The Aspen Advisor Week in Review for December 21, 2018
A recurring theme throughout this week’s roundup of articles is the importance of the well-being of law school students. While law school is tough and good grades are at the forefront of most students’ minds, many professionals stress the importance of maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Stressed out law students will benefit from the webinar “Give Us 30 Minutes and We’ll Give You 30 Ways to Prep for the Bar Exam” wherein new lawyers who have recently passed the Bar exam offer tips to stay calm and focused before, during, and after the exam. “Getting Your Grades Back in Law School” offers suggestions to students who would like to discuss their grades with their professors in a courteous, efficient manner and “How to Strike the Right Balance in Your Law School Relationships” outlines the delicate balance between maintaining personal relationships and meeting the strenuous demands of law school.
In other news, Vermont Law School and John Marshall Law School have both made headlines this week that did not paint them in the best light. The article “Faculty Advocacy Group Investigating Vermont Law School” outlines the investigation of VLS by a Washington-based advocacy group for cutting faculty salaries and revoking tenure in violation of “shared governance” standards. While some professors regard the investigation as useless, others accuse administration of keeping quiet about unfair firing practices. John Marshall Law School has also made headlines this week for its recent probation that went into effect on December 13th. JMLS has reportedly been under watch by the American Bar Association since October 2017 according to the article, “Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Put on Probation”. The ABA claims JMLS is “significantly out of compliance” and is ill-equipped to provide a “rigorous” education required of law students. The law school intends to turn itself around and their dean will attend a meeting with the ABA in May to discuss what is being done to comply with national regulations.
Bar Exam
Give Us 30 Minutes and We’ll Give You 30 Ways to Prep for the Bar Exam
Studying for the bar exam is a marathon, not a sprint. To get you into condition to achieve your best performance, new lawyers who successfully prepared for and passed their bar exams will share tips in this 30 Tips in 30 Minutes webinar on bar prep.
Law School Students
Getting Your Grades Back in Law School
Law students, when you see your grade, there are some dos and don’ts. Please take this advice.
How to Strike the Right Balance in Your Law School Relationships
Get yourself on the right path to having successful and balanced law school relationships.
Legal Education
Barbri Launches New Job Networking Service
"The Law Preview Job Network is a natural extension of our existing student offerings," Barbri notes. "By facilitating professional connections through the network of legal employers that actively sponsor Law Preview Scholarships, law students are able to find employment that is both satisfying and meaningful — the ultimate return on any investment in a legal education."
Law Schools Find a Way to Fill Seats (No Lawyers Required)
New offerings include master’s programs for students not interested in practicing law, courses for foreign lawyers
Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Put on Probation
The American Bar Association has put Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School on probation, raising concerns about its ability to adequately educate its students.
As US Law Schools See First Real Enrollment Gains Since 2010, Most Pa. Schools Keep Pace
Nationwide, first-year law student enrollment is up 3 percent, fueling hope that legal education's fortunes are turning around after an eight-year slump.
Despite National Increase, 1L Enrollment Fell Sharply at These Law Schools
This fall brought a 3 percent bump in the number of new law students showing up on law campuses nationwide. Pundits have said a better job market and national politics are prompting more young people to pursue legal careers. But that boost—the first significant enrollment growth since 2010—didn’t occur across the board. In fact, 45 law schools saw the size of their 1L classes decline 5 percent or more.
Faculty Advocacy Group Investigating Vermont Law School
A Washington-based faculty advocacy group is investigating whether Vermont Law School violated “shared governance” standards when it cut teaching salaries and revoked tenure for most of its professors last summer.
Other Legal News
Amazon Ran a Sting to Root Out Counterfeit Textbooks, But Some Small Sellers Say They Were Unfairly
In the past two weeks, Amazon has suspended at least 20 used book merchants for allegedly selling one or more counterfeit textbooks. They all received the same generic email from Amazon informing them that their account had been “temporarily deactivated” and reminding them that “the sale of counterfeit products on Amazon is strictly prohibited.”
Pioneering Law Blog Is Calling It Quits. Here's Why
The core group of law professors behind Concurring Opinions have gravitated toward other outlets for sharing their ideas, and participation in the blog has fallen off sharply. It will close down on Dec. 31.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Iconification Culminates in the Biopic On the Basis of Sex
Felicity Jones stars in a smart, satisfying movie about the future Supreme Court justice.