Showing archive for: “Legal Profession & Scholarship”
The value of law school
Herwig Schlunk updates his analysis of the investment value of a law degree. Here’s the abstract: There continues to be an active debate on the question of whether or not law school is a good investment. I prefer to think of the question not in terms of “whether,” but in terms of “when.” In this ... The value of law school
Some thoughts on in-house lawyers
Those attending the Wisconsin in-house counsel conference this weekend (kudos to Jonathan Lipson for a well-organized and comprehensive program) got a great overview of the problems and opportunities facing the lawyers who work inside corporations. Here’s some brief observations. As previously reported, my own contribution focused on how technology might significantly affect in-house lawyers’ work, ... Some thoughts on in-house lawyers
The NYT on law teaching
The NYT brings another David Segal story on legal education. Today’s sermon: law schools don’t teach “lawyering.” Boiling away the overheated journalism, here’s the indictment: Law profs are richly paid for writing mostly useless law review articles rather than “the essential how-tos of daily practice.” Students study cases about contract law but not contracts. Clinics ... The NYT on law teaching
A financial perspective on the legal education market
Today’s WSJ offers an interesting perspective on the law school cost/student debt debate: from the folks who invest in student loans. According to the article, these guys say: Law school * * * can end up a sucker’s bet in periods of high unemployment U.S. has far more law schools than other professional schools, resulting ... A financial perspective on the legal education market
Wal-Mart lawyers
Yesterday’s WSJ discussed Wal-Mart’s (possible) plan to dominate the industry of primary health-care clinics: Wal-Mart said in its proposal document that it is interested in offering services, including clinical care such as asthma, sleep apnea and osteoporosis monitoring, diagnostic services such as allergy and blood testing, and preventive services such as vaccinations and physical exams, ... Wal-Mart lawyers
Going to 11
Veterans certainly deserve their day but I hope they won’t mind my sharing it with Nigel Tufnel. Surely you recall his memorable question: Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it? It’s not 10. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at 10. You’re on 10 here, all the way up, all the way up, ... Going to 11
Law school applications and opportunity costs
Many believe that law school applicants have been misled about or just don’t understand the market for legal services. I think it’s worth exploring the alternative hypothesis that law school is college grads’ best opportunity despite the market. Today’s WSJ discusses one possible basis for this conclusion — college students’ poor choice of what ... Law school applications and opportunity costs
What happens to a law firm’s work after the firm dies?
Today’s WSJ covers the Howrey bankruptcy and specifically the ex-partners’ and their new firms’ potential liabilities for unfinished business taken from Howrey. As the article says, Howrey’s bankruptcy trustee, the custodian of its claims under state law, “has the right to sue for profits generated by work that partners started at their old law firms ... What happens to a law firm’s work after the firm dies?
Law firms’ competition
The biggest competition for law firms is not other law firms but in-house counsel. So reports the ABAJ. I make a similar point in a paper I’m presenting at a University of Wisconsin program next week. There are two reasons for this: pressures on firms to reduce fees, and law’s information revolution which is reducing ... Law firms’ competition
Crisis in legal education or business cycle?
Bill Henderson vs. Orin Kerr (in comments, with reply by Henderson). HT Leiter. Henderson: U.S. Legal Education is in the midst of a large, structural transformation. This structural shift is driven by a confluence of factors, which includes three significant trends: The decline, or plateau, of the traditional time and materials legal services model The ... Crisis in legal education or business cycle?
The NYT on non-lawyer-financed law firms
The NYT has finally caught onto non-lawyer financing of law firms, and specifically the possibility of Wal-Mart lawyers, now being ushered in by England’s new Legal Services Act. As the article notes, “[s]uch a move could upend the industry’s stiff adherence to the partnership system in favor of full-fledged corporations that have access to the ... The NYT on non-lawyer-financed law firms
Ted Frank, class action crusader
Today’s WSJ has a great article about class action crusader Ted Frank, who is (1) out to kill class actions or (2) make them fairer by getting better settlements for plaintiffs (and worse for their lawyers), depending on whether you believe Ted or those whose oxen he has gored (class action lawyers). I believe Ted. For ... Ted Frank, class action crusader
