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USN&WR May Alter Their Rankings Algorithm
US News & World Report is considering changes to its rankings of
the nation's law schools. The focus is on part-time programs and
whether or not their students' LSAT scores and GPAs should be
factored into the overall reported scores and grades.
Summer Hiring May Lag in '08
Summer associate ranks may be thinner for the
upcoming season. Many of the nation's law firms have
begun pulling back from the record-breaking hiring
of 2007.
A sampling of summer associate programs at several
top firms shows a decrease in the number of students
that they plan for this year. With last year's
summer associate tallies representing all-time highs
at some of those firms, many top firms were more
guarded at recruiting time last fall.
As the economy takes a dramatic downturn since
on-campus interviews began in August 2007, some law
firms are finding the possibility of a mismatch in
the supply of summer associates and their demands
for full-time starters.
While summer associate hiring at least at some top
firms look to be in decline, law firms in general
appear to be casting a wider net for the summer
associates they bring on.
According to NALP, of the 120 law schools that
provided on-campus interviewing information, 56%
reported an increase of 5% or more in the number of
employers participating in the process during fall
2007. However, the increase of school visits is
likely due to more midmarket firms participating in
recruiting.
Third
Year Reform Being Phased in at W&L
Washington and Lee School of Law announced a
dramatic change to the third year of law school.
Dean Rodney Smolla explained that the reasoning for
the change was that for "some time, members of the
legal profession, practitioners, judges and scholars
alike, have urged law schools to place greater
emphasis on professionalism and learning in
context." W&L is responding to these needs by
revamping the third year for law students, requiring
them to "exercise professional judgment, work in
teams, solve problems, counsel clients, negotiate
solutions, serve as advocates and counselors—the
full complement of professional activity that
engages practicing lawyers."
The new third-year curriculum, approved unanimously
by the Law School faculty, will be entirely
experiential in nature. Traditional classroom
instruction will be replaced by practice
simulations, real-client interactions and the
development of law practice skills. All third year
students will be required to obtain a Virginia
practice certificate and participate in at least one
real-client experience during the year.
At the same time, students will be immersed in a
yearlong professionalism program that explores what
it means to "live one's life in the law." This part
of the curriculum features study and reflection on
legal ethics, civility in practice, civic leadership
and pro bono service.
W&L's new third year will be staffed by a
combination of permanent faculty, adjunct faculty
and "professors of practice" drawn from legal
practice and the bench. These faculty members will
mentor students throughout the year and provide
immediate and ongoing feedback on their work product
and their reflections on real-world ethical
dilemmas.
Current plans call for the new curriculum to be
phased in over the next three to four years. A
number of optional courses following the
experiential model will be available next year for
rising third-year students. The faculty plan to be
in a position to offer the new model to all students
who opt for it as a substantial portion of their
third-year experience two years from now. After the
phase-in period, the new curriculum will be required
for all students who matriculate at the School of
Law.
Law
School Enrollment Flat for 2007
According to recent data by the ABA, enrollment for
first-year law students was flat for the fall of
2007. The number of men enrolled fell by 2 percent
and the number of women rose 2.4 percent.
Total enrollment for J.D. programs rose by 2.9%,
from 141,031 to 141,433 students attending the 196
law schools accredited by the ABA.
First-year minority students enrolled in J.D.
programs increased 0.9%, but as a percentage of the
first-year class, they dropped from 22.4% to 22.3%.
Among all students enrolled in J.D. programs, 75,383
were men and 66,050 were women.
ABA to
Require Law Schools to Demonstrate Bar Pass Rate
Reacting from pressure by the U.S. Department of
Education, the American Bar Association is preparing
to tighten a rule requiring law schools to show they
are graduating students who can pass the bar exam.
The ABA is expected to approve the controversial
measure at its meeting in Los Angeles from Feb.
6-12, when its House of Delegates will consider a
recommendation from the ABA's legal education
section.
The proposed change has drawn sharp criticism from
those representing minority law students' interests.
But it is one that the ABA hopes will appease the
Education Department, which grants the ABA authority
to accredit law schools.
In general, the change would create a quantitative
rule requiring law schools to demonstrate that 75%
of their graduates passed the bar exam or to show
that their pass rates were within a certain range
compared with other law schools in the same
jurisdiction. The change appears to be a new
interpretation of an existing accreditation
standard. Nearly all states require law students to
graduate from an ABA-accredited law school in order
to obtain a license to practice.
Under the current rule, the ABA does not require law
schools to demonstrate a specific pass rate;
instead, they must show they are preparing students
for admission to the bar and maintaining a rigorous
academic program.
Approving the change at this month's meeting is
particularly important because in June, the ABA will
go before the Department of Education, which will
consider whether to renew its accrediting authority.
The ABA House of Delegates will not meet again until
August at its annual meeting.
Critics of the move have argued that such a rule
would hurt minority enrollment in the long run as it
would deter law schools from accepting applicants
with lower scores on the LSAT.
2008 Law School Forum Dates
The 2008 LSAC law school forum dates will be:
| Houston, TX |
February 9 |
| Los Angeles, CA |
February 23 |
| San Francisco, CA |
February 25 |
| Washington, DC |
June 21 |
| Atlanta, GA |
September 12 |
| Miami, FL |
September 20 |
| New York, NY |
September 26 |
| Boston, MA |
September 29 |
| Chicago, IL |
October 11 |
Doing the Dual
Is a dual degree program right for you? Click here to read this article on the
dual degree programs. Special mention is made of the very popular JD/MBA joint
program many of you may be considering!
Chicago Law School Makes Audio Tours Available
The Chicago Law School announced the launch of a new program that will
provide audio tours to prospective students and other visitors. The Prospective
Students' tour is now available for
download.
Visitors can either download the tour to their own portable media players, or
borrow a player from the Circulation Desk in the D'Angelo Law Library.
Two more tours — "People & Ideas" and "Art & Architecture" — are in production
and should be available soon. All three tours were created and narrated by
second-year law students.
LSSSE Survey Shows Private Law Schools More Difficult
According to results of the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE),
private law schools are seen as more academically challenging than public law
schools. The study, co-sponsored by the Association of American Law Schools and
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, was released on January
3rd.
The study, which was based on responses from over 27,000 law students, found
that private law school students reported working harder than they originally
believed they could in order to meet faculty expectations. Exams often required
them to do their best work on a consistent basis.
Additionally, the survey found that students at law schools with enrollments of
500 or less were more likely to participate in class discussions. Conversely,
students at larger law schools were more likely to participate in pro bono or
volunteer activities.
The LSSSE aslo found that African-American students asked questions and had
higher participation in class discussions than other students. Most telling,
however, is that the study found that about one-third of law school students
said they will owe more than $100,000 in law school loans upon graduation.
Valparaiso Law Interview
Exclusive!
Interview
with Curt Cichowski, Associate Dean. Click
here to read the full, 4-page transcript free of charge!
Fordham Law Partners with EUI
Fordham Law School has signed an agreement with the European
University Institute (EUI), which provides for semester-long student
exchanges between the two institutions.
EUI, located just outside Florence, Italy, is one of the premier
research institutes in Europe. The work of the Institute is
primarily devoted to European problems and the European scholarly
scene.
The scholarly activities of EUI's law department focus on
comparative law and general international law. The law department is
highly regarded for its work in legal theory and for the
interdisciplinary nature of its scholarly pursuits. While the
official language of the Institute is English, courses are offered
in both English and French. Fordham Law students hosted at EUI under
the agreement will be researchers pursuing doctoral or post-doctoral
work.
EUI has very limited exchange agreements with U.S. law schools. The
Institute has agreements with Berkeley, NYU, and the University of
Wisconsin. The Law Department also has exchange agreements with
Columbia and the University of Michigan.
How Valuable is an LL.M. Degree?
Click here to read this article on the LL.M. degree.
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