PreLaw Law School Magazine
The Voice of Legal Education

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Pre-law students more realistic, to rely more on loans, survey finds

Mon, 10/31/2011 - 12:00am -- Tierney

More law school applicants plan to rely on student loans rather than parents to pay for their education, according to a 2011 survey from Veritas Prep.
Nearly half — 49 percent — plan on taking out loans, compared to just 38 percent in 2010.

That heightened reliance on student loans may be due to less students asking their parents for help. In 2011 only nine percent of respondents said their parents would help them finance their degree, as opposed to the 14 percent expecting parental support last year.

ABA to report more accurate employment data

Mon, 10/24/2011 - 11:56am -- Tierney

The American Bar Association is laying down the law, reacting to the recent scrutiny of law schools' job placement data by starting to enforce an already-announced series of regulations.

The push to revise data collection measures is, in part, a reaction to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's recent public criticism of how the ABA doesn't require law schools to disclose their legal employment rates. Boxer sent a third letter to the ABA on Oct. 6 expressing her complaints.

Best profs, most competitive students and other honors

Mon, 10/17/2011 - 9:49am -- Tierney

If you want to get a law degree from Yale University, your LSATs and GPAs better be pristine, because it's the hardest law school to get into. If you're craving a competitive atmosphere, look no further than Baylor University in Waco, Texas. And to be taught by the most dynamic and engaging professors, apply to Boston University.

Belmont law hires former US Attorney General Gonzales

Mon, 10/17/2011 - 12:00am -- Tierney

Belmont University College of Law made a bold move and hired former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, a controversial political figure who OK’ed waterboarding tactics while he was counsel to President George W. Bush.

He will be the only former chief law enforcement officer of the U.S. on a law school’s full-time faculty when he starts teaching at the new Nashville institution in January, noted Belmont.

15 law schools threatened with lawsuits over employment data

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:55am -- Tierney

 

A New York law firm, which has already sued two law schools this summer for allegedly inflating post-grad hiring numbers, announced plans on Oct. 5 to sue 15 more.

The lawsuits are an attempt to expose a “dirty industry secret” that law schools have kept quiet, claims Jesse Strauss, partner with Strauss PLLC.

“It hasn’t been going on for the past few years since the recession,” he said. “This problem has been going on for a very long time.”

What will come of Illinois' false LSAT and GPA reporting?

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 1:49pm -- Tierney

University of Illinois is the second law school this year outed for inflating its students' grade point averages and scores on the Law School Admissions Test, leaving many wondering whether the blunder is commonplace amongst the law school community.

The Champaign, Ill. law school's Class of 2014 isn't as smart as it originally appeared on the school's website, which was wiped clean after the scandal broke this September.

New law school planned for Palm Springs region

Fri, 09/30/2011 - 8:39am -- Tierney

An abandoned cinderblock furniture store in the middle of Indio, Calif. will be converted into a series of courtrooms and legal clinic offices in a few years, filled with law students who want to spend their future careers in the courtroom.

That’s what California criminal defense attorney John Patrick Dolan has in mind for his new law school that is expected to open in fall 2012, called California Desert Trial Academy College of Law.

Did Tulane act ethically in admitting convicted murderer?

Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:00am -- Tierney

A volcano of controversy erupted earlier this month after the news broke that Tulane University’s Law School had admitted a convicted killer into its first year class, with students expressing concern for their safety and others wondering if their school acted unethically in admitting the ex-con. But an ethics professor says the ex-convict will likely practice law, and another ex-con who is now a lawyer says the student should be applauded.

Externships up 45% in last 10 years

Sat, 09/17/2011 - 10:23am -- admin

Law schools have increased the number of externship opportunities by 45 percent over the past ten years, according to a study by National Jurist magazine.

The magazine, which used data from the 2002 and 2012 editions of the “Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools,” will publish a list of the 20 20 law schools with the highest percent of externships to enrollment in the Fall issue of preLaw magazine.

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