• Indiana Tech Starts Work on New Law School- The Indiana Institute of Technology will begin construction immediately on a $15 million building to house its new law school on the Fort Wayne campus, The National Law Journal reports. According to the founding dean Peter Alexander, with the law school on campus there will be “many more opportunities for the law school community to interact with the rest of the campus and vice versa.” The law school will be the seventh school within a three-hour drive of Fort Wayne, which leads many to question if it’s really necessary. Apparently, according to a feasibility study, Indiana is considered “underserved by lawyers.” The school also plans to focus on practical skills, and “they envision numerous clinical offerings, including an estate-planning clinic that will advise Indiana Tech employees.” A reaction from Above the Law: “Prospective students paying nearly $30,000 in tuition (for an unaccredited school) and doing free legal work for faculty/staff. Gotta give the school credit for this business model.” The school is slated to open in the fall of 2013 with an inaugural class of 100 students.
• Passage Rates for California Bar- Results from the July California bar exam were released, with an overall pass rate of 67.7% for all takers, and 76.2% for those from ABA-accredited law schools. While test takers from Stanford Law still maintained an 88.9% passage rate, the highest rate was from USC Law, with a rate of 91.1%. Thomas Jefferson School of Law, which has already not made a great name for itself recently, had the lowest rate, 33.3%. As Above the Law put it, “TJSL charges people $40,100 per year in tuition, and two out of three graduates failed the bar the first time around. No wonder this school is getting sued.” Go to the site to check out the full list of accredited California schools and their passage rates.
• Ambiguity of Legal Education Reform- At the recent annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools, many focused on changes in legal education. As The National Law Journal reports, hundreds of law professors and administrators are working on revamping their curricula, attempting to achieve “the correct balance between traditional and practice-based courses and debat[ing] which skills to teach in light of the broad range of careers their graduates pursue.” Yet, these changes don’t occur overnight, as many schools are merely adding an extra clinic here or there to up their practical training. And while it’s important to take into account what skills Big Law and corporate clients need, most law grads work in small firms, nonprofits, government, or solo practice—and some even as nonlawyers. It’s therefore not so clear-cut determining which skills are essential for law students to learn. And the traditional, broad curriculum still has its benefits; thus, a delicate balance needs to be maintained. Plus, these innovations cannot succeed without the support from the legal hiring market, since “achieving sweeping reform would be difficult until legal employers create incentives by hiring students from these innovative programs.” All facets of the legal community must work together for real, lasting change to transpire.
• Judge to Head New Texas Law School- Judge Royal Furgeson Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, has been appointed the dean of the new University of North Texas Dallas College of the Law. As reported by The National Law Journal, the school will be the only public law school in north Texas, and is slated to open in August 2014. As to why Furgeson would take this position in these “tough economic times, when tuition is rising and demand for lawyers is declining,” he responded, “the prospect of pioneering a new law school that addresses these issues head-on was too challenging and exciting to pass up.”
• Drop in Law School Applications- While still early in the admissions cycle, as of January 13, the total number of applicants to ABA-approved law schools has dropped 16.7 percent from last year. Applications have dropped by 15.3 percent. These figures were confirmed to the ABA Journal by the LSAC. Since it is still early—“the number of applicants at this time last year represented about 48 percent of the ultimate count”— the numbers can “change considerably.” Yet if they continue in this direction, this trend reveals more awareness on the part of prospective applicants. As Above the Law asks, “Could it be that prospective law students are finally paying attention?”

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• New Housing and Construction at Southwestern- According to The National Law Journal, Southwestern Law School has started work on its first on-campus housing project in the history of the school. The project will cost $20 million, and is funded through bonds and private donors. About 153 students will be able to live in the new units, which makes up about 40% of the school’s average entering class. In addition, James Camp has been named the school’s first assistant dean for property administration and development. Camp said that the school will be undergoing continuous construction and developmental changes over the next ten years, “And we’re starting off with a major construction project and major change in the way the campus is focused—from a commuter school to a residential school.”
• Law School Transparency: Take Two- Law School Transparency is hoping for better luck and results this time around. The organization has asked every ABA-accredited law school to “release the graduate job employment report generated by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) for the class of 2010,” as reported by The National Law Journal. Last year, only one school agreed to share its information, and then reneged months later. According to Executive Director Kyle McEntee, LST wants to “plug some gaps in the information the ABA itself is compiling for the class of 2010, and to provide an apples-to-apples comparison of job and salary data to prospective law students before they decide where to apply.” So far, he has received more positive responses than last year, which can either be attributed to the added pressure law schools now feel to provide accurate information, or the ease in complying this time around, which merely involves forwarding a report from the NALP. While the ABA has added new categories to its questionnaire and some law schools have taken it upon themselves to provide salary and employment data on their web sites, most schools still don’t include all relevant data and don’t present it in a way most helpful to applicants. Accordingly, “Law School Transparency hopes to create a database that allows users to easily compare schools.” The organization also warned deans that refusing to share info could damage their reputation, especially among applicants wary of schools’ tendencies toward misinformation.
• Personal Statement Tips from Chicago Law- Having trouble with your personal statement? The University of Chicago Law School offers advice on their website. The main two things they are looking for in a personal statement are a representation of who you are and your writing ability. When trying to represent yourself, make sure to be yourself and honest in the essay, and make it personal, writing in your own voice. There is no need to discuss anything legal-related in the essay and avoid name-dropping. You also don’t need to restate your resume or list your qualifications in the personal statement. Keep it concise and straightforward; don’t try to cover too much. And of course, proofread thoroughly, but remember to remove tracked changes. Last but not least, the school cautions not to write that you’ll be a good lawyer because you enjoy arguing: “For a number of reasons, it is best to leave this out.”
• Washington and Lee Takes Hofstra Dean- Nora Demleitner, dean of Hoftra University Maurice A. Dean School of Law since 2008, will be the new dean at Washington and Lee University School of Law, The National Law Journal reports. Demleitner will be the school’s first female dean and is particularly interested in the school’s skills-based curriculum, in which third-years take a series of simulation courses. She also “plans to investigate ways to further incorporate international law—and the realities of a global legal market—into the curriculum.” Demleitner has made a significant jump up the U.S. News rankings, with Hofstra ranked No. 84, and Washington and Lee No. 30.
• What’s Hot and Not- The National Jurist reveals what the hot legal practice areas are right now, at least according to the Robert Denney Associates Annual Market Report. “Red Hot” areas are Energy, Banking, Intellectual Property, and Health Care. Labor & Employment Law, Regulatory work, White Collar Crime, Immigration, Financial Services, and Cyber Crime are also “predicted to remain hot in 2012,” and Commercial Real Estate is “starting to get hot.” The country’s hot geographic markets are Washington, D.C. and Texas, especially Houston. Plus, India, Russia, China, and Brazil are the countries considered “major growth opportunities” by global firms.
• Want a High GPA? Hope for the Best…- Law school may have a reputation for its impact on students’ mental health, but a new study has discovered that hope can help determine success. As reported by The National Law Journal, the study asked members of the incoming class at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law questions pertaining to their levels of hope and optimism. Researchers also analyzed the participants’ LSAT scores and undergrad GPAs. Then, the team “surveyed the participants after four months in law school and collected their first semester grades, performing a statistical analysis to determine how the factors related to each other.” The results? Higher law school and undergrad GPAs were both correlated with high rates of hope. The study also distinguished between hope and optimism, which can boost life satisfaction, but not necessarily GPAs. More surveys have been conducted at other schools, and the data is in the process of being analyzed.

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David Segal is at it again. In his latest piece for The New York Times, he shifts the focus to the ABA and its detrimental impact on legal education. Segal notes that in order for a law school to even obtain provisional accreditation, it must meet a large number of standards, which inevitably raises tuition. Most states require a degree from an ABA-approved school in order to practice law, which leaves prospective lawyers with little choice when accruing debt in order to eventually find a job. And then to pay off those debts, they must earn an adequate salary, charging more than many in need of legal aid can afford. Segal points out the paradox: “The United States churns out roughly 45,000 lawyers a year, but survey after survey finds enormous unmet need for legal services, particularly in low- and middle-income communities.”

As opposed to other countries, in the U.S. there is generally only one option for legal services—hiring a lawyer trained by an ABA-approved law school. And many believe that ABA’s standards are “one-size-fits-all and overly rigid, which drives up the cost of both a diploma and of legal services.” For a school to be considered for provisional accreditation, it must be in operation for at least a year, which makes this whole process not only “expensive,” but “risky,” as well.

Segal brings up the case of Duncan School of Law, part of Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, which had been awaiting provisional accreditation. The school finds fault with the ABA’s methods, charging them for their raised expenses and tuition. However, as Above the Law points out, about half of Duncan’s budget goes to paying its faculty, which cannot be overlooked: “Segal does a lot to try to indirectly blame the high cost of professorial salaries on various rules, written and unwritten, about attaining ABA accreditation, but there’s no way to completely gloss over faculty greed and deans (who are themselves part of legal academia) being all too happy to keep paying into the system that keeps salaries high for all.” We cannot keep pointing fingers at different culprits in the case of exorbitant legal education, until faculty salaries are taken into account as well.

But, with all this blame directed at the ABA, it has “noted that it would be an antitrust violation to cap or limit the number of law schools.” So, one would expect the thumbs-up for Duncan. However, two days after the NYT article, the school was informed that the ABA had denied them provisional accreditation. Reasons for this move were not disclosed, but The National Law Journal reports that “the council had identified problems with the academic credentials of the school’s incoming students and the school’s ability to provide academic support to those students.” That’s not how Above the Law sees it: “The timing of this, three days after the New York Times published its article, creates the unmistakable impression that the ABA denied accreditation in retaliation for the school bitching to the Times.” Yet, apparently the ABA made their decision weeks before Duncan was notified.

Regardless of what transpired with Duncan, the NYT still brings up an important issue, one which is addressed by USC Law professor Gillian Hadfield. Instead of one avenue for training lawyers, Hadfield envisions “a range of options that would entail an array of educational degrees and a broad spectrum of prices and formats for legal services.” This way, those who want to work in the legal field but avoid hefty tuitions can do so, and everyone would be able to afford legal services at some level. Yet, Above the Law notes that this solution would “require a nationwide reinterpretation of legal services.” Plus, schools like Duncan Law would still want to train “full-service, do-it-all lawyers,” which is “very lucrative.” As it sums up, “the ABA doesn’t force prices to be high, so much as it refuses to require costs be controlled.”

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• Indianapolis Law School Changes Name with Large Donation- As reported by The National Law Journal, the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis has changed its name to Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Robert McKinney, “attorney and civic leader,” has made a donation of $24 million, and “matching funds provided by the university brought the total gift to $31.5 million,” which has made it the largest gift in the school’s history. The money will go toward creating McKinney Family Scholarships and setting up five endowed chairs. One catch, however, is a requirement made by McKinney that the school will become one of the top 30 law schools in the U.S. The school is currently ranked 79 by U.S. News.
• Law School Debt and the Government- We’ve discussed the inordinate amounts of debt overwhelming law students, but how does the federal government play into all of this? As the ABA Journal observes, “direct federal loans have become the lifeblood of graduate education, and they shelter law schools financially from the structural changes affecting the profession.” But can it continue this way? Not necessarily—with the new Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, long-term, “if a large portion of students don’t repay their full loans, the perceived benefits of interest income on direct federal student loans will become an enormous financial liability.” The Education Department does not generally do a background check on who it lends to—whether the student will earn a high-enough income to repay the loan doesn’t really come into play. And many law grads will now be taking advantage of the income-based repayment plan, which will ultimately “reduce the federal funds available for future student loans” due to their unpaid loan balances. It seems that the government’s naïve optimism—especially that higher education leads to higher income—is just as dangerous, if not more so, as that of future and current law students. For, “unless the government’s actuarial assumptions on student loan repayments turn out to be correct, federal funding of higher education is on a collision course with the federal deficit.”
• Emory Launches Juris Master Degree Program- Emory University School of Law will debut a year-long juris master degree program as an introduction to the law geared toward undergrads, grad students, and professionals, The National Law Journal reports. Emory aims to have a larger program than what exists at other schools, including Pepperdine and Yale. While the inaugural class will have about 10 to 15 students next year, over time it could expand to close to 50. Professionals in business, technology, health care, and engineering may find interest in the program, which plans to collaborate with other universities and grad schools.
• Public Interest Summer Fellowships May Be More Than Meets the Eye- Those law students interested in summer fellowships in public interest had better read the fine print. As reported by U.S. News, although these internships come with stipends—some more substantial than others—many also include additional requirements. Some schools expect the students to complete some campus volunteer work, which can often involve fundraising. While this added expectation may frustrate some students, especially stressed 1Ls, others are grateful for the stipend and don’t really mind the extra work. Of course, this tactic can also be viewed as “law schools exploiting student labor,” especially when the potential for a full-time public interest position is minimal these days. Bottom line: If you want a public interest summer fellowship, just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.
• Many Lawyers Seeking Out Alternative Careers- According to the NALP employment report, only 68.4 percent of the Class of 2010 have jobs in which passing the bar is necessary—“the lowest percentage since NALP start[ed] collecting these statistics,” the National Jurist reports. Are law grads actively seeking out work in other fields of their own volition, or is this just an outcome of the recession? Perhaps both, since even before the economic downturn many law grads chose jobs in which a J.D. was an asset, but not a requirement. If you are considering alternative legal careers, Jurist recommends “reading market reports and statistics, to see what other fields are currently showing growth,” since you’ll do better choosing a growing field. Also consider any transitional skills you gained from your legal education that could serve you in other careers, such as negotiation skills or research and writing skills.
• How to Graduate with Debt and be Financially Viable- A J.D. does not necessarily lead to economic security—but in what circumstances does it? Jim Chen, Dean at University of Louisville School of Law, crunched the numbers using “qualification for a home loan while paying off student debt as a measure of whether a legal education makes economic sense,” according to The National Law Journal. Chen discovered that grads need to earn three times their law school tuition annually to attain “adequate financial viability.” In order to achieve a “good level,” they must earn six times their tuition. This calculation is based on the assumption that students borrow the amount for their whole tuition and nothing else. Those who borrow less would not need to earn as much. Yet, as Above the Law points out, many people work on paying their educational debt before buying a home: “If you dedicate yourself to paying down your debt, maybe you can be in a position to own a home when you are 10 or 15 years out of law school, without having to have a partner’s salary.” Regardless, these results are worth considering, conveying that a law career can be a risky investment and not necessarily a sure thing, as many believe.

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