"Why You're In Deep Trouble If You Can't Afford A Lawyer," Mother Jones Magazine
This article is worth a read for all you Perry Mason wanna-bes. It's a cliche that criminal defense lawyers are chronically overworked and underpaid. Here are the statistics to back it up. The article could just have easily been entitled "Why You're in Deep Trouble If You Are a Defense Lawyer."
*****
"The Calculus of University Presidents," by William D. Henderson (National Law Journal)
Another very good article worth a read. Henderson basically argues that most university presidents will either have a choice to radically integrate law schools without either national or regional employment strength into the arts & letters department or shut them down completely.
Money Quote: "Arguably, law schools are the bleeding edge of the growing problems facing all four-year colleges and universities: growing tuition and debt loads in combination with flat or declining earning for graduates. The six-figure debt loads of unemployed or underemployed law students make them the poster children for a system of higher education that is rapidly on its way to becoming unsustainable. Sallie Mae, the government-chartered lender for higher education, is having difficulties selling its bundled student loans to large institutional investors, prompting concerns that the federal government is financing a student loan bubble that is destined to burst."
"Ask Stacy: Should I lend My Granddaughter Money for Law School?" by Stacy Johnson (Money Talks News)
Let me take a crack at answering this letter: "No, you should not lend your granddaughter money for law school. You will never see your money again. Your granddaughter's life will be ruined. Hire her to help you clean around the house and run errands for you. You will get something for your money and your granddaughter will have a marketable skill."
Seriously, neither "Stacy" nor any of the commenters mentioned that law school was a disastrous idea in and of itself. All they were worried about was whether it was a good idea to lend to family and how much interest they could soak the grandkid for. Sheeesh. What sort of advice column is this?
"Time for a Radical Change in Legal Education," by Douglas A. Kahn (National Law Journal)
Money Quote: "One current proposal is to reduce the amount of required law school training to two years. For reasons noted below, I believe that there is a much better vehicle for addressing this problem. Instead of reducing the years in law school, I propose a substantial reduction in the amount of required general undergraduate education."
Gotta love this proposal. Turf warfare. "Hey, we law schools have been giving the English and History Department cover for generations, the cut shouldn't come at our end but their end!" How is it a radical change in legal education to cut out a few years of undergrad? Isn't that keeping the law school status quo intact?
"Oakton's John Cochran wins 'Survivor' show and $1 million," by Tom Jackman (Washington Post)
Money Quote: "The [Survivor] episodes were filmed last year on Caramoan in the Philippines, where [John] Cochran had to eat nasty things and do all the other physical and mental torture tests required of the contestants. He collects $1 million for his troubles."
Turns out Cochran also graduated from Harvard Law School. Obviously Cochran landed one of the "JD Advantage" jobs with the reality show gig. If Cochran was actually practicing law with his degree, he would be doing much worse things than eating bugs and likely doing them for minimum wage. Way to play the game, Mr. Cochran. We salute you.
"East Campus would be perfect setting for law school," by Thomas T. Huff (M-Live Guest Opinion)
A guest opinion letter to support the new "Western Michigan University Law School" formerly known as "Cooley Law School." The writer claims this new merger will "elevate the university to a new level" and he advocates for setting up the new law school in the old part of campus "surrounded by mature oak trees."
No. Stop. Don't.
*****
"Ask Stacy: Should I lend My Granddaughter Money for Law School?" by Stacy Johnson (Money Talks News)
Let me take a crack at answering this letter: "No, you should not lend your granddaughter money for law school. You will never see your money again. Your granddaughter's life will be ruined. Hire her to help you clean around the house and run errands for you. You will get something for your money and your granddaughter will have a marketable skill."
Seriously, neither "Stacy" nor any of the commenters mentioned that law school was a disastrous idea in and of itself. All they were worried about was whether it was a good idea to lend to family and how much interest they could soak the grandkid for. Sheeesh. What sort of advice column is this?
*****
"Time for a Radical Change in Legal Education," by Douglas A. Kahn (National Law Journal)
Money Quote: "One current proposal is to reduce the amount of required law school training to two years. For reasons noted below, I believe that there is a much better vehicle for addressing this problem. Instead of reducing the years in law school, I propose a substantial reduction in the amount of required general undergraduate education."
Gotta love this proposal. Turf warfare. "Hey, we law schools have been giving the English and History Department cover for generations, the cut shouldn't come at our end but their end!" How is it a radical change in legal education to cut out a few years of undergrad? Isn't that keeping the law school status quo intact?
*****
"Oakton's John Cochran wins 'Survivor' show and $1 million," by Tom Jackman (Washington Post)
Money Quote: "The [Survivor] episodes were filmed last year on Caramoan in the Philippines, where [John] Cochran had to eat nasty things and do all the other physical and mental torture tests required of the contestants. He collects $1 million for his troubles."
Turns out Cochran also graduated from Harvard Law School. Obviously Cochran landed one of the "JD Advantage" jobs with the reality show gig. If Cochran was actually practicing law with his degree, he would be doing much worse things than eating bugs and likely doing them for minimum wage. Way to play the game, Mr. Cochran. We salute you.
*****
"East Campus would be perfect setting for law school," by Thomas T. Huff (M-Live Guest Opinion)
A guest opinion letter to support the new "Western Michigan University Law School" formerly known as "Cooley Law School." The writer claims this new merger will "elevate the university to a new level" and he advocates for setting up the new law school in the old part of campus "surrounded by mature oak trees."
No. Stop. Don't.
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