Charleston School of Law

And Then There Was One: Penultimate For-Profit Law School Changes Its Ways

Cheers!

Morning Docket: 10.31.18

* Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he plans to introduce legislation to end our "absurd policy of birthright citizenship." Good luck with that, Senator, because if you want to amend the Constitution, you'll need a two-thirds majority in Congress and ratification of three-quarters of the states. [The Hill] * Women are allegedly being paid to make false sexual assault and harassment claims against Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and now the FBI is investigating the situation. The going rate for these made-up stories is apparently $20,000. [The Atlantic] * After having its plan to gift a troubled law school to Middle Tennessee State University be flat-out rejected, Valparaiso Law has decided to call it quits. We'll have more on this totally unpredictable development later today. [ABA Journal] * If you're in law school and your girlfriend breaks up with you, you should probably stop calling her -- unless, of course, you don't mind a harassment conviction and spending a year in jail. Now this fellow is trying to overcome his character and fitness obstacles to become a member of the bar. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] * In case you missed it, the Library Innovation Lab at Harvard Law School just unleashed about 6.5 million digitized court decisions online, for free, as part of the Caselaw Access Project. No, that's not a typo -- everything is free. [Fortune] * How did graduates of the Charleston School of Law do on the South Carolina bar exam this past summer? Not too well. For the second year in a row, more than half of them failed the test. On the "bright side," 59 percent of first-time takers from the school passed, up 11 percentage points from last year. [Post and Courier]

Law Students Cut Off For The Rest Of The Year After Barrister’s Ball That May Or May Not Have Featured Pissing On Otters

Law students gone wild, or just another enchanted evening under the sea?

Morning Docket: 02.12.18

* "The chief justice, in particular, doesn’t like the court to be a disruptive force," but that might change this spring as the Supreme Court considers reversing at least three of its longstanding precedents. Trashing precedents could potentially become much easier now that Justice Gorsuch is here. [USA Today] * Berwin Leighton Paisner and Bryan Cave partners are voting on their proposed transatlantic merger, and the results are expected by the end of the month. If the tie-up is approved, BCLP -- the combined firm's new name -- will be a billion-dollar firm with 1,500 lawyers and 32 offices in 12 countries. [Law.com] * Charles Harder, the lawyer who brought down Gawker and now represents Donald Trump and members of his family, is experiencing some growing pains at his firm thanks to his presidential representation. Name partner Douglas Mirell just quit because of his "pledge to protect the First Amendment." [The Recorder] * New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has filed a civil rights suit against the Weinstein Company and its founders, alleging that they "repeatedly and persistently treated female employees less well than male-employees through gender-based hostile workplace harassment, quid pro quo harassment, and discrimination." [Variety] * In an effort to increase diversity, LSAC will be awarding a total of $1.5 million to five law schools so they can hold Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars programs on their campuses. Akron, Alabama, Duke, Houston, and St. John's will each receive these grants to convince college students to enroll. [Black Enterprise] * Congratulations to Charleston Law's National Tax Moot Court team, which just clinched its seventh championship title in a row. It's nice to know that students were able to rise above the school's designation as one of the "least selective law schools in the country" to create a tax law dynasty. [Post and Courier] * Remember the former Ulta employee who accused the beauty retailer of reselling used products as new? Now a concerned customer has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit over the store's "widespread and surreptitious practice" of allegedly repackaging and selling returned products. [Chicago Tribune]

This Law School’s Bar Exam Passage Rate Is Dragging Down The Entire State

A tale of two law schools.

2 Law Schools Fail Government’s Gainful Employment Test, 3 More On Chopping Block

Uh-oh! Which schools came up short?

Infilaw Gave Indicted S.C. Legislator $35K That Was Totally Not A Bribe, Says Infilaw

A state legislator faces ethics charges, and a law school is prominently named in the indictment.

Morning Docket: 10.27.16

* Results are out for the July 2016 administration of the South Carolina bar exam, and it appears that the Charleston School of Law is having trouble when it comes to its grads' ability to pass. Barely half of test-takers from the law school passed (50.9 percent), down from 57.4 percent last year, and 65.3 percent the year before that. Whoops! [FITS News] * No matter what Senator Ted Cruz says, when it comes to the Supreme Court, eight isn't enough. In fact, according to what Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said at a recent New York City Bar event, "Eight is not a good number." Justice Sonia Sotomayor agreed, stating, "I think we hope there will be nine as quickly as possible." [Washington Post] * The Supreme Court bar rarely meets, but when it does, it's to honor the passing of a deceased justice. On November 4, the Supreme Court bar will convene to honor the late Justice Antonin Scalia, and the ceremony will be live-streamed, and several judges, law firm partners, law professors, and former clerks will give remarks. [Supreme Court Brief] * "[T]his appeal presents a situation in which all the justices’ impartiality might be questioned." Controversial Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore wants his suspension to be lifted, but all of his former judicial colleagues have recused themselves, so several retired judges will be hearing his appeal. [Associated Press via ABA Journal] * China’s Ministry of Justice has ordered that all lawyers "support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party." Lawyers are prohibited from making statements that "reject [China's] fundamental political system," "endanger national security," or "attack or slander" the judicial system. They could face disbarment for disobeying. [WSJ Law Blog]

Formerly Drowning Law School Sees Enrollment Bonanza On Horizon

Disastrous law school finally turns it around.

Morning Docket: 01.25.16

* "I have standing to sue. Can you imagine if I did it? Should I do it just for fun?" Republican front-runner Donald Trump is floating a possible lawsuit against Ted Cruz over the senator's eligibility to run for POTUS -- because litigation is so much fun! [The Hill] * Everyone likes to think Justice Antonin Scalia is a crazy curmudgeon, but one of his former SCOTUS clerks knows there's a softer side to the man people love to hate. In reality, he's "an incredibly warm and generous man" with a "wonderful sense of humor." [Columbus Business First] * A federal judge who's had a change of heart about a lengthy sentence he gave to an admitted murderer says he and his colleagues need a way to give "second-look reviews" to adjust sentences for deserving prisoners. Would this work? [New York Times] * If the ruling in this case catches on, New York attorneys may soon be able to serve people via Facebook. Of course, if your lawsuit winds up in a defendant's "Filtered Messages," he'll never see it, but it's still a pretty cool concept. [WSJ Law Blog] * Charleston Law launched a new admissions program that will allow students to begin classes in the spring and graduate in two and a half years instead of three. Perhaps the goal here is to graduate students before the school closes for good? [ABA Journal]

Morning Docket: 01.06.16

* Former Wisconsin District Attorney Ken "I Am The Prize" Kratz -- perhaps better known as the lead prosecutor in Netflix series "Making a Murderer" -- outlines nine reasons why Steven Avery is actually guilty, despite the convict's claims to the contrary. [The Wrap] * Two law schools can expect to receive greater federal scrutiny when it comes to their student-aid dollars. Charleston Law and Thomas Jefferson Law join a host of for-profit beauty schools that will receive heightened cash monitoring. At least beauty school drop-outs have better job prospects. [Wall Street Journal via ABA Journal] * More than 100 women lawyers, including former judges, law professors, and Biglaw partners, have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, each detailing their own abortion stories in order to "humanize the issue." [National Law Journal; USA Today] * DEY TERK ERR JERBS! A new presidential campaign ad for candidate Ted Cruz which discusses immigration features an "invasion" of foreign lawyers, bankers, and journalists entering the country illegally and taking American jobs. NOOOOO!!! [American Mirror] * States that have legalized marijuana or are considering doing so are constantly making headlines, but it's time to highlight the states where the possibility of marijuana reform seems laughable. These are the 11 states likely to be the last to legalize it. [USA Today]