The Aspen Advisor Week in Review for February 8, 2019
This week’s roundup of articles highlights the ever-changing nature of legal education and the adaptability of law students. “If Taught Well, Online Law School Courses Can Pass the Test, Experts Say” covers the ongoing conversation regarding online classes in law school. The ABA has recently stated that up to one-third of credits can be offered to students online. This has challenged the low-quality stereotype surrounding online courses and many law schools are trying to implement these courses within their curriculum. “Online courses require concise writing, well-organized outlines, and the ability to speak without appearing that you’re reading from a script,” claims Ellen Murphy, assistant dean of instructional technologies and design at Wake Forest University School of Law. These skills are crucial to law students as they progress through their education. If online courses are taught correctly and students are held to high standards within them, Murphy claims, online courses can be just as effective as on-campus courses.
“Campbell Law’s Pro Bono Council Launches Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project” outlines the efforts of Campbell law students in assisting clients better understand complicated, complex immigration laws. These services are provided pro bono by Campbell students under the supervision of Professor Shawn E. Fields. Fields states, “It’s really important that Campbell Law is starting this project, not just because of the politically sensitive environment we are in, but because of the real need for this.” This pro bono work not only benefits the community, but helps law students to better understand immigration laws in practice. In the current political environment, more and more immigration cases are making their way to the Supreme Court making immigration law an important topic for law students.
Aspen Author in the News
Chemerinsky: Supreme Court's Recent Actions are Telltale Signs of its Future Direction
On Jan. 22, the U.S. Supreme Court took three actions that did not involve deciding a case, yet nonetheless provided a likely harbinger of the future. The actions reflect the court’s new composition and surely please conservatives but are very troubling to liberals.
Bar Exam
Western New England University School of Law and BARBRI Join Forces to Provide Academic Success Support to Law Students
Bar review leader, BARBRI, and Western New England University School of Law (WNE Law) are joining forces to bolster academic success and foster stronger bar exam pass rates among the school's law students.
Distance Education
If Taught Well, Online Law School Courses Can Pass the Test, Experts Say
The skills for teaching online law school courses are not unlike those needed for the practice of law. Both require concise writing, well-organized outlines and the ability to speak without appearing that you’re reading from a script, says Ellen Murphy, assistant dean of instructional technologies and design at Wake Forest University School of Law.
Experiential Learning
Campbell Law’s Pro Bono Council Launches Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project
Law students, under the supervision of a licensed immigration law attorney, work directly with local immigrant and refugee assistance organizations to help program participants better understand immigrant rights and navigate often complex immigration laws.
Law Professors
Law Professors Speak on How Voting Process Changes Could Increase Turnout in 2020
Law professors said they expect the 2020 elections to have a higher voter turnout due to a rise in new voting technologies and reforms that make the voting process more inclusive and enable more people to register to vote and cast ballots.
Law School Students
Students Receive Loan Forgiveness Counseling at School of Law Career Fair
Over 100 students received student loan forgiveness counseling Friday at an event sponsored by the Office of Financial Aid and the School of Law as part of a Public Service Career Fair held every year.
Law Student with Autism will Compete to Become Next Miss Virginia
She wants to 'spread awareness about the misrepresentations and the misconceptions people have about autism.'
Getting Through Law School AND Hardship at the Same Time
Sometimes law school isn't the only hurdle for law students.
How Top Legal Educators Chose Their Law Schools
Today, prospective law school students have all sorts of methods to help them decide which law school would fit them best. They can reach out to pre-law advisers, alumni, current students or a bevy of social media sites. Here's how some of today's leading legal educators chose their law school.
Legal Education
Law School Overhauls Research, Writing Curriculum
Law school officials announced a series of major adjustments to the law school’s Legal Research and Writing Program late last month – the first changes to the school’s core curriculum “in more than a generation,” administrators said. The revisions include a switch from an adjunct to a full-time staff, the addition of a new course focused on lawyer-client relationships and an increased credit-hour requirement.
College of Law Offers Remote Semester in D.C.
Next fall, UI College of Law students will have the opportunity to spend a semester in Washington in an externship that allows participants to earn credit while simultaneously practicing legal work at the center of U.S. government.
Law School Dean to Step Down this Semester
Blake Morant, who began his tenure at the head of the law school in 2014, will return to the University as a faculty member after he goes on sabbatical, according to the release. Morant is the fourth top administrator to leave the University since the start of the year and the second dean of a school to announce his resignation in less than three weeks.
Florida Coastal Law School Aims to Ditch InfiLaw, Become Nonprofit
The Jacksonville law school has applied with the American Bar Association to become a nonprofit entity, a move that would enable it to affiliate with an established university.
Lawyers Rush In: New UNH Blockchain Program Nabs Big-Name Speakers
UNH Law is rushing to offer a new certificate program in blockchain and cryptocurrency. As exclusively told to CoinDesk, over 100 students have expressed interest in the program, which will feature of slew of industry players as guest lecturers – including Hester Peirce of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Ethereum Foundation researcher Vlad Zamfir and MyCrypto CEO Taylor Monahan.
Professor Jenny S. Martinez Appointed New Dean of Stanford Law School
Jenny S. Martinez will become the new dean of the Stanford Law School starting April 2019, announcedProvost Persis Drell on Wednesday. Martinez is currently the Warren Christopher Professor in the Practice of International Law and Diplomacy.
Other Legal News
T14 Law School Elects All-Female Executive Board
Proving that women can be gunners, too.
Another Biglaw Firm Targeted by Harvard Law School Students Over Mandatory Arbitration Agreements
Law school students claim the firm has been deceptive about their mandatory arbitration stance.