Paul Pless

Former Law Dean Arrested On Prostitution-Related Charge

Law school administrators allegedly love to screw -- sometimes with numbers, and sometimes with hookers...

Morning Docket: 09.03.12

Ed. note: Due to the Labor Day holiday, we’ll be on a reduced publication schedule today. We’ll be back to normal tomorrow. A restful and happy Labor Day to all! * The lone ex-Dewey partner who was sued by Citibank for defaulting on his capital loan is fighting back, claiming that he was “fraudulently induced” into signing up for the plan even though the bank knew that the S.S. D&L was sinking. [Reuters] * If you’re trying to avoid additional questions being raised about your alleged bad behavior, a resignation amid scandal isn’t the way to do it. Suzanne Barr, the ICE official accused of running a federal “frat house,” has quit her job. [New York Daily News] * A federal judge taught the members of the Louisiana Supreme court that the year 1994 did, in fact, occur before the year 1995. Justice Bernette Johnson will now ascend to the rank of chief justice. [Times-Picayune] * Because we’re all a little hopeless these days: given the bleak realities of our economic situation, perhaps it’s finally time to change the standard for a discharge of student loan debt in bankruptcy. [New York Times] * “The groups that attempt to rank schools are involved in a lot of hogwash.” Even if that’s the case, people are still going to care about the University of Illinois’s rankings nosedive after the Paul Pless to-do. [News-Gazette] * Don’t be scared by the absurd tuition rates or the abysmal job prospects, because law school is still a great investment for African-Americans — and for law schools in search of diversity, too. [National Law Journal] * “[T]hat a lawyer would take this kind of case is shocking.” Sadly, it’s not. Angelica Marie Cecora, the alleged escort who filed a $5M suit against Oscar de la Hoya, now has to pay all of his legal fees. [New York Post]

University of Illinois Law School Fined and Censured For Inflated LSAT Scandal

Illinois Law has been fined by the ABA. Is that enough to deter others who might want to cheat on the U.S. News rankings?

The Life and Death of the Michigan ‘Wolverine Scholars’ Program

Way back in 2008, Elie noted with derision the University of Michigan's "Wolverine Scholars" Program. He wasn't the only one. The initiative allowed Michigan undergraduates with very high GPAs to get into Michigan Law without having to take the LSAT. There's been much less fanfare about the end of the program than there was about its start, but we obtained some FOIA documents....

Quotes of the Day: Quite Ingenious — and Quite Busted

After reading our Quote of the Day, you might get an inkling as to the reason why Paul Pless, former dean of admissions at the University of Illinois College of Law, no longer has a job there....

Illinois Law and the Lone Gunman Theory of Admissions Fraud

It’s time to check in on the scandal involving the University of Illinois College of Law and its false reporting on the qualifications of its admitted students. Every time we do look at Illinois, the school tells us that “this time” they’ve figured out the full extent of the problem — and it’s a bigger […]