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Law School Deans, Law Schools
Young Entertainment Lawyers Talk About Getting Their Jobs
How do entertainment lawyers gets their jobs? -
Law Schools, Old People, Quote of the Day, Student Loans
Old Dog Goes To Law School To Learn New Tricks
This guy paid a lot of money to learn how to win fights with his wife...
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Books, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Law Professors, Law Schools
Casebook Publisher Has Aggressive New Plan To Rip Off Law Students
Do you think the $200 you spend on a casebook means you own it? This publisher doesn't think so.... -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Education / Schools, Howrey LLP, Law Professors, Law Schools, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.08.14
* Footnote fight! Justice Sonia Sotomayor has been clashing with quite a few of her fellow Supreme Court jurists lately, aside from Chief Justice John Roberts. She recently inspired the wrath of Justice RBG herself. [New York Times]
* After months of being poked and prodded for cash, 60 former Howrey equity partners have reached clawback deals with bankruptcy trustee Allan Diamond, and it looks like a few of them agreed to pay pretty hefty sums. [Am Law Daily]
* Here’s a headline we could’ve told you was coming: “The US lawyer bubble has conclusively popped.” It’s not a terribly good decision to attend now, but if you do, people who can’t pay you need your help. [Quartz]
* Cutting law school tuition may be a good idea to attract more students, but in the long run, it could hurt the schools, says Moody’s. Aww, let us shed some tears for those poor law schools. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Crim Law prof not guilty of… crime. Stephen Smith of Notre Dame Law was acquitted on a misdemeanor invasion of privacy charge, and the felony battery charge he faced was dismissed. [South Bend Tribune]
* The University of Arizona will be the first school in the U.S. to offer a bachelor’s degree in law. The degree is being marketed to people who eventually want to have lots of law-related debt. [National Law Journal]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Rankings, Rape, Videos
Non-Sequiturs: 05.07.14
* When you think of professions likely to be menaced by armed maniacs, you don’t think of veterinarians. You’d be wrong. [Legal Juice] * Robert Ambrogi talks with Bryan Garner about the latest edition of Black’s Law Dictionary, including the fact that three new terms coined by David Lat made this edition. Let’s start the campaign for Appellageddon and SCOTocaplypse for next time around! [Robert Ambrogi's LawSites] * The ABA has appointed an all-star panel to study law school financing. By “all-star” they mean “all the people responsible for the status quo.” That’s how you do “reform,” guys. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * A photo essay of people breaking the stupid laws on the books in various states. [The Phoblographer] * Law professors making a difference in the real world. Specifically, pushing the anti-smoking message. [PR Log] * A Seattle attorney pleads to 5 counts of third-degree rape to avoid trial over attacks on a series of massage therapists. He says he’s just a sex addict. The government says he was “kicking in doors, and pulling knives on them.” That sounds pretty extreme for a sex addiction. [Seattle Times] * Check out Elie talking about the ATL Top 50 Rankings, after the jump… [Mimesis Law] -
Law School Deans, Law Schools, Quote of the Day, Romance and Dating
Dean Lawrence Mitchell Was Making Out... Where?
There are some tawdry stories coming out of this Case Western thing. -
Law Professors, Law Schools
Law Professor Doesn't Want Her 'Ghetto' Award
Teacher of the year awards an 'F' to fellow faculty. -
Job Searches, Law Schools, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
Entering The Race: Advice For Law Students
What can law students do today to keep themselves out of the unemployment line tomorrow? -
BARBRI, Biglaw, Christopher Christie, Football, Job Searches, Labor / Employment, Law Schools, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Public Interest, Technology
Morning Docket: 05.07.14
* According to the latest Citi report, Biglaw was looking pretty good during the first quarter of 2014. Revenue was up by 4.3 percent — the best first quarter results since 2008. Hooray! [Am Law Daily]
* Nice work if you can get it: Gibson Dunn, the firm hired to handle New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s “Bridgegate” investigation, billed about $1.1 million for roughly two weeks of work. [NJ.com]
* A “perfect storm” of too many grads and not enough jobs caused the decline in law school enrollment. The solution is obviously online learning instead of lowering tuition. Yep. [New Hampshire Public Radio]
* Spend your summer in a “nontraditional” job setting. This is some great advice to prepare yourself for not being able to get a job at a firm after graduation. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* Our congratulations go out to Catherine Wauters of George Mason Law, winner of BARBRI’s inaugural public interest fellowship! (Our very own managing editor, David Lat, served as one of the judges.) [CNBC]
* The latest football franchise to face the wrath of underpaid cheerleaders is the New York Jets. Members of the team’s “Flight Crew” say they make less than minimum wage to shake their pom poms. [Bloomberg]