In 2014, Law Street Media released its first set of law school rankings, in response to the changing legal education industry. Law Street Specialty Rankings are a detailed resource for prospective law students as they consider the many law schools across the country. You’ll notice some differences this year, as we return to the categories we first ranked in 2014. This year, we’ve changed the way we do our methodology slightly, to reflect feedback from our readers and the law school community. We’ve also redesigned our look, to make it easier to navigate and compare various schools. But as always, Law Street Specialty Rankings are built to blend the quantitative and qualitative in a way that accurately highlights the top law schools based on specialty programs.

This year’s law school specialty rankings were compiled by Anneliese Mahoney, Alexis Evans, Celia Heudebourg, Gabe Fernandez, James Levinson, Josh Schmidt, and Marcus Dieterle.

1. Harvard Law School: 95 Points

Jobs: 19/20

Harvard Law offers some of the best job prospects for its students in the country. Students can gain experience while still in school by getting involved in the Sports Law Clinic. Harvard Law also offers other hands-on opportunities that touch on entertainment law, including the Recording Artist Project, an in-house student practice organization.

Classes: 25/25

Harvard offers plenty of classes for students interested in entertainment law. Some of the distinctive listings include “Fashion Law Lab,” “Sports and the Law: Examining the Legal History and Evolution of America’s Three ‘Major League’ Sports: MLB, NFL, and NBA,” and “Music and Digital Media.”

Networking: 14/15

Students at Harvard Law can attend an annual sports and entertainment law symposium to network with professionals in their field. Harvard Law also publishes a biannual magazine to keep alumni and other community members engaged.

Extracurriculars: 14/15

The school has a student-run organization called the Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law, which brings students with similar interests together. Students interested in writing about the topic can work with the student-run Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. 

Location: 13/15

Harvard received a high score in the Location category because of its proximity to Boston, a city that offers great opportunities for aspiring entertainment lawyers.

Other Rankings: 10/10

Harvard’s law school earned a perfect score in this category because of its consistent placement at the top of other organizations’ entertainment law rankings.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Schools for Entertainment Law appeared first on Law Street.

For profit Charlotte School of Law has officially closed its doors, after years of accusations that its predatory model was harming students. The office of North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein confirmed that the school is closed, and its license to operate in the state has lapsed.

Charlotte Law was a for profit law school, struggling in a time when for profit institutions are under increasing scrutiny. Charlotte Law, along with Arizona Summit Law School and Florida Coastal School of Law are owned by the same company, InfiLaw.

Charlotte Law was on probation with the American Bar Association, and had been cut off from federal aid by the Obama Administration’s Department of Education. The school was also in hot water with the state of North Carolina. Accusations about Charlotte Law mostly focused on the fact that it wasn’t actually providing its students with what it promised. Less than one-fifth of students pass the bar exam, and many have had a difficult time securing legal jobs. According to required disclosures to the ABA, only 80 of the 340 graduates from 2016 have found permanent, full time jobs that require bar exam passage.

It’s unclear what will happen to students who were enrolled at the school, and the debt that many of them hold. Current students would be able to have their federal loans canceled. Anyone who withdrew from the school in the last four months can have their debt discharged, but not those who withdrew before that. AG Stein has written to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, asking that loan forgiveness be expanded for Charlotte Law students. Over 90 percent of Charlotte Law students have taken out federal loans.

Charlotte Law is the second law school to see its door shuttered this year. Whittier Law closed earlier this year, although with seemingly more warning and with more plans in place to deal with students that were already enrolled. Whittier was the first ABA accredited law school to shut down in more than 30 years.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Charlotte School of Law Closes appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best!

Darkness

What friends and family generally tell law students after a year or two in law school. pic.twitter.com/wguaikqaUL

— florin hilbay (@fthilbay) August 7, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

In 2014, Law Street Media released its first set of law school rankings, in response to the changing legal education industry. Law Street Specialty Rankings are a detailed resource for prospective law students as they consider the many law schools across the country. You’ll notice some differences this year, as we return to the categories we first ranked in 2014. This year, we’ve changed the way we do our methodology slightly, to reflect feedback from our readers and the law school community. We’ve also redesigned our look, to make it easier to navigate and compare various schools. But as always, Law Street Specialty Rankings are built to blend the quantitative and qualitative in a way that accurately highlights the top law schools based on specialty programs.

This year’s law school specialty rankings were compiled by Anneliese Mahoney, Alexis Evans, Celia Heudebourg, Gabe Fernandez, James Levinson, Josh Schmidt, and Marcus Dieterle.

1. University of California, Berkeley, School of Law: 93 Points

Jobs: 17/20

Berkeley has a strong record of providing its students with post-graduation job placements. Additionally, the school is home to an environmental law clinic, allowing students to practice while furthering their studies.

Classes: 23/25

Berkeley offers students interested in environmental law the opportunity to choose from a large selection of courses and seminars, which include “Water Law” and “The Law of Hazardous Waste.” Students can also gain practical research and professional experience through the law school’s Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment.

Networking: 15/15

UC Berkeley offers a number of seminars and events for students to take advantage of, including a discussion about racial and economic disparities in environmental law and a panel about environmental law careers at the state and local level.

Extracurriculars: 15/15

Berkeley Law offers multiple organizations for students interested in environmental or energy law. In addition to the Environmental Law Society, students interested in advocacy or social justice can join the Students for Environmental and Economic Justice group. Those interested in journal opportunities can submit articles to the Ecology Law Quarterly.

Location: 13/15

Berkeley received a favorable score in the Location category because of its proximity to cities like Oakland and San Francisco, which offer great opportunities for aspiring lawyers.

Other Rankings: 10/10

UC Berkeley’s law school earned a perfect score in this category because of its consistent placement at the top of other organizations’ environmental law rankings.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Schools for Environmental and Energy Law appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best!

Good GOT Comparison

Them: “How were you able to survive law school?”
Me: pic.twitter.com/4nLE3KC750

— Your Lawyer Says (@YourLawyerSays) August 3, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The California Supreme Court has decided that it’s time to change the state’s notoriously difficult bar exam after observing very low passage rates for the past few years compared to other states.

The state’s passing score, referred to as the “cut score,” has been set at 144. California has the second highest score to pass nationwide behind only Delaware. Last year 62 percent of applicants passed. Other states, like New York, saw a rate around 80 percent, according to the New York Times.

The changes, which will take effect in January, will give the California Supreme Court the ability to change the “cut score,” according to the ABA Journal. The court will have the authority to appoint 10 of the 19 members of the committee of bar examiners. The court amended the California Rules of Court to expand its power, dictating that it “must set the passing score of the examination.” The Supreme Court justices could make the decision soon and retroactively apply them to last month’s exams, according to the New York Times.

Some businesses that prepare law students for the bar exam called the move “unprecedented.” But according to Erica Moeser, president of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, this action isn’t out of the ordinary. Instead, it will bring California in line with other states. “Virtually all state supreme courts exercise their inherent authority to regulate the admission of lawyers more closely than has appeared to be the case in California,” she said.

In February the state bar received a letter from 20 California law school deans advocating a scoring change, which prompted the group to launch the study.

The court was further compelled to act after the University of California Hastings College of the Law Dean complained to the California Committee of Bar Examiners. Dean David Faigman called the steep standard “outrageous and constitutes unconscionable conduct on the part of a trade association that masquerades as a state agency” after only 51 percent of his school’s graduates qualified.

Robert Anderson, a professor of corporate law at Pepperdine School of Law, who studied the 10 most difficult state bar exams in 2013, concluded that California had the most difficult exam even if its score standard was lower than Delaware’s, according to the New York Times. Anderson recommended lowering the score to 133, the same as New York. That change would mean that 87 percent of test-takers would pass, according to ABA Journal.

There are still people who advocate for the high standard when certifying lawyers. Supporters believe that the high cut score protects citizens from unprepared lawyers and continues a tradition of accepting only very qualified candidates.

California is home to plenty of prestigious law schools–ranging from Stanford in the northern part of the state to UCLA in the southern part–so it trains many law students. If California feels as though young law students are fleeing the state to get easily certified elsewhere, a change makes sense. The strict standards have been part of the California Bar Association’s reputation for a while now but for a state that is home to economic hubs for entertainment and technology, it’s important to retain talent.

Josh Schmidt

Josh Schmidt is an editorial intern and is a native of the Washington D.C Metropolitan area. He is working towards a degree in multi-platform journalism with a minor in history at nearby University of Maryland. Contact Josh at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Is the California Bar Exam About to Get Easier? appeared first on Law Street.

Blanking?

bar exam: when does the security interest attach?
me: the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,

— Legally Hog (@squierzz) July 23, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

In 2014, Law Street Media released its first set of law school rankings, in response to the changing legal education industry. Law Street Specialty Rankings are a detailed resource for prospective law students as they consider the many law schools across the country. You’ll notice some differences this year, as we return to the categories we first ranked in 2014. This year, we’ve changed the way we do our methodology slightly, to reflect feedback from our readers and the law school community. We’ve also redesigned our look, to make it easier to navigate and compare various schools. But as always, Law Street Specialty Rankings are built to blend the quantitative and qualitative in a way that accurately highlights the top law schools based on specialty programs.

This year’s law school specialty rankings were compiled by Anneliese Mahoney, Alexis Evans, Celia Heudebourg, Gabe Fernandez, James Levinson, Josh Schmidt, and Marcus Dieterle.

1. New York University School of Law: 99 Points

Jobs: 19/20

Job prospects for students at NYU are some of the best in the country. There are also great opportunities for students to gain vital career experience–for example, NYU Law is home to a Business Law Transactions Clinic.

Classes: 25/25

NYU offers a wide selection of courses for students interested in business law. The curriculum draws from the campus’s location near New York City’s financial district to incorporate real-world opportunities. Students can also take relevant courses at the prestigious Stern School of Business.

Networking: 15/15

In addition to business law symposia, NYU has held events on topics like class action litigation and international business law. NYU also utilizes social media to help keep its alumni in touch after graduation.

Extracurriculars: 15/15

 NYU Law offers several great extracurriculars for students interested in pursuing a career in business law. The school has the Law and Business Association and Journal of Law and Business. Students can also participate in various moot court competitions.

Location: 15/15

It’s no surprise that NYU Law, located in the world’s preeminent financial hub, received a perfect score for its location.

Other Rankings: 10/10

New York University’s Law School got the highest possible score in this metric because of its frequent appearances on other business law rankings.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Business Law appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to our best legal tweets of the week–with some special bar exam entries this time around!

Fantastic Advice

If you know folks who are studying for the bar exam, take the time to encourage them. Even better, send them care packages.

— Chief Judge Dillard (@JudgeDillard) July 17, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week: Bar Exam Edition appeared first on Law Street.

In 2014, Law Street Media released its first set of law school rankings, in response to the changing legal education industry. Law Street Specialty Rankings are a detailed resource for prospective law students as they consider the many law schools across the country. You’ll notice some differences this year, as we return to the categories we first ranked in 2014. This year, we’ve changed the way we do our methodology slightly, to reflect feedback from our readers and the law school community. We’ve also redesigned our look, to make it easier to navigate and compare various schools. But as always, Law Street Specialty Rankings are built to blend the quantitative and qualitative in a way that accurately highlights the top law schools based on specialty programs. Check out this year’s full list here.

This year’s law school specialty rankings were compiled by Anneliese Mahoney, Alexis Evans, Celia Heudebourg, Gabe Fernandez, James Levinson, Josh Schmidt, and Marcus Dieterle.

1. Loyola University Chicago School of Law: 92 Points

Jobs: 13/20

Loyola University Chicago Law offers solid job prospects for its students. The school offers opportunities for students to get involved in clinical work, such as the Health Justice Project. The school also offers other experiential learning opportunities with its externship program.

Classes: 25/25

Loyola University Chicago is home to the Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy, which offers a specific certificate in health law. Students have access to a number of health law related courses, such as “Bioethics Law and Policy.”

Networking: 15/15

At Loyola Chicago Law, students can network with each other and experts in their field at symposia and other events geared toward the health law community. Loyola Law’s alumni social media pages are also great places to connect with other legal professionals.

Extracurriculars: 14/15

The Loyola University of Chicago School of Law has a Health Law Society, as well as multiple journals that touch on health law. The school is home to the Annals of Health Law, which analyzes major trends in health both domestically and abroad.

Location: 15/15

The private university located in Chicago, Illinois provides thousands of opportunities for students interested in pursuing health law outside of the classroom with many law firms and lawyers specializing in the subject.

Other Rankings: 10/10

This school got the highest possible score in this metric because of its frequent appearances on other health law rankings.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Health Law appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best!

It’s That Time of Year

Bar review got me like… #barprep #barreview #ownthebar #isitover pic.twitter.com/IimRBEIfk8

— Angela (@ang_kuhlee) June 29, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

In 2014, Law Street Media released its first set of law school rankings, in response to the changing legal education industry. Law Street Specialty Rankings are a detailed resource for prospective law students as they consider the many law schools across the country. You’ll notice some differences this year, as we return to the categories we first ranked in 2014. This year, we’ve changed the way we do our methodology slightly, to reflect feedback from our readers and the law school community. We’ve also redesigned our look, to make it easier to navigate and compare various schools. But as always, Law Street Specialty Rankings are built to blend the quantitative and qualitative in a way that accurately highlights the top law schools based on specialty programs.

This year’s law school specialty rankings were compiled by Anneliese Mahoney, Alexis Evans, Celia Heudebourg, Gabe Fernandez, James Levinson, Josh Schmidt, and Marcus Dieterle.

Previous Years

• Law School Specialty Rankings 2016
• Law School Specialty Rankings 2015
• Law School Specialty Rankings 2014

Images courtesy of Ryan Franklin; Hamza Butt; Perzonseo Webbyra; Scott Meis; Jeffrey Smith; g4ll4is; Sam Howzit

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law School Specialty Rankings 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

In 2014, Law Street Media released its first set of law school rankings, in response to the changing legal education industry. Law Street Specialty Rankings are a detailed resource for prospective law students as they consider the many law schools across the country. You’ll notice some differences this year, as we return to the categories we first ranked in 2014. This year, we’ve changed the way we do our methodology slightly, to reflect feedback from our readers and the law school community. We’ve also redesigned our look, to make it easier to navigate and compare various schools. But as always, Law Street Specialty Rankings are built to blend the quantitative and qualitative in a way that accurately highlights the top law schools based on specialty programs.

This year’s law school specialty rankings were compiled by Anneliese Mahoney, Alexis Evans, Celia Heudebourg, Gabe Fernandez, James Levinson, Josh Schmidt, and Marcus Dieterle.

1. IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law: 95 Points

Jobs: 20/20

Employment prospects for students at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law are excellent, particularly for students interested in intellectual property. To prepare students for life after graduation, it has an IP clinic where students are able to work with attorneys from K&L Gates LLP.

Classes: 25/25

The curriculum at Chicago-Kent offers dozens of IP-related courses per year. Beyond the foundational courses, interested students can take one of the many science and technology-focused classes such as “Computer and Network Privacy and Security: Ethical, Legal, and Technical Considerations.”

Networking: 15/15

From an annual Supreme Court IP review conference to colloquia and book talks with IP-focused speakers, Chicago-Kent provides numerous networking opportunities for students interested in IP.

Extracurriculars: 15/15

The school offers an Intellectual Property society as well as the student-run Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property. The journal is dedicated to discussions on the fundamental elements of IP law and changes in the industry as new technology emerges.

Location: 14/15

The private university located in Chicago, Illinois provides numerous opportunities for students interested in pursuing IP law outside of the classroom.

Other Rankings: 6/10

Chicago-Kent received modest recognition from other rankings, giving it six points.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Intellectual Property Law appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets from this week!

Good Advice

In law school, you have to embrace the thought that “Reading is life.”@YourLawyerSays

— LeunammeGayle (@Lyooname) June 22, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

A Milo Yiannopoulos supporter filed a lawsuit on Monday against regents of the University of California, Berkeley for $23 million. Kiara Robles, the plaintiff, says the school infringed on her First Amendment rights when a protest erupted on campus last February.

The protest, which drew over 1,500 students, was a response to the controversial invitation the Berkeley College Republicans student group sent to Yiannopoulos, asking him to speak at the campus. Yiannopoulos, a long-standing fan of President Donald Trump and a self-described cultural libertarian, is a former senior editor of alt-right media source Breitbart.

He gained prominence because of his highly controversial comments on women, Islam, homosexuality, and religion. He once said “gay rights have made us dumber” and called transgender people mentally ill.

Robles was pepper-sprayed during the Berkeley protest and says she and her friends were targeted during the clash because they hold and express conservative views. She was planning on attending Yiannopoulos’ talk before the Berkeley police department canceled the event citing security concerns.

More peaceful protests mad at capitalism. #miloatcal pic.twitter.com/1qrdJ5zeJ8

— Kiara Robles ಠ_ಠ (@kiarafrobles) February 2, 2017

https://twitter.com/kiarafrobles/status/827418775230099456

The lawsuit states that the defendants, which includes local law enforcement, billionaire George Soros, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for allegedly institutionalizing Robles’ concerns, have subjected “students and invitees who do not subscribe to the radical, left wing philosophies … to severe violence and bodily harm for merely expressing a differing viewpoint.”

“She was assaulted,” Robles’ lawyer told The San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday. “The California university system, and in part, Berkeley, is out of control, and they’re facilitating, if not inciting, violence, and the campus police sit around twiddling their thumbs.”

The university said in a statement that it will mount a strong defense “contesting this collection of false claims.”

This lawsuit comes at a time when freedom of speech debates are increasingly common on college campuses and the media. Liberal students’ requests for “safe spaces” and outright bans on perceived hate speech have raised questions regarding whether or not other students’ freedom of expression rights are being curtailed.

Hitting at the heart of the debate and opposing Robles, Jonathan Gow, a UC Berkeley sophomore, said “when it’s hate speech, our free speech is to shut him down,” about the Yiannopoulos protests at Berkeley.

Last Friday, late-night talk show host Bill Maher, who said he would soon invite Yiannopoulos back on his show, was caught up in a similar controversy when he said the N-word on live television. Many outraged viewers called for his show to be canceled or for him to step down, while others said self-censorship of this word placed a limitation on individual freedom of speech.

Yiannopoulos has often found himself at the center of these debates, on and off campuses. Recently, he announced he would resort to self-publishing his new book “Dangerous” after the provocateur lost his controversial Simon and Schuster book deal when videos surfaced of him seemingly defending pedophilia. On Tuesday, the book was at the top of Amazon’s best-seller list in the humor category.

Celia Heudebourg

Celia Heudebourg is an editorial intern for Law Street Media. She is from Paris, France and is entering her senior year at Macalester College in Minnesota where she studies international relations and political science. When she’s not reading or watching the news, she can be found planning a trip abroad or binge-watching a good Netflix show. Contact Celia at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Milo Yiannopoulos Fan Sues UC Berkeley Over Violent February Protests appeared first on Law Street.

California State University at Fresno cancelled its search for an assistant professor in Middle Eastern studies last week citing procedural issues involving the election, approval of the search committee, and the influence of an “unauthorized party” in the search efforts.

This came as a response to faculty claims that the school was actively participating in academic censorship that was being influenced by Israel advocacy groups. Vida Samaiin, the longtime dean of Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities, even resigned in protest:

I have decided to resign in objection to the unethical and discriminatory cancellation of the Edward Said Professorship… The administration carried out the vicious and discriminatory attacks launched by Israel advocacy groups against the search committee and the four finalists who were of Middle Eastern and Palestinian ethnicity.

Edward Said was a Palestinian-American public intellectual who is credited with helping found postcolonial studies and was a prominent advocate for the Palestinian people. The position advertised that preferred candidates had “active scholarship in the candidate’s area of expertise with a special focus on Edward Said’s intellectual legacy,” according to the job posting.

Lynette Zelezny, the school’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in a statement that those who made the decision to cancel the search had not heard from, nor had been pressured by, any sort of individual or group throughout the process. While she did express regret that the process got this far when the decision was made, Zelezny referenced faculty affairs policy adopted by the Academic Senate when defending it.

“We were way too slow in recognizing that we had an improper search committee in terms of no election and other factors,” Zelezny said. “We’ve learned from this. … This is very unusual — typically we don’t see these kinds of issues in our searches.”

A Fresno State spokesman did not add any details on how the search strayed from the school’s policy. The “unauthorized party” was not specifically identified either.

Activists believe that this is just the latest in a line of attempts to actively suppress speech and activism on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in student and academic spheres. Some have drawn comparisons to the decision of other schools to shut down academic programs, ban Palestinian student groups, and even criminally prosecute students for protesting events held by Israeli government officials.

Jewish Voice for Peace, a left-wing activist organization focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have created a petition that calls on the school to reinstate the search for a candidate. Hundreds of academics from the United States and Europe have signed it, but the school has shown little indication that it is willing to change its mind.

Fresno State will reopen its applicant search in the spring of 2018, when officials feel a fair procedure will have been followed.

Gabe Fernandez

Gabe is an editorial intern at Law Street. He is a Peruvian-American Senior at the University of Maryland pursuing a double degree in Multiplatform Journalism and Marketing. In his free time, he can be found photographing concerts, running around the city, and supporting Manchester United. Contact Gabe at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Controversy Sparked By Cancelled Professor Search at Fresno State appeared first on Law Street.

Harvard affirmed the long-standing belief that topics like the Holocaust, sexual assault, and the deaths of children should probably not be joked about. At least ten students lost their acceptances to the Ivy League school in mid-April after university officials discovered that members of the incoming freshman class were posting memes related to these topics in a Facebook messaging group titled, at one point, “Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens,” according to the Harvard Crimson.

The chat originated from members of the official Harvard Class of 2021 Facebook group in December who all shared the common interest of sharing memes with one another. While the 100-member group chat started out as “lighthearted,” according to one student, some members felt that the content did not meet the standards of humor they were accustomed to.

As a result, a “dark” meme chat was formed. Of course, not just any student could join. The founders of the new chat required that prospective members post provocative memes in the larger messaging group before they could be allowed in, according to Cassandra Luca, a member of the original meme group.

“They were like, ‘Oh, you have to send a meme to the original group to prove that you could get into the new one,'” Luca said. “This was a just-because-we-got-into-Harvard-doesn’t-mean-we-can’t-have-fun kind of thing.”

The “fun” included racist and sexist memes and messages that joked about child abuse and rape. One group of messages joked that abusing children was sexually arousing, while another referred to the hypothetical hanging of a Mexican child as “piñata time.”

Depending on your moral compass, the supposed “fun” thankfully, or unfortunately, came to an abrupt halt mid-April when employees in Harvard’s admissions office emailed those suspected of posting offensive memes to disclose their involvement. A copy of the Admissions Office’s email, obtained by the Crimson, reads:

The Admissions Committee was disappointed to learn that several students in a private group chat for the Class of 2021 were sending messages that contained offensive messages and graphics…As we understand you were among the members contributing such material to this chat, we are asking that you submit a statement by tomorrow at noon to explain your contributions and actions for discussion with the Admissions Committee.

Administrators told the students who received the email that their admissions status was being reviewed and were also told not to attend Visitas, a weekend event for incoming freshman Harvard holds annually at the end of April. About a week later, at least ten members of the group chat were told that they were no longer going to attend Harvard.

Harvard has the right to rescind applications of any incoming student who “engages in behavior that brings into question his or her honesty, maturity, or moral character.”

This is the second consecutive year that Harvard has dealt with incoming freshman exchanging offensive messages online. Members of the class of 2020 sent racially-charged messages to one another in an unofficial class GroupMe. However, these students were not disciplined by the university because they were “not matriculated students at this point,” according to then-Interim Dean of Student Life Thomas A. Dingman.

Many will inevitably claim that the students’ right to free speech was violated in the school’s decision, but even fellow members of the incoming freshman class agree it was the right call.

“I appreciate humor, but there are so many topics that just should not be joked about,” said Jessica Zhang, a member of the class of 2021. “I respect the decision of the admissions officers to rescind the offers because those actions really spoke about the students’ true characters.”

Gabe Fernandez

Gabe is an editorial intern at Law Street. He is a Peruvian-American Senior at the University of Maryland pursuing a double degree in Multiplatform Journalism and Marketing. In his free time, he can be found photographing concerts, running around the city, and supporting Manchester United. Contact Gabe at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Students Lose Harvard Acceptances for Obscene Memes appeared first on Law Street.

Which legal tweets made the cut this week? Check out the best here:

A Deep Hole

Me falling down a hearsay rabbit hole. I don’t know what I’m doing with life. How did I ever pass a bar exam? pic.twitter.com/n9Rz1bhqVC

— KC. (@legallyKjo) May 30, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week!

Fun Party Guest!

My party trick is pointing out everything the hosts could be liable for. #lawyerlife

— Bad Legal LLP (@BadLegalLLP) May 24, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

A federal lawsuit has been filed against Baylor University, accusing football players at the school of engaging in gang rape as a rite of passage, and the school of doing nothing to prevent it.

The alleged rapes happened when Art Briles was head coach of the team and Kenneth Starr was president of the university. Briles was suspended a year ago, and Starr lost his position as president but remained a law professor at the school until last August, when he resigned.

Jane Doe, the anonymous woman who filed the lawsuit, claims that she was drugged and gang raped by four to eight Baylor football players in February of 2012. She alleges that the players then burglarized her apartment and harassed her through text messages until she left school the next year.

Jane Doe confirmed that at least one, 21-second videotape of two female Baylor students being gang raped by several Baylor football players was circulated amongst football players. The suit also alleges that Baylor football parties often involved dogfighting–at least once, a dog was so severely injured it almost died.

The lawsuit contends that Briles was fully aware of the alleged gang rape, and includes text messages between him and an assistant coach, in which Briles calls the woman a “fool” for reporting the burglaries to the police.

Baylor athletes gang-raped women as a ‘bonding’ experience: lawsuit. They allegedly called it ‘playtime.’ https://t.co/qXnSpRkxWl pic.twitter.com/ICcJ0c8gFU

— Kate Briquelet (@kbriquelet) May 18, 2017

Allegations of sexual assault at the Christian university began to surface in 2012. Baylor student Jasmine Hernandez accused football player Tevin Elliott of raping her twice at a party. He was convicted in 2014 of two counts of sexual assault and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In 2013, a female soccer player reported that she was sexually assaulted by football player Sam Ukwuachu. He was convicted in 2015,  and sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years probation.

Hernandez, who publicly disclosed her name, sued the school last year for failing to investigate her claims–Briles and Starr were fired not long after.

Another woman, who was identified under the pseudonym Elizabeth Doe, also filed a lawsuit against Baylor earlier this year, alleging that football players had gang-raped her in 2013. She stated in the lawsuit that 31 players had committed at least 52 rapes, including gang-rapes, between 2011-2014.

Elizabeth Doe’s lawsuit accused the school of using sex as a way to sell the football program to prospective students. It described how Kendal Briles, a former assistant football coach and son of former head coach Art Briles, asked a recruit, “Do you like white women? Because we have a lot of them at Baylor and they love football players.”

Also in @Baylor lawsuit: Woman got school counseling. Says unnamed counselor talked stats of women who don’t report rape to dissuade her

— Jim Vertuno (@JimVertuno) May 17, 2017

Jane Doe’s lawsuit described many of the same elements–likening rape culture at the school to a hazing ritual. She alleges that organized gang rapes were considered to be a “bonding” experience for the players. Her suit also alleges that the older players brought underage recruits to strip clubs. They also had a “hostess program” that allegedly made sure women had sex with the recruits during their visits to campus.

After the allegations against Baylor became known, the school’s board said it was “horrified” and “outraged” to learn what was happening on campus.

Briles filed a lawsuit himself in December, accusing the school of libel. But he quickly dropped the suit after the university released text messages between the assistant coach, the athletic director, and him, that showed how they all did their best to avoid contact with law enforcement and encouraged victims to not press charges.

Jane Doe’s suit claims that school officials encouraged the plaintiff and her family not to report the assault to law enforcement. But the school says it will do all it can to ensure that things are made right.

“The University’s response in no way changes Baylor’s position that any assault involving members of our campus community is reprehensible and inexcusable,” the school said in a statement.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Lawsuit Accuses Baylor Football Players of Gang Raping Women as Bonding Ritual appeared first on Law Street.

Trump’s new education budget draft appears to have an upsetting provision for many holders of student loans who work for the government and non-profit sector–it gets rid of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The program is supposed to forgive balances of student loans for those who work in certain positions, like teachers, government lawyers, law enforcement officers, and social workers, as long as they make on-time payments for 10 years and fit certain other guidelines.

The logic behind the program is that those who qualify for it give up more lucrative future careers to work in civil service, and should be given some sort of benefit for making that choice. For example, a public defender earns an average of about $60,000 a year. First year associate jobs at Big Law firms, in contrast, are paid an annual salary of up to $180,000 at this point. Under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that public defender, as long as she pays her loans on time and in full, could qualify for loan forgiveness in 10 years.

The program is relatively new. The first “wave” of people who would qualify for loan forgiveness will hit their 10-year mark in October. At this point it’s unclear if the Trump Administration could affect the program for those who are already enrolled or if it would only shut down the program moving forward. Currently, there over half a million borrowers signed up.

Overall the Department of Education budget would be slashed by $10.6 billion, according to the Washington Post, which obtained a copy. Those cuts are seemingly welcomed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has consistently said that the federal government needs to step back from its involvement in education.

In addition to the cessation of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, the proposed budget also slashes or completely eliminates funding for college work-study programs, mental health services in schools, after-school programs, arts education programs, programs for gifted students, international language programs, organizations that provide childcare to parents in school, career and technical education, and Special Olympics education programs, among many others.

Of course, the Trump Administration isn’t cutting everything. In fact, Devos’ pet causes of school vouchers and charter schools will receive more funding.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Will the Trump Administration End Public Service Loan Forgiveness? appeared first on Law Street.

For months, journalists and law school professors speculated about where Tiffany Trump, President Donald Trump’s daughter from his second marriage, would end up for law school. Though she toured Harvard, Columbia, and New York University, no one was certain where she had applied or been accepted.

But on Monday, officials at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. confirmed that Trump had “taken all the steps to enroll” in their law school.

Trump is somewhat following in the footsteps of her older half siblings. Eric Trump, Donald Trump’s second son from his first marriage, graduated from Georgetown with a finance and management degree. The president’s oldest daughter Ivanka, also from his first marriage, attended Georgetown for two years before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School. Like her half sister, father, and half brother, Donald Trump Jr., Tiffany Trump attended the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate.

In a Washington Post article published this March, writer Roxanne Roberts questioned whether or not Trump’s family name would boost her chances of getting into an elite school. U.S. News and World Report ranked Georgetown Law as one of the country’s top 20 law schools–it is tied for 15th place with the University of California-Los Angeles. With an acceptance rate of 26.4 percent, it is also highly competitive.

But Trump is forging her own path in a few ways. While her siblings and father all studied business, she opted to major in sociology. She is also the first of the president’s children to pursue law school.

The choice in law school also means that Trump, who had mostly kept a low profile throughout her father’s campaign, will now be in close proximity to the White House.

How will Trump’s classmates and professors treat her when she gets there? Her father’s policies have made him unpopular with a number of Georgetown students. In March, the university joined more than 30 other schools opposing the president’s immigration ban in a Virginia circuit court. Last month, Georgetown hosted a panel featuring presidential adviser Sebastian Gorka, who left early when student protesters in attendance started asking questions about Donald Trump’s spread of fake news and attitude toward the Muslim community.

Not to mention the fact that officials at a handful of law schools around the country, including Georgetown, are seeing increased interest in the profession from students in response to Donald Trump and the numerous lawsuits that have been filed against his administration. When it comes to Trump’s immigration ban or his overseas business ties, lawyers have been a key part of resisting his policies and trying to hold him accountable.

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Tiffany Trump Chooses Georgetown Law appeared first on Law Street.

Why did no one help Timothy Piazza?

That’s the frequently repeated question as more and more disturbing and graphic details surface regarding the 19-year-old Penn State sophomore’s tragic hazing death.

According to a document released Friday by Centre County District Attorney, Stacy Parks Miller, the brothers of Beta Theta Pi waited 12 hours before calling for medical help after Piazza fell 15 feet, head first, down a flight of basement stairs during a pledging ceremony.

Here’s what you need to know from the grand jury findings into the death of Penn State sophomore Timothy Piazza: https://t.co/RSqrK46UOS pic.twitter.com/Jj6cAvKPaB

— The Daily Collegian (@DailyCollegian) May 8, 2017

After reading through the 81-page court document–that is largely based on surveillance video tape from inside the fraternity house and text messages between brothers–it’s clear that the fraternity brothers had multiple chances to possibly save Piazza’s life, but instead they for the most part did nothing–in fact, they likely made his injuries worse.

On February 2, Piazza participated in a ritual that fraternity members refer to as “the gauntlet.” Pledges were forced to go to a series of alcohol stations where they had to guzzle vodka, shotgun beers, drink from wine bags, and play multiple rounds of beer pong–drinking four to five drinks in a two-minute span.

By 10:40 p.m., Piazza is seen on the fraternity’s security camera extremely intoxicated, hunched over, and staggering. Roughly five minutes later he is seen moving out of the camera’s sightline, then a fraternity brother points “agitatedly in the direction of the basement stairs.”

In a group message to the brothers, one of them wrote: “Also Tim Piazza might actually be a problem. He fell 15 feet down a flight of stairs, hair-first, going to need help.

No one called an ambulance.

Instead, the members of Beta Theta Pi are seen carrying Piazza’s limp, seemingly unconscious, body to a nearby couch, where they then strip him of his shirt. A large visible bruise can be seen developing on his abdomen.

Kordel Davis, a newly initiated brother, testified that after seeing Piazza on the couch, he screamed repeatedly for someone to call 911, and pleaded with his fellow brother to get help. But they ignored him and called him “overdramatic.”

Still, no one called an ambulance.

The brothers poured liquid on Piazza’s face to try to wake him up, slapped him in the face, and struck his bruised abdomen. They even attached a weighted backpack to his back to prevent him from rolling over and possibly choking on his own vomit.

Eventually, around 3:22 a.m., Piazza attempts to stand up clutching his abdomen, but falls backwards and strikes his head on the hardwood floor. Thirty minutes later he tries to stand again and falls face down on the floor. He staggers to the lobby and falls head first into an iron railing before falling to the floor.

At 5:15 a.m., a fraternity brother steps over Piazza’s body on his way to the kitchen for a drink of water.

He didn’t call for help.

Piazza would eventually fall down the basement stairs once more, striking his head yet again. It wasn’t until 10:48 a.m. that someone eventually called 911. But by then, the damage was done. He died the next morning at the hospital.

Doctors would later find 4 liters–roughly 80 percent of a human body’s total blood supply–of dark, old blood in Piazza’s abdomen. He suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries, a fracture at the base of his skull, and suffered respiratory failure as a result of his severe head trauma.

Penn State students and State College community members gather in memory of Timothy Piazza (https://t.co/Ww2hYi1PLv) via: @PennLive pic.twitter.com/u3RJIHGisF

— Cameron Hart (@Cameron_Hart_) February 13, 2017

Authorities announced more than 850 charges for Beta Theta Pi and 18 of its fraternity members involved in the “pledge night” that resulted in Piazza’s death.

Eight of the fraternity members were charged with involuntary manslaughter. The other charges include: aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor, tampering with evidence, consumption of alcohol by a minor, and disorderly conduct.

The sad thing is, this death could have been prevented. If one person had stood up to the group and gotten help, Piazza, who went by Tim, could still be alive today. Instead, his injuries were trivialized by students who were concerned more about themselves than helping someone who was trying to be their “brother.”

The Penn State chapter of the fraternity has since been disbanded, and the school’s president has threatened to shut down all Greek life on campus.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Why Didn’t Anyone Help Timothy Piazza? appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets this week:

Cool Law School Prof Entry

If my 1Ls are reading this , they are FINISHED WITH THEIR FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL EXAMS! Congratulations–it’s party time!/1 pic.twitter.com/KRCSPiD2xO

— Rachel Gurvich (@RachelGurvich) May 5, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Sponsored Content

Dreaming of a dynamic legal career that means that you get to brush shoulders with celebrities, immerse yourself in art, or sit courtside at a big game? You might not realize that one thing your favorite pastimes have in common is that they simply wouldn’t be able to exist without lawyers.

Entertainment, Arts, and Sports lawyers are employed for a bunch of different reasons to make sure that our favorite hobbies go off without a hitch. Check out 10 awesome jobs that require Entertainment, Art, and Sports lawyers in the slideshow below. And if you’re interested in learning more about how to become an Entertainment, Arts, or Sports lawyer, check out the University of Miami School of Law’s LL.M program.

Video Game Lawyer

Image courtesy of Mark Bonica; License: (CC BY 2.0)

Yeah, that’s actually a thing. And it’s pretty cool. Like most other jobs in Entertainment law, it incorporates working with contracts, as well as navigating IP law. According to Ryan Morrision, an actual, live “video game lawyer,” a lot of his work involves providing legal help to small startups with cool ideas for games and apps. They often need help with things like incorporating, legally hiring freelancers to do some of the work, trademarking their games, and setting up privacy policies.

University of Miami School of Law

The University of Miami School of Law’s mission is to foster the intellectual discipline, creativity, and critical skills that will prepare its graduates for the highest standards of professional competence in the practice of law in a global environment subject to continual–and not always predictable–transformation; to cultivate a broad range of legal and interdisciplinary scholarship that, working at the cutting edge of its field, enhances the development of law and legal doctrine, and deepens society’s understanding of law and its role in society; and to fulfill the legal profession’s historic duty to promote the interests of justice. Visit www.law.miami.edu for more information. The University of Miami School of Law is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post 10 Awesome Jobs for Entertainment, Arts, or Sports Lawyers appeared first on Law Street.

On Taylor Dumpson’s first day as American University Student Government (AUSG) President, bananas hung from strings tied in the shape of nooses around campus.

The bananas were found at three different locations on campus. Photos of the bananas on social media appear to show several racist messages written on them in black sharpie, like “Harambe bait,” an apparent nod to the gorilla that was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo last year, and “AKA free”–AKA is the acronym for Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first predominately black greek lettered sorority in the United States.

The timing isn’t coincidental. Dumpson, the first black woman to hold office as AUSG President, is a member of AKA.

.@AmericanU @washingtonpost @CNN @nytimes @TheYoungTurks pic.twitter.com/QULz5UNIXc

— Lud Blo (@KingPablo26) May 1, 2017

In a statement to her fellow students on Monday, Dumpson addressed the incident, writing:

It is disheartening and immensely frustrating that we are still dealing with this issue after recent conversations, dialogues, and town halls surrounding race relations on campus. But this is exactly why we need to do more than just have conversations but move in a direction towards more tangible solutions to prevent incidents like these from occurring in the future.

She then urged students to unite in solidarity and “show those in the community that bigotry, hate, and racism cannot and will not be tolerated.”

University President Neil Kerwin also denounced the incident as a “crude and racially insensitive act of bigotry” in a statement Monday. Kerwin said the incident is currently under investigation by the AU Campus Police with assistance from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and other AU offices and senior officials.

AU students were outraged by the incident and organized a march Tuesday to the university’s main campus, where they demanded withdrawal forms as a symbolic act of protest. As they marched, students chanted “Black Lives Matter” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho! That racist s— has got to go.”

Students walk with fists raised and chant “I’m black and I’m proud” as they march to Asbury to request withdrawal reforms as act of protest pic.twitter.com/8LKXOrTnUd

— The Eagle (@TheEagleOnline) May 2, 2017

Student demonstrators at @AmericanU hold up withdrawal forms, chant “Black Lives Matter” as they head back to @AUKayChapel pic.twitter.com/6jbaxOBlNz

— The Eagle (@TheEagleOnline) May 2, 2017

According to American University’s student paper, The Eagle, the protest later erupted into heated exchanges with American University administrators, as students delivered a list of demands regarding diversity, divestment, and financial aid.

Students engage with Associate Dean of @AUcollege Celine-Marie Pascale following delivery of list of demands pic.twitter.com/mRJ67B2ETI

— The Eagle (@TheEagleOnline) May 2, 2017

American University Public Safety Director Phillip Morse announced a $1,000 award for anyone who brings forth information about yesterday’s incident during a campus community meeting Tuesday afternoon. But students aren’t convinced that the racial tension on campus will subside.

In fact, this is the third racist incident on the campus in eight months. In September, a black female freshman, who had not been identified at the time, reported that a group of people opened the door to her dorm and threw a rotten banana at her. Neah Gray, another freshman, said she also found a banana outside her dorm door and penises drawn on her white board that same month. Gray called the recent incident “triggering” on her personal Twitter account.

The last time there were no consequences. AU did nothing. All that publicity did was leave 16 Google pages of my name in articles about it.

— (@graaayscale) May 1, 2017

The school Department of Public Safety said it is investigating and reviewing surveillance video, and will continue to share more information and release photos as they become available.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post American University Left Reeling After Bananas Found Hanging From Nooses appeared first on Law Street.

Charlotte School of Law has had a rough couple of months. Last November, the school was placed on probation by the American Bar Association for low test scores and lax admissions policies. A few months later, the federal government withdrew its financial aid to the school’s students, as part of an Obama Administration crackdown on for-profit schools.

Now, the state of North Carolina is opening an investigation into the school, POLITICO has reported. According to a spokeswoman for Attorney General Josh Stein, state officials are “investigating the school under the state’s civil consumer protection laws.”

Whether or not the school will remain open is still uncertain. During the fall semester, there were 716 students enrolled at the school, a number that has dropped to about 220 since the government announce it would stop granting loans to students.

President Barack Obama’s administration began targeting for-profit higher education in 2015, in an effort to make sure colleges and universities don’t attract students by misleading them about how much money they will earn after graduation, only to leave them in debt from steep tuition prices. In one of its earlier measures, the Department of Education required colleges to start monitoring their graduates’ debt, earnings, and jobs.

Charlotte is now looking to President Donald Trump’s administration in hopes that it will be able to reclaim the money it lost. The Department of Education recently urged the school to re-apply for funding, in spite of criticism from Stein. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has a reputation for supporting for-profit educational organizations.

The school landed on the ABA’s probation list in the fall after receiving criticism for low bar exam passage rates and a pattern of admitting students that were unqualified or unlikely to succeed. In January, the DOE announced that current and future students at the school would no longer be eligible for federal aid, after the school’s leaders and education department officials failed to agree on a plan to address its issues. Charlotte refused to implement a “teach out” plan that would allow students to continue their studies at a different accredited institution. Such a system would have required the school to close permanently.

In late January, more than 150 students filed lawsuits against Charlotte in an effort to win back the money they had spent on tuition and recover damages for the shortage of job prospects they faced.

Charlotte is the first accredited school to lose its access to federal aid. InfiLaw, the corporation that owns the school, also owns Arizona Summit Law School, which was placed on ABA probation for similar reasons in March.

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Charlotte School of Law Saga Continues: North Carolina AG Investigates the School appeared first on Law Street.

On Wednesday it was announced that Whittier College’s law school–located in Costa Mesa in Southern California–will be discontinuing its program. As the school’s board of trustees announced on Wednesday, Whittier would not be accepting a law class for Fall 2017.

As the Los Angeles Times reported, the school’s spokeswoman Ana Lilia Barraza said that the school will develop a plan to ensure that students who already enrolled will finish their degrees. According to the National Jurist, most schools in Whittier’s situation file for something called a “teach out” with the Department of Education, which would allow for a school that is closing to help enrolled students finish their programs while not losing certain federal loan options. However, Whittier has not yet begun the  process for filing for a teach out.

The reason for Whittier Law’s closing looks like it may be due to a mix of factors including its discouraging post-grad employment numbers amongst its students, its shockingly low percentage of students who pass California’s bar exam, and its rapidly decreasing admittance rates. According to the Orange County Register, Whittier law school graduates who found full-time employment in 2015 was less than half the national average, the percentage of first-time takers of the California bar exam was almost 40 percent less than the average among other law school campuses in the state, and over the past couple of years, the small school has seen its number of admitted students drop from 1,579 students admitted in 2013 to 934 in 2016.

The closing will make Whittier Law the first American Bar Association accredited law school to shut down in three decades, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We believe we have looked at every realistic option to continue a successful law program” reads an official message from the chairman of the Whittier Board of Trustees. “I appreciate the gravity of this decision and its impact on the lives of all those who belong to the Law School community.”

Austin Elias-De Jesus

Austin is an editorial intern at Law Street Media. He is a junior at The George Washington University majoring in Political Communication. You can usually find him reading somewhere. If you can’t find him reading, he’s probably taking a walk. Contact Austin at Staff@Lawstreetmedia.com.

The post Whittier College’s Law School Set to Close appeared first on Law Street.

Arizona Summit Law School is the latest institution in trouble with the American Bar Association (ABA) for low bar exam passage rates.

The ABA has placed the school–which has recently seen bar passage rates for first-time test takers fall to 25 percent–on probation. This is a significant drop from the school’s 2008 passage rate of 97 percent. The association also cited Summit’s admissions policies as a reason for the probation.

Summit Law School has until May 15 to develop a plan to improve its students’ test results in accordance with the ABA standards, which require that at least 75 percent of a law school’s graduates pass the bar within five years of graduation.

The ABA has been getting tough on law schools recently. Charlotte School of Law in North Carolina, which is owned by the same for-profit company that owns Summit, was placed on probation in November and lost its federal funding in February. In order for students to be eligible for loans from the government, their schools must be ABA-accredited. Charlotte landed in hot water with the association after admitting too many unqualified students who were unable to pass the bar or pursue careers in the field post-graduation.

In February, the association even considered tightening its standards for accredited schools. A proposed revision would have required 75 percent of graduates pass a bar exam within two years instead of five, but this proposal failed. Students and law school deans across the country challenged the idea of imposing stricter criteria, saying that it would limit diversity in schools and eventually the profession. Summit is especially cognizant of these concerns, as 43 percent of its students are minorities.

Last August, the ABA gave the Ave Maria School of Law in Florida a list of measures it would have to undertake to improve its school, and in November it publicly censured the Valparaiso School of Law in Indiana.

One explanation for the ABA’s crackdown on under-performing schools could be because it faces the possibility of losing its accreditation power. Last June, a Department of Education advisory committee suggested that the association’s authority to accredit schools be suspended for a year because of low student achievement.

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post American Bar Association Places a Second Law School on Probation appeared first on Law Street.

A lot has changed since Elle Woods aced her Law School Admission Test to land a spot at Harvard Law in “Legally Blonde.” Now, you may not even need an LSAT score to get in.

As part of a new pilot program this fall, Harvard will begin accepting scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), in addition to the LSAT, which it currently considers.

The new move is part of Harvard’s efforts to attract more diverse applicants, as well as those who may be weighing other graduate school options but don’t want to take two different entry tests because of cost and convenience. The GRE, which is available in more than 150 countries, could also help bring in more international students. It can be taken year-round and on a computer, unlike the LSAT, which is a written test offered four times a year.

Harvard Law Dean Martha Minow said:

All students benefit when we can diversify our community in terms of academic background, country of origin, and financial circumstances. Also, given the promise of the revolutions in biology, computer science, and engineering, law needs students with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds. For these students, international students, multidisciplinary scholars, and joint-degree students, the GRE is a familiar and accessible test, and using it is a great way to reach candidates not only for law school, but for tackling the issues and opportunities society will be facing.

Though this could be a first step toward making the LSAT permanently optional, law schools are required by the American Bar Association to measure the impact of a GRE policy before they change their admission criteria. Last year, the University of Arizona’s law school started giving students a choice between submitting GRE and LSAT scores. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which  administers the LSAT, criticized the University of Arizona at the time, saying that all students should be required to take the test.

The announcement about testing the new admissions policy comes as Harvard faces falling enrollment numbers. The number of applicants to the most highly-ranked law schools has decreased overall between 2011 and 2015, and Harvard specifically has seen an 18 percent drop in applications.

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Harvard Law Will Experiment with Accepting GRE Scores appeared first on Law Street.

Will Tiffany Trump’s family name help or hurt her chances of getting into law school?

It’s a question that some people are asking about the first daughter. In a recent article, the Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts weighed whether President Donald Trump’s youngest daughter would have a harder time getting into her preferred law school because of her controversial father–or if her high-profile connections could land her a spot at Harvard, Columbia, or New York University (which she toured recently), or any other school to which she might have applied.

Last year, Tiffany Trump published an image of her practice Law School Admission Test (LSAT) on Instagram which, according to the Post, revealed multiple wrong answers. But even if she aces the entrance exam, which she took in December, and is accepted to a top institution based on her qualifications, Roberts noted that Trump will still face accusations that she only got in because of her connections. As an undergrad, Trump attended University of Pennsylvania, the institution from which her father and her sister Ivanka also graduated.

Donald Trump himself has been criticized, particularly during the election season, for relying on family connections to advance his career, which differs from narratives he has pushed about being a self-made business man. He drew a lot of attention at the beginning of the campaign season for saying that he started off with “a small loan of a million dollars” from his own father, real estate mogul Fred Trump.

Since taking office, President Trump even faced accusations of nepotism when he hired his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Ivanka’s husband, as one of his advisers. Ivanka has also been very involved in the White House, often joining meetings with foreign leaders and other conferences.

If Tiffany Trump winds up at an elite law school, she’ll be joining a long list of first daughters and sons who attended prestigious institutions. Most recently, former President Barack Obama’s daughter Malia Obama announced she would be enrolling at Harvard University next fall.

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Where Will Tiffany Trump End Up for Law School? appeared first on Law Street.

Yesterday, on the anniversary of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, the Federalist Society released an excerpt from a documentary about his life and legacy. The eight-minute video includes quotes from his children and the other Supreme Court Justices, and some clips of him in action. “On the anniversary of his passing, some of the people who knew him best recount the life and legacy of the ‘inimitable’ Antonin Scalia–father, husband, jurist,” says a statement on the conservative organization’s website.

“He was a principled man.” – Chief Justice Roberts
“I miss him every day. He was inimitable.” – Justice Ginsburg https://t.co/ya7rFSbXfL

— Federalist Society (@FedSoc) February 14, 2017

Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court has been empty ever since he passed away, as Republicans refused to vote, or even consider, former President Obama’s nominee to replace him, Merrick Garland. Now that President Trump has nominated Neil Gorsuch, who is a conservative judge very similar to Scalia in many ways, a lot of Democrats have criticized what they call the GOP’s double standard. Outspoken civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton said over the weekend:

Now they want to talk about, since Trump has nominated Gorsuch, how qualified he is. Well, he ain’t no more qualified than Garland was. The danger of this proceeding is, are you now saying that you will select Supreme Court judges based on if the party on the White House corresponds with the party that is the majority of the Senate, then you have in effect changed the constitutional requirements to select a Supreme Court judge.

It’s unclear if or when the Federalist Society will release a full-length documentary about the former justice. But the video clip ends with the words “coming soon.” In the meantime, Neil Gorsuch is on the long road of questionnaires, procedures, and hearings that make up the confirmation process, to finally replace the vacancy left by Scalia.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Federalist Society Released Part of a Documentary about Antonin Scalia appeared first on Law Street.

Twelve states are taking the bar out of the bar exam–the newest MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, that is.

North Carolina’s Board of Law Examiners is the latest board to ask test-takers using MacBooks to disable the function during exams over concerns about cheating. The new rule will go into effect for students sitting for the test in February.

According to ExamSoft, a company that manufactures testing software for the board, the “Touch Bar will show predictive text depending on what the student is typing, compromising exam integrity.”

9to5Mac, a website that covers news about Apple, reported that ExamSoft’s software is typically able to block access to the internet or apps that allow students to cheat, but that the new Touch Bar rule was likely an “extra precaution.”

Meanwhile, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia’s bar associations have banned the Apple computers from their tests altogether.

Don’t know if you’ll be allowed to bring your computer to the test? Katherine Silver Kelly, an Ohio State University law professor, has been using her blog Bar Exam Wizard to post the list of states placing restrictions on MacBook Pros and the Touch Bars.

Apple introduced the updated MacBook Pro in October with the Touch Bar as a replacement for function keys. The bar is a touchscreen that runs along the top of the keyboard and can be customized to display users’ most-used apps. It also provides full emoji access.

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post MacBook Feature Barred from Multiple Bar Exams appeared first on Law Street.

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Each year, tens of thousands of law school students graduate, take the bar (or choose not to), and look for work. But law school is not cheap, and it’s no secret that a lot of students take out massive student loans in order to finance their education. According to the most recent data from the American Bar Association, average debt for a student who attends a private institution is $122,158, and average debt for a student who attends a public law school is $84,600.

But that doesn’t mean that if you want to go to law school, you’re automatically signing yourself up for a life of paying back loans. There are ways to lower that bill, significantly, and it all starts with choosing the right law school. Check out our guide on how to find the best value law school for you.

Image courtesy of University of Nebraska College of Law

Here are the questions that you need to be asking yourself as you look for value in a law school:

How much does it cost?

This is the basic one–how much do the tuition and fees cost? This is where any prospective law school student should start. This information will be available on a school’s website, or you can use a site that aggregates it, like U.S. News & World Report, to compare tuition and fees.

Seems simple, right? But there’s more to how much a law school “costs” than just tuition and fees. Cost of living for a particular area also needs to be taken into account. There are cost of living calculators that you can use, or you can work it out by hand, but it’s important to acknowledge that things like rent, food, gas, and so many other life necessities require budgeting with your limited law school funds. And where you live can make that budgeting easier, or it can make it harder.

Some schools make it easy to find this kind of information and compare different options. For example, the Nebraska College of Law offers a helpful page that breaks down the different kinds of costs you could have as a law school student, so you can see them all at once.

What does student loan debt look like at that school?

Image courtesy of University of Nebraska College of Law

So, you’ve figured out what you can afford. How are you going to pay for it? Most students take on some amount of student loan–for the law school class of 2015, 78 percent of students who attended private schools had student loan debt, as did 77 percent of law students at public schools.

And all that cost comes at, well, a cost, at almost every level. At the macro level, there’s evidence to suggest that this influx of student loan debt isn’t good for the economy. But it hurts individuals too–studies have shown that a majority of millennials have put off buying homes and saving for retirement because of their high levels of debt. And for young lawyers particularly, student loan debt can restrict them from taking jobs and opportunities that they’re passionate about.

But keep in mind that those numbers are just the averages for public and private schools–the number of students with loans varies by school, as does an equally important metric: how much those student loans are. Like cost of tuition and fees, that information is readily available, and can offer insight into how much the school costs overall.

How well prepared will I be for life after law school?

You’ve decided on a law school, and you’ve figured out a way to pay for it, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to pack your bags quite yet–you also need to make sure that you’re going to be in a good position to make money after law school. Two good things to look at are bar passage rates and employment rates for the schools that you’re considering. You also need to look at the quality of jobs being obtained–are they legal jobs or are they in other fields? The ABA publishes this data for accredited law schools.

It’s also worth considering what kind of opportunities you’ll have while at law school. Ask yourself questions like: What types of opportunities does the school provide for you to work with real clients on real cases. Do they offer clinics or externship experiences? Do you want to get adventurous? Do they have a study abroad program or do they place students internationally? What types of resources does the school offer/provide to help you secure employment after law school? If you’re not happy with the answers to any of those questions, maybe it’s worth considering a different school.

What else do I get out of this law school?

Life isn’t just a mathematical equation though, and choosing a law school shouldn’t be either. There are lots of things you need to consider when determining if a law school is the right fit for you, like the size of the incoming class, or what specialty programs the school offers. For example, Nebraska Law offers an innovative, one-of-a-kind space law program–if that’s a specialty you’re interested in, or if there’s another specific specialty you’re interested in, it’s worth considering whether a school can offer you a leg up in that field. Consider other non-tangible measures too–like the size and reach of an alumni network, the workshops and resources that will help you develop your professional skills, and the connections you can make with professors.

So…What’s Next?

What’s next is up to you–you now have the tools to find the best value law school for you, so put them into practice! To understand what this looks like, look no further than Nebraska Law 1L Megan Heinzinger, from Illinois, who revealed how she put these concepts to work herself. She explained what she was looking for in a law school:

Selecting a law school with high bar passage and job placement rates was very important to me, as it is to many students. I also sought to find a school with low tuition, that would afford me the opportunity to be more selective in my job search after graduation. [The University of Nebraska College of Law] boasts both impressive student statistics and offered an unmatchable tuition rate. Moreover, [Nebraska] has an notably extensive network that facilitates placing students in jobs around the country and world. This was important to me, being that I plan to return to Illinois after graduation.

And she explained that she was attracted to Nebraska Law from a financial standpoint, saying:

I knew that by attending [Nebraska Law] I would graduate with significantly less debt than I would have at any other school I had applied to. The affordable tuition paired with Nebraska [College] of Law’s competitive edge was virtually unbeatable. The low cost of living in Lincoln was also an attractive draw.

Image courtesy of University of Nebraska College of Law

University of Nebraska College of Law

Students at the University of Nebraska College of Law study in a friendly, collaborative environment with internationally recognized professors. Reasonable tuition costs, and excellent bar passage and employment rates are part of the reason that Nebraska Law is consistently named a best value law school. The College of Law is part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a major research university and member of the Big Ten Conference. It is located in Lincoln, an exciting college town, the state capital, and a city of nearly 300,000 people. Learn more at law.unl.edu. The University of Nebraska College of Law is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post How to Find the Best Value Law School for You appeared first on Law Street.

On January 23, President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting all government hiring. The move drew criticism from those who argue the freeze would disrupt crucial government services and programs. The freeze prohibits every federal agency, excluding those related to the military, public safety, and public health, from hiring new employees.

This means that for the foreseeable future, agencies must make do with the staff on hand. Federal agencies are even barred from filling vacancies left by outgoing employees. Lawyers are among the plethora of current and prospective public employees affected by the president’s order.

A report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the federal government employed about five percent of the nation’s practicing lawyers in 2014, which equates to about 39,000 jobs. However, assuming the hiring freeze remains in place, this number is likely to stagnate and drop in the coming years. The incapacitation of this sizable employer will force newly graduated lawyers to alter their job search strategy. The freeze will mostly affect graduates entering job markets in or near government job centers.

As with many of his orders, the language describing the hiring freeze is vague. It is unclear whether the Department of Justice or the Department of Health and Human Services, for example, are exempt based on their importance to public safety and public health respectively.

Therefore, some graduates aspiring to work in the federal government may still have luck. Nonetheless, though Trump may have closed the door on many graduates who hoped to serve the public by entering the federal government, he has inadvertently opened doors in other industry sectors.

In the days and weeks following election night, immigration lawyers reported being swamped by calls and emails from immigrants hoping to learn what a Trump presidency might mean for them. Overnight, Trump’s inflammatory campaign rhetoric was transformed into impending immigration policy. Only days into his term, Trump began signing executive orders that would realize the type of hardline policies he had long threatened.

On January 25, Trump signed two orders that, among other things, called for the construction of wall along the Mexican border, an uptick in deportation efforts, and funding cuts to sanctuary cities. Two days later, the president signed an order that banned the entry of all non-citizens arriving from seven Muslim-majority countries. Both of these orders resulted in large public protests throughout the country.

As private citizens mobilized in the wake of Trump’s latest order, so too did immigration lawyers who began flocking to airports around the country and offering pro bono counsel to those detained. Assuming the Trump administration continues down its current path, immigration lawyers are likely to be in high demand. New lawyers hoping to serve the public may be frozen out of the federal government. But immigration law has, and will continue to be, an area in dire need of individuals dedicated to serving the public by any means necessary.

Callum Cleary

Callum is an editorial intern at Law Street. He is from Portland OR by way of the United Kingdom. He is a senior at American University double majoring in International Studies and Philosophy with a focus on social justice in Latin America. Contact Callum at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post How Will Trump’s Hiring Freeze Affect New Lawyers? appeared first on Law Street.

Despite criticism from law school deans across the country, the American Bar Association will meet on February 6 to discuss a proposal that would establish stricter bar passage requirements for school accreditation.

The proposal mandates that 75 percent of an accredited school’s graduates must pass the bar within two years of graduating. But deans have opposed the measure over concerns about California’s declining bar passage rate and diversity within the profession.

More than 90 deans signed a letter from the Association of American Law School’s Dean Steering Committee on January 13, asking for a year to review the proposal before the ABA’s House of Delegates considers it.

That period of time, they wrote, would allow them to understand how the measure might affect a school’s accreditation. In California, where the state bar passage rate has dropped from 56 percent to about 43 percent over the last three years, a handful of schools could lose their accreditations.

The letter notes:

The California bar results, if they become the ‘new normal’ for graduates of ABA-accredited law schools in California, could potentially imperil the accreditation of a very large number of law schools–law schools whose history and profile have demonstrated over many decades an ability to educate successful law students by any reasonable measure.

The letter also included concerns about diversity. More difficult standards could keep minority students–who, on average, score lower on the Law School Admission Test–from being admitted to schools if officials fear they won’t pass the bar.

Most of California’s law school deans, a handful of deans from law schools with connections to historically black universities, and the deans of Harvard and Yale law schools all signed the letter.

At the same time, the ABA risks losing its authority to accredit schools if it does not pay greater attention to student achievement. In June, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity urged the Department of Education to suspend the association’s accreditation power for one year.

The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education voted to adopt the proposal’s requirement changes in October, but the proposal must still pass through the House of Delegates. If they approve the new rule next month, it will apply to graduates taking the bar exam this July, part of a broader Department of Education crackdown on accreditors.

In a January 19 statement, the council’s managing director Barry Currier said, “There is no reason to delay the effectiveness of this new standard,” which he said the council has been discussing and revising for several years. “The fact remains that to become a lawyer in a jurisdiction, a law school graduate must pass that jurisdiction’s bar exam. The standard that the council adopted holds schools to meeting graduates’ expectations in the jurisdictions where the school’s graduates choose to locate,” Currier said.

He added that the council would continue working with state supreme courts, bar examiners, deans, and diversity groups to ensure diversity and fair exams. He also said the new standard “is not at odds with any of those concerns and objectives.”

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ABA Will Consider New Bar Passage Requirements for Law Schools appeared first on Law Street.

In 1948, H. Edward Spires was discharged as “undesirable” from the military because he was gay. On Friday, his discharge was finally updated to “honorable,” after almost 70 years. “My first thought was, ‘it’s about time,” Spires said on Monday. “I can lift my head again.” One of the law students who worked on the case, Erin Baldwin, doesn’t know why the Air Force changed its mind, since Spires has requested the change several times. “I’m not sure we can say with certainty but it was helpful that he had support from a lot of different places,” she said.

When the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which banned openly homosexual soldiers from serving in the military, was repealed in 2011, Spires became qualified to ask to upgrade his discharge. But the Air Force claimed that a 1973 fire had destroyed his military records, and denied his application. In November, a group of law students from the Yale Veterans Legal Services Clinic helped Spires and his husband David Rosenberg, who is also a veteran, file a federal lawsuit. Spires is currently recovering from pneumonia, which made the issue even more pressing.

Finally, the military granted his request. In a letter signed last Thursday, the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records acknowledges Spires’ request and writes, “Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an injustice.”

Gay Air Force veteran honorably discharged 68 years later https://t.co/0EWoeTjF5K pic.twitter.com/KxriaCM5rX

— Hartford Courant (@hartfordcourant) January 9, 2017

Spires enlisted in the military when he was 20 years old, in 1946. He was assigned the role of a chaplain’s assistant at the Air Force Base in San Antonio and was soon promoted to the rank of sergeant. He told NBC in November that he lived a closeted life whenever he was at the base. Spires loved San Antonio and was part of a small community of other closeted gay men. But all of that changed when he went to a Halloween party dressed as the soap Oxydol, which was advertised at the time as very sparkly. So Spires dressed “very sparkly and that was taken as being in drag,” he said. “Someone at the party recognized me and said, ‘Ah-ha! He must be gay.’”

After that, the military treated him differently; officers interrogated him for weeks, asked personal questions about his life, and sent him to meet a board of inquiry every day for a week. Spires was too ashamed to tell his mother what was going on, even though she came to visit him at the same time as the trial. He said:

I had to be my own attorney. They did not furnish me an attorney because I was thought of as nothing. They were already convinced I was gay and that I was guilty. […] I can’t tell you how terrible it was. I couldn’t tell her, I can’t spend days with you because I’m on trial.

He collapsed under the pressure, and was discharged because of “undesirable habits and traits of character,” in June of 1948. He never came out to his parents, but met his husband in 1956 and married him in 2009. Rosenberg said that there was a big difference in how the military treated the two men; his husband was honorably discharged despite being gay. “It is an injustice that the military has treated Ed and me so differently, despite our equal honorable service,” he said at a press conference in November.

But finally, Spires’ will has been granted and he can relax. The couple said that they will celebrate in Florida next month. Spires said, “I’m still recovering from pneumonia but every day seems a little brighter. This is one thing less on my mind…I can smile again.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Yale Law Students Help Gay Veteran Gain New Recognition appeared first on Law Street.

Law was traditionally a male-dominated field–and while women are increasingly entering it, there’s still some work to be done. A new report released by Law School Transparency and co-written by a professor at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University found that women make up a smaller proportion of the population at the highest-tier law schools, and that they’re less likely to find high-paying work after they graduate. The law school gender imbalance is still there, and it’s still very concerning.

Professor Deborah Jones Merritt and Law School Transparency’s Kyle McEntee titled the report: “The Leaky Pipeline for Women Entering the Legal Profession” and identified a number of related issues that could have led to this phenomenon. Despite the fact that women make up the majority of undergraduate and graduate degree seekers, they’re only 50.8 percent of law school applicants. As Merritt and McEntee put it:

To put this a different way, about 3.4 percent of men college graduates apply to law school, but just 2.6 percent of women do…If women applied to law school at the same rate as men, applications would go up 16 percent overall.

Law schools (particularly elite law schools) have also been admitting the women who do apply at lower rates. It’s unclear why that would be the case–it could be because law schools are putting a higher emphasis on LSAT scores, and women tend to score slightly lower on the test on average.

The third issue identified in the report is that women are more likely to attend lower-ranked law schools. Again, there may be a few different reasons contributing to that gap–from the availability of financial aid or slightly lower LSAT scores. Kastalia Medrano of Motto also noted:

The research duo behind the report posited that perhaps women aren’t as aggressive as men in negotiating better scholarship deals, and that the legal industry itself might not be doing enough to rectify its public perception as a male-oriented sphere, a widespread image problem that discourages women from entering a number of professions.

So what does all this mean? Well, many female lawyers are starting with a disadvantage that affects their professional lives moving forward. As Elizabeth Olson of The New York Times puts it:

Despite the high numbers with law degrees, women hold fewer than 20 percent of partnerships at law firms and are underrepresented in the higher echelons of law, including the ranks of judges, corporate counsel, law school deans and professors.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Law School Gender Imbalance: Still a Problem appeared first on Law Street.

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The University of Nebraska College of Law doesn’t care if you use your phone in school–in fact, it’s encouraged. Nebraska Law has developed an innovative app that helps law school students track their professional skill development, literally putting the students’ educational outcomes in their own hands. The Build Your Character Program, and accompanying app, is the first of its kind at an American law school. It links learning outcomes to both curricular and co-curricular activities, making it easy for students to understand exactly what professional skills they should be developing through attendance or participation in courses and programming. The app provides the means by which students are able to monitor their progress in the identified skill areas.

Image courtesy of Nebraska Law

It’s no secret that law school students have a lot to handle; there are a lot of moving parts to their days. The app helps students see the whole picture created by these parts. It provides a checklist of the skills that are key to becoming a successful lawyer. Courses and activities are “tagged” with these skills and calculated into a law student’s progress in skill development through their participation.

These skills include conflict resolution, working with others, identity, planning & organizing, and client & business relations; see the full list here.

By tracking their progress, students have a full picture of where they are in their education. It identifies areas of strength and competency, but also visually shows the students areas that could use some improvement. It’s holistic too, meaning that it incorporates every aspect of a student’s legal education, in and out of the classroom.

Interim Dean Richard E. Moberly and Assistant Dean of Student & Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Molly Brummond told me about the inspiration for the app. It came from the drive to answer a few different questions. Brummond told me:

We were looking for a way [to] increase participation in things that were happening at the law school. We recognize that law school students are under incredible time constraints, and so if you want them to participate you have to convince them that it’s worth their time. That’s the question we were trying to answer when we developed this program: how do we convince them that participating in [something like] the client counseling competitions, is worth their time, why is it important?

Additionally, the app serves as a way to provide students a clear path to obtain the skills that the school expects them to have upon graduation. For Moberly, the questions were:

What kind of things do we expect our graduates to be able to do when they leave here? What are the skills we expect them to have when they’re done with a Nebraska Law education? And how do we know whether they get those or not?

This program and the accompanying app were born as a way to answer those two tracks of questions–how to encourage students to get involved in activities that would further their education, and how to ensure that they have received the necessary skills to enter the legal field upon graduation.

But why is an app so revolutionary? Law schools have traditionally been slow to adopt technology, despite the fact that their students–who tend to be in the millennial generation, whole-heartedly embrace it in almost every aspect of their lives. There’s a reason “there’s an app for that” has become a cliche statement and a sitcom punchline. Millennials spend an estimated 90 hours per month on mobile apps. Two-thirds of the digital media consumed by millennials is done so on mobile. If you’re going to appeal to law school students, embracing their love of technology makes a lot of sense. Other features put on the app embrace the power of technology too–Nebraska is also using the app to send students updates and alerts, instead of just relying on email.

There’s a wide variety of skills that go into making a successful lawyer, and most law school students don’t know exactly what they’re going to do when they’re still in law school. Regardless of what they may aim to do, the legal field does change and evolve, and law school students need to be as well prepared as possible. The Build Your Character app makes it easy for students to make sure they’re on the right track and take control of their education–one swipe at a time.

University of Nebraska College of Law

Students at the University of Nebraska College of Law study in a friendly, collaborative environment with internationally recognized professors. Reasonable tuition costs, and excellent bar passage and employment rates are part of the reason that Nebraska Law is consistently named a best value law school. The College of Law is part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a major research university and member of the Big Ten Conference. It is located in Lincoln, an exciting college town, the state capital, and a city of nearly 300,000 people. Learn more at law.unl.edu. The University of Nebraska College of Law is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post Nebraska Law’s Build Your Character App Helps Students Begin with the End in Mind appeared first on Law Street.

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Chocolate and sea salt, Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, legal education and technology…these are all pairings that at first glance don’t seem like they mix together too well, but truly are the perfect combinations. And while legal education has traditionally been a field that hasn’t necessarily embraced the latest offerings in technology, one school in particular has broken away from the pack, and has begun offering innovative programs to students that embrace the power of technology. Texas A&M University School of Law has designed four programs–an LL.M. in Risk Management, an M.Jur in Risk Management, an LL.M in Wealth Management, and an M.Jur in Wealth Management–that use technology to bring innovative legal education to both lawyers and non-lawyers looking to expand their educations and skill sets.

So what is Texas A&M doing that is so innovative? Check out seven ways that the school is changing legal education through the power of technology below:

Texas A&M Has Not Just One, but Two In-Demand Programs

Texas A&M’s Distance Education Program has two distinct but related programs: Risk Management and Wealth Management.

A degree in Wealth Management, a field that encompasses financial planning, investment portfolio management, and other financial services, can be beneficial to individuals working in positions such as chief financial officers, financial officers, and business analysts. Lawyers and non-lawyers alike have to traverse a complicated landscape of financial regulation and rules; a degree in wealth management helps build connections and skills that will make it easier to do so.

A degree in Risk Management, a field which aims to identify and mitigate financial risks, can provide a strong background for students in a wide variety of issues, like compliance, fiduciary management, corporate governance, and anti-money laundering. This program is open to lawyers and non-lawyers who work as compliance officers, risk specialists, or as fraud/anti-money laundering analysts. According to Texas A&M:

Risk Management is a growing field with employment prospects expected to increase by 30 percent over the next ten years. As Risk Management become more intertwined with legal regulation, industry professionals look to legal education for training. Texas A&M is uniquely positioned to provide education not only to those who are licensed attorneys, but other professionals who need legal training but are not interested in the practice of law.

Still not sure? Here’s someone who needs both a wealth and risk manager:

via GIPHY

But I have a job and I’m not in Texas.  How would I get these degrees?

The four degrees offered by Texas A&M are online, flexible, and designed specifically with working professionals’ busy schedules in mind. Each program takes approximately six semesters to complete, but there’s enough flexibility to allow students to work at their own pace.

The classes are in an asynchronous format, meaning that students can work at their own paces, completing assignments and listening to lectures. Have a busy couple days of meetings and deadlines? That’s fine–you can schedule yourself to get your work done ahead of time. Have some free time now? Tackle a hard section and set yourself up for smooth sailing the rest of the week.

Texas A&M wants to make it as easy as possible for students to take advantage of these degree offerings.

via GIPHY

Why are the same programs open to both lawyers and non lawyers?

The field of law doesn’t exist in a vacuum; neither do the fields of wealth management or risk management–many jobs are a lot more complicated than that. Lawyers can be asked to weigh in on questions that require more knowledge than just what they received in law school; other executives have to deal with complicated (and potentially costly) legal questions.

Lawyers can benefit from augmenting their legal expertise with applied knowledge from other fields. Non-lawyers will receive legal training in their specific specialties without attending law school. Both lawyers and non-lawyers will gain practical skills, new networks, and open themselves up to new career opportunities.

Lawyers who complete the Wealth or Risk Management programs will receive an LL.M.; non-lawyers will receive an M.Jur.

Who teaches these Courses?

William Byrnes. Image courtesy of Texas A&M Law

How do incredibly qualified and dynamic world class professors sound? William H. Byrnes, a pioneer in online legal education, designed the programs at Texas A&M. According to the National Journal, “Perhaps no one in legal academia has more experience with online master’s degrees than William Byrnes.”

Byrnes, an Executive Professor and Associate Dean, said about the program:

Our ultimate goal is to enable professional and graduate students to completely confront the complexities of programs such as modern wealth management and risk management, and to prepare them for successful careers as well as for independent, lifelong learning.

In addition to Byrnes’ expertise, the programs also feature classes taught by Robert Bloink, Richard Kravitz, and George Mentz, all experts in their respective fields.

The Tech is Top of the Line

A lot of people have one big concern with online courses: how can the experience of learning behind a computer screen possibly compare to in-class learning?

Texas A&M has put a lot of time and effort into making sure that students receive an unparalleled distance learning experience. All of the courses included in both the wealth and risk management programs benefit from 24/7 tech support, and students receive an orientation upon enrolling to make sure that they know how to use all the applicable technology.

Moreover, Texas A&M makes sure that the tech used improves the educational experience, rather than hindering it. The curricula are designed to facilitate teamwork and interaction.

via GIPHY

What if I need still a Hand?

There’s lots of help to be had! One of the benefits of the online programs is that each student has a personal resource at the school in the distance education office to help you every step along the way. Texas A&M Law wants to make sure that you succeed from day 1 with top-notch, hands on advisors.

via GIPHY

Access to the Aggie Network

Image courtesy of Texas A&M Law

Texas A&M has a massive alumni network–the Aggie Network, that students who participate in the Distance Education Programs become members of upon graduation. The Aggie Network is composed of almost 400,000 alums–an unparalleled networking and support community.

Specifically for lawyers there’s also the Texas Aggie Bar Association for even more networking purposes.

Plus, you get an awesome ring.

Texas A&M University School of Law

Texas A&M University School of Law is a public, ABA-accredited law school located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The law school is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and offers the juris doctor degree through its full-time, part-time, and evening programs. The school provides a Masters of Laws (LL.M) program and Masters of Jurisprudence (M. Jur.) program residentially, with the focus in Wealth Management and in Risk Management online. Texas A&M University School of Law is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post 7 Ways Texas A&M is Using the Digital Era to Change Legal Education appeared first on Law Street.

Kim Kardashian is considering going to law school. No, this is not an Onion headline–the media personality told the magazine Wonderland that she’d like to go to law school at some point during the road. Kardashian said: “If things slow down and I had time, I really want to go to law school. Just something I can do in my older age.”

via GIPHY

Kardashian’s late father, Robert Kardashian Sr. was an accomplished lawyer, and served on the defense team for O.J. Simpson. He was recently portrayed by David Schwimmer in the “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”; the Kardashians were also portrayed as children on the show. And Kim has expressed interest in law and crime before–in an interview earlier this year, she said that if she wasn’t famous she’d be a “forensic investigator.” She told Vogue Australia:

I would be a forensic investigator and live a normal life. I’m gonna be that annoying, pushy mom and say I want to live vicariously through my kids and have them be a forensic investigator.

There are a few hurdles that Kim would presumably have to cross in order to go to law school. She never went to college, and there are only a few law schools that accept people who don’t already have a Bachelor’s degree. For example, Western Michigan University-Cooley Law School does accept students who didn’t complete an undergraduate degree but do have a certain number of undergraduate credit hours under their belt.

So will Kim actually go for it? It doesn’t sound like she’s planning on it anytime soon, but we can keep an eye out.

via GIPHY

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law Schools: Would you Admit Kim Kardashian? appeared first on Law Street.

In 2014, Law Street Media set out to redefine law school specialty rankings. We wanted to provide a mix of qualitative and quantitive information to prospective law school students who are interested in pursuing a particular specialty program while in law school, and we’re pretty happy to say we succeeded with our first cycle. We covered a number of different specialties–from the hugely popular and common criminal and tax programs, to smaller and more specialized fields like entertainment and real estate law. As our first three-year cycle of specialty rankings comes to a close, we wanted to take a few minutes to recognize the schools that consistently ranked at the top of our lists. Click on the schools below to see their highlights:

Columbia Law School, Harvard Law School, New York University School of Law,Georgetown University Law Center, University of Virginia School of Law , Fordham University School of Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, University of Pennsylvania School of Law, University of California – Los Angeles School of Law, and Honorable Mentions.

Columbia Law School

Harvard Law School

New York University School of Law

Georgetown University Law Center

University of Virginia School of Law

Fordham University School of Law

Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

University of Pennsylvania Law School

University of California – Los Angeles School of Law

Honorable Mentions

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post 2016 Law School Specialty Rankings: Who Came Out on Top? appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, and Sam Reilly.

Click here to see the all of Law Street’s 2016 Law School Specialty Rankings

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top Schools for Tax Law Programs 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #1 New York University School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, and Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #2 Harvard Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #3 Georgetown University Law Center appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #4 Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, and Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #5 Columbia Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #6 UCLA School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #7 University of Virginia School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, and Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #8 Boston University School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #9 University of North Carolina School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Tax Law: #10 University of Pennsylvania Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly, Julia Bryant.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #1 Northwestern University School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly, Julia Bryant.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #2 Harvard Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly, Julia Bryant.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #3 University of Chicago Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly, Julia Bryant.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #4 Columbia University Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly, Julia Bryant.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #5 Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #6 Georgetown University Law Center appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #7 University of Virginia School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #8 Washington University of St. Louis School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #9 Seton Hall University School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Labor Law: #10 Marquette University Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here to see the all of Law Street’s 2016 Law School Specialty Rankings

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top Schools for Labor Law Programs 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

“Deflategate” is easily one of the biggest scandals to ever rock the NFL, continuously generating headlines a year and a half later. The intricacies of the controversy have become so complex, that coming this fall the University of New Hampshire’s Law School will offer a class that focuses specifically on the scandal. A legal expert for Sports Illustrated and a nationally prominent UNH law faculty professor, Michael McCann, will lead the course.

According to the class description,

The nationally publicized “Deflategate” case illustrates the power struggle that results when sports and law collide. [The course] will introduce [students] to the role the legal system plays in sports, relevant practices and applications in the field, and the journalistic methods used to fuel a scandal that has dominated the professional sports landscape since January of 2015.

It’s been 544 days since the scandal began with the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts’ AFC Championship Game. On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected a request from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to avoid a four-game suspension for his role in deflating footballs to make them easier to catch during rainy games. For now, it looks like the New England QB will be watching the games from the sidelines.

Why is this still a thing? #Deflategatepic.twitter.com/gLWWtwxGc1

— Ships Have Sailed (@ShipsHaveSailed) July 13, 2016

Click here to read Law Street Media’s previous coverage on “Deflategate.”

The federal appeals court’s decision could finally be the end to a long and embarrassing string of violations, but Brady can still ask the Supreme Court to overrule his suspension. The odds of that happening are slim though, because the Patriot’s first game takes place in less than two months.

“That would be an extremely long shot, and, of course, could not be finally resolved soon, even were the justices to hear the appeal,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.

The NFL Players Association issued a statement regarding the court’s ruling to deny Brady’s request. The statement reads:

We are disappointed with the decision denying a rehearing, as there were clear violations of our collective bargaining agreement by the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell. Despite today’s result, the track record of this League office when it comes to matters of player discipline is bad for our business and bad for our game. We have a broken system that must be fixed. We will review all of our options carefully on behalf of Tom Brady and all NFL players.

Tom Brady when he heard his 4-Game Suspension was being upheld. #Deflatriots #DeflateGate https://t.co/l9b3S4hscM

— SteelersNation (@TheSteelZone) July 14, 2016

The transformation and complications of the scandal will make the law course on the topic an intriguing option for students. The scandal has transformed from cheating accusations over the air pressure in footballs, to a multi-million dollar legal battle involving the nation’s top lawyers. It has also raised questions about the powers of the commissioner and unionized employees’ right to due process in a disciplinary hearing.

“When deflated footballs dominate national headlines, it’s clear that sports have become much more than just a casual pastime in the United States,” reads the class description. “Often the real game takes place on a playing field where legal, regulatory, and journalistic systems converge on the governance of professional sports.”

The Patriots’ backup quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, is expected to fill in for Brady in games against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills. Brady would be eligible to make his regular-season debut in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.

Despite the team playing with a second-string player, the Patriots are still predicted to perform well this upcoming season. But during those four games, Brady is set to lose approximately $235,294 in salary.

Inez Nicholson

Inez is an editorial intern at Law Street from Raleigh, NC. She will be a junior at North Carolina State University and is studying political science and communication media. When she’s not in the newsroom, you can find her in the weight room. Contact Inez at INicholson@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post UNH School of Law Offers Course on “Deflategate” appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #1 Columbia Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #2 New York Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #3 Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #4 University of Florida Levin College of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #5 Seton Hall University School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #6 University of Wisconsin Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #7 University of South Carolina School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #8 Tulane University Law School appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #9 IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Real Estate Law: #10 USC Gould School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

After a stressful Grey Day earlier this week, LSAT scores were finally released yesterday. In order to explain the emotional ups and downs LSAT takers encounter, fellow Law Streeter, Samantha Reilly, and I have tried to put our experiences with the LSAT score release into words (and gifs).

Whether you were ecstatic about your score, pleasantly satisfied, or are gearing up to take the test again in a few months, you probably have experienced at least some of these stages in the past 24 hours. 

Stage 1: Anticipation

Receiving the score is a spiritual experience like no other. Once word begins to spread that LSAC accounts have gone grey and you see that fateful “Your June 2016 LSAT Score” subject line in your inbox, your life feels different.  

Shaking with disbelief, you open up the email. There it is right in front of your very eyes–the three digit number that has the potential to change everything for you. It is finally here!

Stage 2: Relief

It doesn’t really matter what score you got, the second that email is in your inbox the months of anxiety and endless waiting are over and it sure feels good.

Stage 3: Panic

After the initial rush of relief, comes the panic. What was that number you just read? Was that above or below your target score? What percentile did you score in? How does your score stack up against your dream law school’s average? Then you remember all of the reasons you were dreading score day and, although you’re thankful it’s finally here, you’re not sure you’re still breathing.

Stage 4: Denial

Next up is denial. There’s no way you got a perfect score. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to score lower than you were scoring on every single prep test. How in the world did you score as average, or high, or low as you did? There must be a mistake. LSAC has been wrong before and they’ve done it again; you’re sure of it.

Stage 5: Scrutinizing Results

That denial sends you straight into a spiral of scrutinizing your response report. Now that you’ve let the number sink in, it’s time to focus in on what went wrong (or right). Wait, you made that same mistake in your last three practice tests? Rookie mistake.

Stage 6: Mourning

After you finally realize that, no, this is not some evil LSAC plot to fake you out, and yes, this is the real deal, you steamroll straight into mourning. You had waited so long for this moment and now there is no more waiting, no more guessing, and no more LSAT–at least for a couple of days. The world feels bleak and empty without the wishing and the waiting. Time to kick back, put on a rom com, and eat your feelings (whether it’s in celebration or despair).

Stage 7: Acceptance

What happens now? Well, good or bad score, you’re probably about to drop some money sending your killer score off to law schools, registering for a retake, or picking up some new study materials. Life is going to move on and you will continue to be the same old law nerd you always have been, only, now you’re a survivor of one of the most frightening standardized tests in existence.

Stage 8: Dealing With People

You’ve spent the last two days in excruciating anticipation and now everyone who follows you on Twitter is suddenly very interested in this numerical evaluation of your intelligence. Some of them are trying to be supportive, but no, 100 is not the target score. Please stop trying.

Stage 9: Returning to Normalcy

And finally, things go back to normal. While many of us aren’t quite at this stage yet, it will come. You will stop seeing LSAT scores in your sleep. You will stop logically analyzing conversations you hear on the metro. You will stop obsessively checking Dave Killoran’s Twitter page. Things will be back to the way they used to be, but you won’t. There’s something different about you now. A little extra spring in your step now that your LSAT lifecycle has come full circle. It’s back to work for you!

Keep in mind that no matter what news you received yesterday, you survived! It was a long and winding road. Maybe you have to travel it again, maybe not, but one thing is certain: you did it! 

Rest easy tonight knowing that you can be proud of yourself, whatever the results of Grey Day happened to be.

Alexandra Simone

Alex Simone is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street and a student at The George Washington University, studying Political Science. She is passionate about law and government, but also enjoys the finer things in life like watching crime dramas and enjoying a nice DC brunch. Contact Alex at ASimone@LawStreetmedia.com

The post The 9 Stages of Receiving Your LSAT Score appeared first on Law Street.

IMMIGRATION LAW

#1
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

#2
COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL

#3
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

#4
STANFORD LAW SCHOOL

#5
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL

#6
YALE LAW SCHOOL

#7
LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL, LOS ANGELES

#8
CORNELL LAW SCHOOL

#9
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY LAW SCHOOL

#10
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LAW SCHOOL

REAL ESTATE LAW

#1
COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL

#2
NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL

#3
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY, DEDMAN SCHOOL OF LAW

#4
FLORIDA LEVIN COLLEGE OF LAW

#5
SETON HALL UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

#6
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN LAW SCHOOL

#7
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF LAW

#8
TULANE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL

#9
ITT CHICAGO-KENT COLLEGE OF LAW

#10
USC GOULD SCHOOL OF LAW

LABOR LAW

#1
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

#2
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

#3
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL

#4
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL

#5
MORITZ COLLEGE OF LAW
AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

#6
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER

#7
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF LAW

#8
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY OF ST. LOUIS

SCHOOL OF LAW

#9
SETON HALL UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

#10
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL

TAX LAW

#1
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

#2
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

#3
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER

#4
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY PRITZKER

SCHOOL OF LAW

#5
COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL

#6
UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW

#7
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF LAW

#8
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

#9
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF LAW

#10
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LAW SCHOOL

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law School Specialty Rankings 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

NYUInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #1 New York University School of Law appeared first on Law Street.

Top Schools for Immigration Law Programs 2016Infographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here to see the all of Law Street’s 2016 Law School Specialty Rankings

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top Schools for Immigration Law Programs 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

ColumbiaInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #2 Columbia Law School appeared first on Law Street.

HarvardInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #3 Harvard Law School appeared first on Law Street.

StanfordInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #4 Stanford Law School appeared first on Law Street.

University of ChicagoInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #5 University of Chicago Law School appeared first on Law Street.

YaleInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #6 Yale Law School appeared first on Law Street.

LoyolaInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to correct the name of Loyola Law School’s clinic. 

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #7 Loyola Law School, Los Angeles appeared first on Law Street.

CornellInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #8 Cornell Law School appeared first on Law Street.

School #9Infographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to more accurately reflect UC Berkeley’s offerings.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #9 University of California, Berkeley Law School appeared first on Law Street.

University of PennsylvaniaInfographic

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Law School Rankings team: Alexis Evans, Anneliese Mahoney, Julia Bryant, Sean Simon, Alex Simone, Inez Nicholson, Ashlee Smith, Sam Reilly.

Click here for detailed ranking information for each of the Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law.

Click here to see all the 2016 specialty rankings.

Click here for information on rankings methodology.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Top 10 Law Schools for Immigration Law: #10 University of Pennsylvania Law School appeared first on Law Street.

June LSAT scores are promised by the end of the week, but some LSAT experts anticipate a release earlier, sending the pre-law masses into a widespread frenzy. Shortly before LSAC releases scores, the icons in test-takers’ personal accounts go from green to grey–which is where we get the nickname “grey day.”

It’s a hard time for everyone, so with the help of some tweets (and personal experience), Law Street Media is proud to present: The Stages of Waiting for Grey Day, in increasing “obsessive-compulsion.”

8:00 a.m. If you slept at all, you’ve probably woken up and are scouring the internet for any indication of score releases so far.

10:00 a.m. You’re hoping that LSAC can make like SCOTUS and release life-altering information at 10:00. You may or may not start googling “Can I hire an intern to run my LSAT scores to me?”

#SCOTUS hit us with that good news this morning, your turn @Official_LSAT !

— Dylan Rogers Elliott (@Deelahnn) June 27, 2016

12:00 p.m. Paranoia starts to sink in as you entertain the idea that someone else might have found out their score before you.

I’m also obsessively searching “LSAT” on Twitter for that breakthrough “I got my score” tweet confirming that today is indeed the day.

— Dylan Rogers Elliott (@Deelahnn) June 27, 2016

2:00 p.m. Someone said the release would happen in the afternoon if it happened today. Someone said that this morning and yesterday, but you ignored them. Now it really, surely, it might possibly be almost time.

Patiently, I am not. #LSAT pic.twitter.com/izYojz9HD4

— KPL (@LIfeofKrystalPL) June 27, 2016

3:00 p.m. Even if scores don’t come out today, you’ve definitely strengthened some important computer skills in the process of waiting.

3:30 p.m. But you’re really hoping they come out today.

Me every time I get an email today #LSAT pic.twitter.com/uqYf4nbfzr

— Sarah Dobson (@Sadobson_87) June 27, 2016

4:00 p.m. Really, any time will do.

Brb LSAT scores come out at anytime now pic.twitter.com/6sTy1mKBzY

— Edwin ➳ (@Edlighten) June 27, 2016

4:15 p.m. Check Twitter one more time.

Ok, everyone else on Twitter is freaking out about LSAT scores today. So, I’m gonna be like this today pic.twitter.com/7rM82Vg7GP

— Nickole Durbin (@nickoledurbin10) June 27, 2016

4:30 p.m. That was all practice, really. You obviously didn’t think they would actually come out before now…

Knowing my LSAT score cold be released at any time today pic.twitter.com/6U42pz7uz6

— Jesse Hamrick (@JDH27) June 27, 2016

5:00 p.m. Once the end of the work day hits, your hope starts to sink and you might end up looking something like this:

5:20 p.m. Aggression might start setting in. Keep it together.

Waiting for my #LSAT score like… pic.twitter.com/EvCnbPYkpA

— Steven (@SteveTheScholar) June 27, 2016

6:30 p.m. Now you’re doubting every reddit thread, LSAT forum, and pre-law Twitter thread you’ve ever read.

Maybe you didn’t even take the test. Was it all a lie…?

7:00 p.m. Okay, even the experts are starting to give up on you now.

If LSAT scores were to come out now or tonight, it would be very unusual. Time to pour a tall one, and regroup for tomorrow and more torment

— Dave Killoran (@DaveKilloran) June 27, 2016

9:00 p.m. Time to sit in bed all night as if you can sleep while the weight of your future is hogging all the covers.

*Repeat it all. Until…

Good or bad, at least you know.

Good luck!

Editor’s Note: The personal journey of Alex Simone inspired this piece.

Samantha Reilly

Samantha Reilly is an editorial intern at Law Street Media. A New Jersey native, she is pursuing a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. Contact Samantha at SReilly@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post LSAT Anticipation: The Stages of Waiting for Grey Day appeared first on Law Street.

Sponsored Content

Are you planning on going to law school? Are you stressed out about the LSAT? Don’t worry–you’re not alone, and Princeton Review has teamed up with Law Street Media to help. We have some app recommendations to keep you focused, on track, and ready to conquer the big test. Check out eight apps to help you master the LSAT in the slideshow below:

Need Help Staying Away from Social Media?

It’s very tempting to take a quick study break, and check out Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever other social media network you like to indulge in. But social media can be distracting, and instead of trusting yourself to stay away from those sites, why not let technology do the work for you? Try Self Control, which blocks whatever sites you specify for a particular chunk of time. Even if you restart your computer, you’re simply not going to be able to browse your timeline until the timer you’ve set runs out. Is Self Control not enough for you? A different app, Freedom, keeps you from connecting to the internet at all.

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Princeton Review

The Princeton Review helps students, parents, and educators achieve the best results at every stage of their educational careers. We provide SAT, ACT, PSAT, SAT subject tests, AP subjects, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT, OAT and USMLE preparation. Princeton Review is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post 8 Apps to Help you Conquer the LSAT appeared first on Law Street.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has long been the seemingly make-it-or-break-it test that prospective law school students take. For years, it’s been a simple rule: if you want to go to law school, you take the LSAT. But the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law is breaking away from that mold–the school is accepting students who submit the Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) as well.

Arizona made its announcement about the GRE in February, and immediately saw backlash. The Law School Admission Council, which is in charge of the LSAT test, allegedly considering ousting Arizona from its membership–although the Council now states that its actions in regards to Arizona were “misinterpreted.” In addition to administering the LSAT, the Council offers a number of other admissions-related services, so it’s not really a membership that Arizona would have wanted to lose. The Council did decide to let Arizona retain its membership. Other law schools backed Arizona’s attempt to break from the norm–approximately 150 deans signed a letter supporting Arizona’s “effort to broaden its applicant pool.”

So why does Arizona want to let in applicants that don’t take the LSAT? There are a few reasons, including the fact that the American Bar Association (ABA) has never been clear that the LSAT is the only test that prospective law school students should or can take. According to Carrie Jung of NPR:

The American Bar Association says law schools must require a standardized test that’s valid and reliably predicts student performance, ‘but it doesn’t say that standardized test must be the LSAT,’ says Marc Miller, the Arizona law school dean.

Arizona commissioned a study which came to the conclusion that the GRE is a reliable way to measure applicants. And Arizona’s administration makes some good points about the accessibility benefits of the GRE–there are a lot more opportunities to take the GRE than the LSAT, and Arizona is hoping that increased accessibility leads to more a diverse pool of applicants.

Arizona’s admissions website now clearly states that submitting a GRE score instead of an LSAT score is allowed, and while it’s the first school to make this move, there may be others following suit. According to NPR, the University of Hawaii and Wake Forest are also considering opening admissions to GRE-takers as well.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post No LSAT, No Problem: University of Arizona’s Law School Begins Accepting GRE appeared first on Law Street.

Sponsored Content

Are you mission-driven? Motivated by your devotion to a cause? Ready to make an impact on the world? Fueled by a desire to help others? There’s a field of law that needs your passion.

Public interest lawyers provide voices to the members of our society who are so often overlooked, help to save the environment, take on oppressive laws, and fight for fairness. If you are a changer-of-the world looking for meaningful work that will feed your desire to make real change, public interest law is a path you should consider.

Lewis & Clark Law School, located in Portland, Oregon, has one of the leading Public Interest Law programs in the country, making it a great place for aspiring public interest lawyers to get their start.

So…what exactly is Public Interest Law?

Public interest work is not confined to any one political ideology or legal practice area. It is work undertaken to advance justice, fairness, and protection of the public, rather than for commercial or personal gain.

Put simply, public interest law is more than just a job–it’s a calling. As Tracy Sullivan, Executive Director of Public Interest Law at Lewis & Clark says, public interest law is mission-driven, meaning that lawyers who go down the public interest path aim to accomplish some sort of goal that benefits the greater public rather than an individual, corporation, or private entity seeking commercial gain. Public interest law certainly isn’t confined to any one specialty or practice. Here are just a few examples of public interest law passions:

• Criminal Justice Reform: The criminal justice system in the U.S. has its flaws–from wrongful convictions to the lack of resources available for offenders once they reenter society. Public interest lawyers working on criminal justice reform aim to fix these and other problems to make sure that the system is actually just.
• Environmental Law: We need to protect the environment for future generations, and some of the best ways to do so are through the law. Some public interest lawyers work on crafting legislation to protect the environment; work to enforce existing environmental laws; and bring to justice those who harm the environment.
• Victim Advocacy Law: Victims’ rights law aims to carve out a space for victims in the criminal justice system. Advocates work to ensure that victims’ rights, such as the right to be protected from the accused and the right to have their say in court, are upheld.

Why do Students Focus on Public Interest Law?

Here’s what some Lewis & Clark Law students say about why they were drawn to public interest law.

Chelsea Sandbloom, a 2L from Washington, told me about how volunteering and working at nonprofits while in college drove her obtain “a graduate degree where I could better advocate for those who are underrepresented or marginalized in society.”

Zachary Winston, a 3L from New York, won last year’s Oregon New Lawyers Division Pro Bono Challenge Award for completing the most pro bono hours at Lewis & Clark Law School. He has a deeply personal reason for his desire to work in the field of public interest. While an undergraduate student, Winston made a bad decision one night and was arrested on felony charges. “After taking responsibility for my actions and pleading guilty, I was incarcerated for seven months,” he says. “While incarcerated, I witnessed many injustices in the criminal justice system. After being released, I knew I had to give back to underrepresented communities by trying to reform it.”

Laura Russell, a 3L at Lewis & Clark Law School who focuses on public interest, with a concentration in health law, told me about her journey, stating:

I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a public servant, I just wasn’t sure in what capacity. Then, just out of college, I got a job working in health care. My job was, essentially, to educate people about state and federal health care coverage options. It was at that job where I started to really understand issues of health justice. I knew I wanted to have a career that would allow me to advocate for, and with, vulnerable populations on both an individual and systemic level. There are an abundance of lawyers in this country, but what we really lack, are public interest lawyers. Public interest law is not lucrative, and it often feels like it’s a perpetual uphill battle but I can’t imagine any more gratifying work. It’s the kind of work that can change lives and communities.

At the end of the day, while each public interest law school student’s story is going to be different, there’s a consistency that rings true–a drive to help others and seek justice.

Why You Should Consider the Public Interest Law Program at Lewis & Clark Law

First and foremost, the results speak for themselves. Lewis & Clark’s Public Interest Law program is one of the best in the country, and it feeds more graduates into careers within the realm of public interest law than the national average among law schools.

Support from the School

Tracy Sullivan, the executive director of the program, talked about the wealth of resources that the school offers to its students. The school offers a certificate program specifically focused on public interest law, which emphasizes pro bono work from day one. According to Sullivan, Lewis & Clark Law students have completed roughly 22,000 hours of pro bono work this year–a huge service to the Oregon and national communities.

To help students support themselves while taking on pro bono work, Lewis & Clark Law offers a number of stipends. Additionally, Lewis & Clark Law helps graduates connect with the loan repayment assistant program, and one of its student organizations helps contribute to the funds used for that program.

Support from Fellow Students 

One of the most active student groups on Lewis & Clark Law’s campus is the Public Interest Law Project (PILP). Its mission is to “help fill the justice gap between those who need attorneys and those who can afford attorneys. PILP helps fill this gap by providing students ways to afford to take on this work both as students and as lawyers.” PILP provides Lewis & Clark Law students with a robust community of students also interested in public interest law, as well as events and resources.

Experience Combined With Classes 

Lewis & Clark Law has a fantastic externship program, providing work opportunities to students while they’re still completing their studies. This emphasis on work experience while in law school helps students get jobs. Sullivan explained that employers in the public interest sphere love to see a continued commitment from students throughout their time in school. Lewis & Clark Law also helps students find those placements after graduation, with services like the NW Public Service Career Fair.

What’s Next?

The practice of law is all what you make of it. Public consciousness seems to be at an all time high–from the inception of the Black Lives Matter movement, to increased emphasis on environmental law, to discussions about wrongful convictions sparked by cultural phenomena like “Serial” and “Making a Murderer”–we’ve been hearing a lot about the need for justice for all. If you’re interested in making a difference, public interest law could be the way to go, and Lewis & Clark Law is looking for passionate students to join the next generation of public interest lawyers. Learn more about the program here.

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to clarify the number of pro bono hours worked by Lewis & Clark Law Students. 

Lewis & Clark Law School

With robust practical skills options, flexible scheduling, and a faculty invested in your success, Lewis & Clark Law School is an ideal place to start a legal career. The school’s innovative programs, such as the NCVLI, CJRC, and the criminal law certificate program, offer students the opportunity to learn and work in a rigorous, collegial environment in scenic Portland, Oregon. Learn more at law.lclark.edu. Lewis & Clark Law School is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

https://law.lclark.edu/

The post Advocating with a Passion: Why a Career in Public Interest Law is Worth Considering appeared first on Law Street.

The George Mason University School of Law, located just outside of Washington, DC, in Arlington, Virginia, is getting a new name. After a series of donations totaling $30 million, the school will be renamed after the late, great Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The new full name of the school will be the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University.

The $30 million total in donations was the largest fundraising haul in the school’s history. An anonymous donor gave a staggering $20 million, and the Charles Koch Foundation donated $10 million. The Board of Visitors approved renaming the law school to honor Antonin Scalia’s recent passing–the $20 million donation was contingent on that name change.  By July, the name change will be complete, including signs and logos.

The money will go to funding three new scholarships at the law school. According to Bloomberg:

One, called the Antonin Scalia Scholarship, will award students with top academic credentials. Another, the A. Linwood Holton, Jr. Leadership Scholarship, will award students who have overcome barriers to academic success, demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities, or who have helped others overcome discrimination in any facet of life. The third, the F.A. Hayek Law, Legislation and Liberty Scholarship, will award students who have demonstrated interest in studying the application of economic principles to the law.

George Mason’s Law School does have a conservative lean, rendering the new Scalia name particularly appropriate–many of its professors are known for being libertarian.

Scalia’s colleague, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lent her support for the renaming, stating:

Justice Scalia was a law teacher, public servant, legal commentator, and jurist nonpareil. As a colleague who held him in highest esteem and great affection, I miss his bright company and the stimulus he provided, his opinions ever challenging me to meet his best efforts with my own. It is a tribute altogether fitting that George Mason University’s law school will bear his name. May the funds for scholarships, faculty growth, and curricular development aid the Antonin Scalia School of Law to achieve the excellence characteristic of Justice Scalia, grand master in life and law.

If George Mason Law is looking to climb up in various law school rankings and attract more students–offering these scholarships is certainly a solid start.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post George Mason University School of Law to Be Renamed After Justice Antonin Scalia appeared first on Law Street.

Anna Alaburda sued her law alma mater, Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, alleging that the school misled her and enticed her to enroll. Alaburda sued for about $125,000 in lost wages and tuition reimbursement, given that she claimed she hasn’t been able to find a full salaried legal job since graduating from the law school in 2008. However, this week Alaburda received bad news–the jury voted nine to three in favor of the school, and she won’t be receiving any money.

Alaburda claimed that Thomas Jefferson Law misrepresented the employment data of its graduates. For example, the 2003 report from Thomas Jefferson Law showed that around 80 percent of its graduates were employed nine months after graduation. Alaburda claims that she relied upon that data when she came to the conclusion to attend Thomas Jefferson Law. She claims that the data was misleading because the school didn’t report that not all of those jobs were in the legal field–according to Gary Wrath of the Los Angeles Times:

Alaburda’s attorney during the trial said the school didn’t disclose that some of those graduates were working in book stores, restaurants, hair salons and even selling tractors.

Alaburda’s attorneys also argued that Thomas Jefferson Law reported some unemployed students as employed and disposed of other employment surveys that would accurately report the school’s true alumni employment outlook.

Law schools were hit hard by the late 2000s recession, mostly because legal jobs became harder to come by. Enrollment is down, and other students have accused their schools of using duplicitous conduct to attract students. There are believed to have been 15 similar suits filed around the country. For example, Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco and the University of San Francisco School of Law have been on the receiving end of similar lawsuits. The suit against Golden Gate University was settled, and five graduates were awarded approximately $8,000 each. However, legal experts believe that Alaburda’s case is actually the first to make it to a jury trial.

While this case ended in a victory for Thomas Jefferson Law, the calls for more transparency and answers from law schools will likely continue for years to come.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Thomas Jefferson School of Law Graduate Loses Lawsuit Against School appeared first on Law Street.

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It’s no secret that law school students are constantly looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. At the end of the day connections, location, and experience matter big time. One city that has all three of those features is Boston–and it’s an incredibly fun city as well. Check out the top 10 reasons to consider spending your summer in Boston.

Millennial Paradise

Boston is home to the highest proportion Millennials of any major U.S. city. People ages 20-34 make up more than 1/3 of Boston’s population–and nearby Cambridge and Somerville are even more dominated by Millennials. Cambridge’s share of the population between 20-34 is 44.5 percent; Somerville clocks in at 44 percent.

Both Boston and Cambridge are ranked by Niche.com as the best cities for Millennials–Boston clocks in at number nine, while Cambridge is first on the list. Niche looked at the things that matter like “access to bars, restaurants, affordability, and job opportunities, in an attempt to holistically measure how good an area is for a Millennial to live.”

Boston University School of Law

Boston University School of Law is a top-tier law school with a faculty recognized nationally for exceptional teaching and preeminent scholarship. At BU Law, you can explore virtually any area of the law in 200+ classes and seminars, 21 clinics, externships, and practicums, 21 foreign study opportunities, and 17 dual degrees. You’ll also be part of a supportive, collegial law school community while experiencing the professional, social, and cultural opportunities that the city of Boston has to offer. Boston University School of Law is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

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Boston University School of Law has an important message for law students: it’s time to get ahead of the pack with some new skills. If you’re a law student wondering how you could possibly add new skills to your already packed resume, busy work schedule, and mounting course load, that’s ok, because BU Law has the answer to that question–an innovative new summer program that makes it easy for law students to gain essential practice experience through two summer course offerings: Contract Drafting and Negotiation. If you’re a student pursuing an MBA, medical degree, or other applicable graduate degree, the Negotiation class is open to you too.

So, what’s so special about these two classes? Practicality is key, from start to finish, as BU Law attempts to provide more accessible and relevant legal education not only to its own students, but the legal community as a whole.

Experts in their Field

BU Law’s faculty draws from some of the best and brightest legal minds in Boston for its exemplary transactional law program. The two instructors teaching the summer courses are no exception.

The “Contract Drafting” course will be taught by Thomas P. Harrison, who has been teaching the course at Boston University School of Law during the regular academic year since 2012. Mr. Harrison is Of Counsel at WaltersLacey LLP. His practice focuses on sales and acquisitions of real estate and businesses, commercial loan transactions and leasing, and general business matters. He is an alum of BU Law, having received a LLM from the School in Banking and Commercial Law. He holds a JD from Suffolk University School of Law.

Mark E. Bamford will teach “Negotiation,” another practical course aimed at teaching students essential tactics, skills, and strategies that can be applied to virtually any career path. Mr. Bamford has taught at BU Law since 2010 and has taught Negotiation during the regular academic year since 2012. He is an alum of both BU Law and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Skills-Based Learning

Boston University School of Law

Boston University School of Law is a top-tier law school with a faculty recognized nationally for exceptional teaching and preeminent scholarship. At BU Law, you can explore virtually any area of the law in 200+ classes and seminars, 21 clinics, externships, and practicums, 21 foreign study opportunities, and 17 dual degrees. You’ll also be part of a supportive, collegial law school community while experiencing the professional, social, and cultural opportunities that the city of Boston has to offer. Boston University School of Law is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post Boston University School of Law Wants to Help You Step it Up This Summer appeared first on Law Street.

Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School is under investigation by the American Bar Association (ABA) for possible discriminatory practices. There are concerns that the law school discriminates against students who are LGBTQ, or who begin their career at the school as Mormons, and then change their faith. A student group called FreeBYU has brought these concerns to the ABA, officials from the organization are now reviewing the complaint.

BYU Law requires its students to sign a strict honor code, which forbids homosexual relationships. Additionally, it bars students from leaving the Mormon faith before graduation, although non-Mormons are allowed to admitted to the school from the get-go as long as they pay a higher tuition rate. If students break the honor code, they could be kept from completing their degrees. The members of FreeBYU are claiming that these actions violate the ABA’s nondiscrimination guidelines.

A petition asking to “Restore Religious Freedom at BYU” that focuses particularly on the treatment of students who have left the Mormon church has garnered almost 3000 signatures, and points out that students who left the Mormon faith while enrolled used to be allowed to continue on as students, as long as they paid the higher tuition rate levied on non-Mormons. According to FreeBYU, that law was changed in 1993.

Exactly what rules a private law school–particularly one that is religiously affiliated–has to follow are difficult to untangle. But as Annie Knox, of the Salt Lake Tribune explains:

Religious institutions such as BYU have some leeway in tailoring their admissions and hiring processes to indicate a ‘preference’ for people with a certain religious affiliation, according to the most recent ABA guidelines, so long as the preferences are clear before students and faculty come to campus. But the standards may not be used to limit academic freedom or to discriminate when it comes to admission or retention of students. The professional organization of attorneys and law students forbids schools from ‘taking action’ based on race, religion, gender, nationality, sexuality, age or disability.

Spokespeople from BYU have acknowledged that the school was asked to provide information to the ABA after a request was made a few months ago, and that the school is confident it will retain its accreditation. But at this point, that decision will be left in the ABA’s hands–if the organization believes that BYU Law has indeed acted incorrectly, an investigator may be sent to the school and the question could end up in front of an accrediting committee.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Claims of Discrimination at BYU Law May Spark ABA Involvement appeared first on Law Street.

Ever wonder how lawyers and law professionals keep their cool, or lack thereof, while discussing polarizing issues such as abortion, gay rights, or police brutality? I was very curious about this precise topic while I was walking around the halls of the 2016 AALS Annual Meeting, deciding which session to attend. I scrolled through the handy-dandy AALS app and found a session called Law and Religion: a conversation about religious responses to same-sex marriage. Bingo! I took one of the last empty seats in the nearly-full room and prepared for a theological and legislative showdown.

I was slightly disappointed when, to my dismay, moderator Michael Helfand carefully navigated the contentious issue at hand.

A few different viewpoints were represented by the speakers of the panel. New York Times reporter Erik Eckholm spoke about his experiences covering the gay marriage beat. Professor Katherine Franke of Columbia University spoke about discrimination in the LGBT community, particularly surrounding the issues of civil unions and legal marriage. Russell Reno, editor of the conservative religious journal First Things, discussed the role of morality in modern law. Kevin Walsh delivered his views about the changing social view of gay marriage in America, as well as a few (in my opinion, slightly problematic) remarks surrounding the “abandonment” of the definition of marriage. Robin F. Wilson spoke eloquently about same-sex marriage, religious liberty, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (aka RFRA).

Despite the opposing views of a few members on the panel, each speaker presented his or her viewpoint with respect and extremely high levels of academic integrity. (Many of the speakers are published, if not celebrated, legal studies authors.)

I was originally drawn to this topic because I thought same-sex marriage was an extremely polarizing subject. Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely polarizing–especially if you have been unlucky enough to bring up the subject at a family dinner where someone starts citing the Bible and bringing up the argument that “homosexuality is a sin.” But the reality at the AALS meeting was that the topic was not discussed at a dinner table in between servings of mashed potatoes and burnt brussel sprouts. As my seat-neighbor David Pimentel mentioned, everyone presented their views respectfully while still acknowledging that their perspectives were different from that of their peers. It was at this moment that I wished law school students could have sat in on the discussion, because it was truly a master class on professionalism.

I took a very different approach later in the day when I scanned the AALS schedule looking for a second session to attend. Instead of seeking out controversy, I looked for a course where I hoped to learn something new. My wish was granted when I sat in on the Civil Rights session. Gilda Daniels, Professor Lynda Dodd, Angela Mae Kupenda, Audrey McFarlane, and Kindaka Sanders all appeared on the panel. My non-law school educated mind zero-ed in on three main topics that were discussed: affordable housing, the use of technology to facilitate equality, and police brutality. Audrey McFarlane spoke about how inequality leads to housing challenges, especially in urban environments such as New York City. She brought up the “poor door” debacle in New York back in April of 2015. Essentially, the story goes that there was a luxury apartment building that set aside a few units for lower-income tenants, as stipulated by the city’s Inclusionary Housing Program. However, the owner of the building ordered two different entrances to be made; one large and elegant entrance for the luxury tenants, and one smaller, simpler entrance for the lower income tenants. Even after controversy arose regarding the disparity between the two entrances, 88,000 people applied for the 55 available units.

McFarlane noted that even now, in the 21st century, people are opting to “take a little discrimination” if it means that they can move to a safer and more affordable neighborhood. McFarlane questioned the practice of inclusionary housing, and urged her fellow colleagues to think about new and innovative ways to make safe housing available to families living in public housing. Would that mean implementing a lottery system wherein a family could have the chance to move from the Bronx to the suburbs? Is integration the goal, or is access? Will creating more community centers improve a neighborhood?

Gilda Daniels and Professor Lynda Dodd brought up ideas surrounding social equality and technology. Specifically, Professor Dodd mentioned Campaign Zero, which is an online initiative that seeks to end police violence through comprehensive policy reform. Their infographics are easily digestible, and all of their information is carefully researched by four leading Black Lives Matter Activists; Samuel Sinyangwe, Brittany Packnett, DeRay McKesson, and Johnetta Elzie. With the rise of social media, activists in rural areas are not limited to convening only in local areas, where it might be difficult to organize people in a physical space. The internet allows for the organization of like-minded individuals no matter where they are physically located.

When I spoke with Angela Mae Kupenda, she also mentioned the importance of staying connected to civil rights groups through the use of technology. “I think social media plays a major role in reinvigorating a movement, because it gets the information out, so that people know what’s going on,” Professor Kupenda said,

It also inspires students. If you see what’s happening at other schools or other cities, you can immediately know what’s going on. That can inspire you to do something the same way, or to do something different.

Mixing tech-talk with good old-fashioned books, Professor Kupenda also offered up a suggested reading list for professors or students who are interested in civil rights history. Her picks include “Reproducing Racism” by Daria Roithmayr and “Black Like Me” by John Howard Griffin, an account of how a white reporter went “undercover” as a black man in the Deep South of the 1950s.

Kindaka Sanders spoke about police brutality, and the concept of self-policing a local community. When he spoke about the Black Panther Party openly and legally carrying guns until the law was changed to prevent open-carry opportunities, I thought of the recent open-carry announcement in Texas. (Namely, that as of January 1, 2015, any person who has a license for a firearm can legally open carry in the state of Texas, even if they are not a resident of the state).

Many Texans support the new open-carry law, but what would happen if a group of young black men (ala the Black Panther Party) decided to re-appropriate the law and follow Texas police officers while showcasing their right to open-carry?

This session on Civil Rights was food for thought–in fact, it was an entire banquet for me. So often, college graduates (or people who have not sat in a classroom for a long time) can get sucked into their own bubble of issues. Living in the tri-state area, I sometimes take it for granted that many people around me support same-sex marriage and gay rights. Sitting in on the Law and Religion session reminded me that although this country has made progress in the realm of gay rights, we still have a long way to go to bring LGBT issues into mainstream conversations and legislation. Similarly, after listening to the speakers of the Civil Rights session, I have realized that it is imperative that lawyers and policy makers address and rectify the systemic racism that is still very much alive today.

Through attending sessions at the AALS Annual Meeting and interacting with other people involved in law academia, I was able to step outside of my bubble and think of issues that affected Americans on a macro scale, not just on my own teeny tiny micro level. I would urge anyone interested in the AALS to definitely check out their website (found here) and consider attending next year’s meeting in San Francisco.

Corinne Fitamant

Corinne Fitamant is a graduate of Fordham College at Lincoln Center where she received a Bachelors degree in Communications and a minor in Theatre Arts. When she isn’t pondering issues of social justice and/or celebrity culture, she can be found playing the guitar and eating chocolate. Contact Corinne at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law, Religion, and Civil Rights: Adventure at the AALS Annual Meeting appeared first on Law Street.

Law school students and professors all over the country are marching back to their universities as they begin their first official semester of 2016. Some may be dragging their feet, though, as they think about the events of the previous year. Law school enrollment continued to fall, and some law professionals have seen pay cuts as a result of the aftermath of the recession. Thankfully, a new year brings new and innovative possibilities in the form of the Association of American Law Schools. Their Annual Meeting this year addressed important issues such as lowering law school drop-out rates and finding jobs for students post-graduation. Here’s what I learned when I attended the 110^th Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting in New York City as a correspondent for Law Street Media:

The event is the largest worldwide gathering of law faculty and staff, featuring over 800 speakers and attendees from 179 different law schools. I sat in on the session for first-time attendees to get an overview of the AALS conference, and to speak with other people who were also experiencing the Annual Meeting for the first time. The “greeter” panel consisted of Executive Director Judith Areen, Bradley A. Areheart, current AALS president Blake D. Morant, incoming AALS president Kellye Y. Testy, and Michael E. Waterstone. The panel spoke frankly about the high cost of attendance for the conference, and announced that they will continue to extend deep discounts for new teachers. Areheart stressed the importance of networking opportunities during the conference and encouraged the audience of law professionals to make time to meet new people and swap stories about their experiences in their particular fields of study.

Morant warmly greeted all newcomers in the audience and similarly encouraged everyone to take ownership of their experience at the AALS conference, no matter if they were a first year teacher or seasoned professor. After the panel, I asked what led him to create this year’s AALS Annual Meeting theme, “From Challenge to Innovation: Legal Education in 2016.” He noted that law professionals as well as law schools are still feeling the negative effects of the most recent recession, in terms of a downturn in the number of available jobs.

“One of the things I’ve noticed is that law schools are re-tooling,” Morant explained:

Law schools have put in innovations such as externships along with practicums. All of these things show synergy between what they learn in the classroom and what happens in the real world, and that has been hugely innovative. So as I came up with the theme, I said, oh my goodness, everything has changed! But I think law schools are innovating, and adapting to that challenge.

Morant also reasoned that practical experience teaches students professionalism, a hugely important skill that law school graduates must learn.

Associate Professor of Law, Virginia Harper Ho from the University of Kansas School of Law echoed Morant’s sentiments, and predicts that the effects of the financial crisis will cause further structural shifts in the legal profession as well as academia. She shares a desire to prepare her students as well as she possibly can for the “real world,” which may in fact include more access to externships and practical experiences.

As the “first-timers” meeting continued, there was much excitement surrounding a session called the Arc of Career. When I spoke with Professor Jennifer Rosa from Michigan State University College of Law, she said that her attendance at this year’s AALS conference was largely due to the relevant programming, including sessions surrounding the arc of a law professor’s career.

Many law professionals in the meeting room of AALS expressed that after they overcame the initial fear of starting a career in law or education, they wanted more guidance or feedback once they hit their mid-career stride. Specifically, Rosa voiced her interest in becoming established in academia as a writer now that she has cultivated her pedagogical voice.

Rosa has taught Street Law for the past 11 years. The course includes community outreach, “where professors train law students to go out into the high schools and teach high school students aspects of the law that would apply to them.” The course has evolved to include the use of podcasts as a teaching tool. Rosa has also created videos for an organization called LegalED. Video content on LegalED is modeled after the popular TED Talk format. The organization seeks to use the power of the internet for legal education. Professors all over the United States are putting the 2016 AALS theme into practice, using technology to respond to unique challenges in their classrooms that could not have even been foreseen five or six years ago.

AALS gives people like Professor Rosa and Professor Harper Ho a rare chance to connect with other law professionals from schools all around the country. Over the course of several days, they attended specific sessions that were organized according to different hot topics in law. After the initial meeting, I went on to attend two sessions: one entitled “Law and Religion,” which discussed religious responses to same-sex marriage, and one called “Civil Rights,” which examined civil rights movements in the 21^st century. Stay tuned for recaps and responses from these two sessions.

Corinne Fitamant

Corinne Fitamant is a graduate of Fordham College at Lincoln Center where she received a Bachelors degree in Communications and a minor in Theatre Arts. When she isn’t pondering issues of social justice and/or celebrity culture, she can be found playing the guitar and eating chocolate. Contact Corinne at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Welcome to the 110th AALS Annual Meeting: What’s Going on in the Law School World? appeared first on Law Street.

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Portland, Oregon, has long been heralded as one of the hottest cities for millennials. Home to Lewis & Clark Law School, it’s also a great city for young lawyers, as well as young aspiring lawyers. If you fit into one of those categories, and are considering a move, check out some of the top reasons to give Portland a look.

The Economy

Things are looking relatively good for Portland’s economy. It’s been dubbed a hub of entrepreneurship, with a hot startup scene. In addition, major corporations including Nike, Wieden+Kennedy, and Intel have their largest campuses in the Portland metro area. Portland’s major industries–software, athletic and outdoor products, advanced manufacturing, and green building and technology–promise to be consistently strong fields in the years to come.

Portland also boasts a lower unemployment rate than the rest of the United States, a higher median household income, and a very well-educated population.

Food Scene

Portland’s food scene is consistently ranked as one of the best in the U.S. The city has also been ranked as one of the most affordable U.S. cities when it comes to good cuisines–great news for any aspiring foodies who are in law school or pre-law and don’t want to break the bank. There’s lots of great niche food there too–from great local craft brews to vegetarian and vegan selections.

Check out this feature below on Portland’s innovative food carts for a snapshot of the city’s food scene:

The Population

Portland has seen a huge increase in population growth over the last few years. Portland had the 15th largest metro-area population growth in 2013-2014 (out of the top 50 largest metro areas.) With a population now at 2.35 million, Portland saw 33,500 new residents move into its metro area borders from 2013-2014 alone. Nearly half of those new residents came from different areas of the country, and another 15 percent are international transplants. That kind of wide breadth of transplants is sure to lead to a mix of cultures and voices.

Ted Reid, who works on Metro Planning in the area, explained:

This population growth speaks to the attractiveness of our region’s communities as places to live and work. With two-thirds of the growth coming from people moving here from elsewhere, this is right in line with our long-term forecast. The challenge that we have is to improve people’s quality of life as the population grows. More than ever, there’s a need to plan ahead.

Sustainability and Focus on the Environment

Portland is all about sustainability. Take, for example, the commuting scene in Portland. Portland has a fantastic public transit system, and it’s one of the most bike-friendly cities in the nation. From 2000-2014, the number of workers in Portland who commute by bike jumped from 1.8 percent to 6.1 percent. According to the League of American Bicyclists, Portland was the city with the highest number of bike commuters in 2013.

Portland also extends its focus on sustainability to the food scene, which in addition to being fantastic (see above) has a big commitment to using locally-sourced ingredients. Portland has standout green policies and follow-through: the city’s recycling rate is almost 60 percent, which is pretty impressive compared to the nationwide rate of 34.1 percent. The city-wide composting program is also unique and shows commitment to environmental responsibility.

And if you’re rolling your eyes about the fact that you already knew about Portland’s sustainability track record from the show “Portlandia,” that’s alright, because Portland’s sustainability chief Susan Anderson admits that the show draws some inspiration from real life. She said about Portlandia:

I always say it’s less of a parody and more of a biography. Our [former] mayor is the mayor’s assistant [on the show]. What’s interesting are the parts that [make] people in other cities think, ‘Aw, I wish we were that place.’ It’s not the over-the-top, goofy parts, but the human-scale part of Portland. It’s really walkable and there are restaurants on the corners and there are food carts everywhere. The air and water are generally very clean. You can recycle everything. Portlandia is a parody but a lot of those things are actually normal here.

The Legal Field

Portland’s legal scene will see new challenges in coming years–including an attempt to regulate the burgeoning marijuana market, now that Oregon has legalized it. While the legal market in Portland isn’t necessarily as robust as other parts of the U.S., a large pool of practical training opportunities are available for law school students while they’re still studying. For example, there’s the Oregon Justice Resource Center, which worked to start a new branch of the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project works to free those who have been wrongfully convicted. The OJRC allows law students to provide attorneys with research and assistance on death penalty cases.

Portland is also a center of change and growth in business that may be reflected in the legal field in years to come. There’s been a rise in IP and patent work, probably tied to the fact that Portland is a leading tech hub–its tech talent growth has outpaced Silicon Valley’s. Other of Portland niches, such as sustainability and food ethics, have also found a way to shine within Portland’s legal market. For example, Lewis & Clark Law recently hosted a forum to discuss food law. It’s a revolutionary and developing facet of law that promises to grow as Americans become concerned about the ethics of eating. Another field being pioneered in Portland is Animal Law, as the Center for Animal Law Studies is located there. Its annual Animal Law Conference  tasks itself to take on “cutting-edge global animal law issues including protecting animals in their native countries; international marine mammal challenges; animal testing outside the US; factory farming worldwide; animals in constitutions; litigation and legislation updates; and much more.”

So, if you’re thinking about a change, why not check out Portland? There’s a lot it can offer.

Lewis & Clark Law School

With robust practical skills options, flexible scheduling, and a faculty invested in your success, Lewis & Clark Law School is an ideal place to start a legal career. The school’s innovative programs, such as the NCVLI, CJRC, and the criminal law certificate program, offer students the opportunity to learn and work in a rigorous, collegial environment in scenic Portland, Oregon. Learn more at law.lclark.edu. Lewis & Clark Law School is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

https://law.lclark.edu/

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