The Red Velvet Lawyer

Professor Brian Leiter  Takes on the Scambloggers Professor Brian Leiter, a well-known blogger , is now writing for the Huffington Post . In American Law Schools: The New Reality , he describes the many factors that have contributed to the down turn in applicants to law school including: Competition among law school for US News rankings, which forced them to compete based on expensive services instead of affordable tuition; Rising student debt; Poorer employment outcomes for graduates in a recessionary economy; Congressional overhaul of bankruptcy laws as they relate to student loans; and Lax oversight by the ABA regulators. I've blogged about all these topics this past year.  And, it is nice to have this summary for easy reference. In his second article, American Law Schools and the Psychology of Cyber-Hysteria , Professor Leiter looks at the "toxic" environment law schools face while trying to respond to the market downturn in responsible...

It's Not Enough to Keep Abreast of  Changes in the Substantive Law Robert Ambrogie, blogger at LawSites, lists the 10 Most Important Legal Technology Developments of 2013 .  Two entries on the list especially caught my eye. The first entry discusses the ethical obligation to be competent in the use of technology.  The second entry discusses increasing efforts by some law schools to teach students about the use of technology in law practice. 3.  Competence in technology turned from dalliance to necessity.   In August 2012, the American Bar Association voted to amend the Model Rules of Professional Conduct to make clear that lawyers have a duty to be competent in technology . Specifically, the ABA voted to amend the comment to Model Rule 1.1, governing lawyer competence, to say that, in addition to keeping abreast of changes in the law and its practice, a lawyer should keep abreast of “the benefits and risks associated with relevant...

Big Drop in Law School  Enrollees So the big story this week is the significant drop in enrollees in law school. In other postings here and here , I've tracked the drop in applicants and applications. The ABA has finally released a report showing the drop in the number of applicants who actually enrolled in law school for the year beginning in Fall 2013.  The ABA explains that:  "The last time enrollment was so low was in 1975, when 39,038 students were enrolled. And, at the time, there were only 163 ABA-accredited schools." By one blogger's calculation , enrollment (average per law school) has not been this low since the late 1960s. And, with applications to law school expected to drop this year compared to last, we could expect further erosion of the number of law school enrollees for Fall 2014. This new data allows us to better predict job equilibrium, which I have discussed here , here , and here .  It is good news for graduates and s...

Graduate School Bubbles Bursting Across all Professions? One of my colleagues forwarded this story  appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine .  The story provides an answer to the following question: "Are we in a medical education bubble market?" The authors answer that question in the last paragraph of the story and suggest a difficult future for other professional schools. Although it seems unlikely that we're in a bubble market for medical education, we may already be in one for veterinary medicine. That bubble will burst when potential students recognize that the costs of training aren't matched by later returns. Then the optometry bubble may burst, followed by the pharmacy and dentistry bubbles. At the extreme, we will march down the debt-to-income-ratio ladder, through psychiatrists to cardiologists to orthopedists . . . until no one is left but the MBAs. It explains: In medicine, students buy their education from medical schools an...

Conference of the  Midwest Association of Pre-Law Advisors This week, I've been attending the conference of the Midwest Association of Pre-law Advisors (MAPLA) held this year in my home town of St. Louis, Missouri.  I have continued to blog on this conference so check my postings in November. Three things have really impressed me. First, the pre-law advisors clearly express a strong desire to help their students make the best career choices possible.  I appreciate their professionalism, knowledge, and commitment to serve students. Employment Trends Update Second, the conference planners have offered top-notch conference programming. One speaker, the Executive Director of NALP , spoke about the legal employment market here and here . I've tracked the trends myself  here ,  here ,  here ,  here ,  here ,  here , and  here . I'll provide an update on that topic, based on this presentation, when I get back to Grundy. One s...

Student Organizations at the  Appalachian School of Law So here it is -- after more than a month of research -- the list of student organizations operating at the Appalachian School of Law.  I am proud of the programming and service our students provide our law school and the regional community.  These organizations enhance our well-being in so many ways.   Pro Bono Legal Service Providers: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)  VITA Tax Services (VITA)  Great Eastern Trail Project (GET)  Law Journals: Appalachian Journal of Law (AJoL) Appalachian Natural Resources Law Journal (ANRLJ) Student Government: Student Bar Association (SBA) Honor Court Legal Fraternities: Blackwell Inn Phi Delta Phi (PDP)  Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International (PAD)  Focus on Substantive Law: ADR Society  Criminal Law Society (CLS)  Education Law Society (ELS)  Energy and Mineral Law Society (EMLS)...

Funding Student Organization Activities   at the Appalachian School of Law   Rather than paraphrase the rules governing SBA appropriations for student organizations, I am simply reproducing the relevant provisions of the Bylaws of the ASL SBA. § 3. Allocation of Student Activity Fees  I. Preliminary Organization Budget A. Any student organization or student group seeking funding from the Senate shall submit a proposed itemized budget to the SBA Fiscal Policy Committee (Committee). The proposed budget request shall be submitted to the Committee no later than April 1st of the academic year preceding the academic year in which the funds are to be requested. Full funding is not guaranteed nor should be expected. These proposals do not bind the SBA, nor the organization.  1. The Committee shall only accept proposals signed by the Organization President, Treasurer, and Advisor, or their equivalents.  2. All budgets shall remain proposals until...

Standing Committees of the Student Bar Association (SBA) of the Appalachian School of Law  The Student Bar Association -- which I have described in a series of postings here ,  here ,  here , and  here  -- has established a number of standing committees.  They are: American Bar Association Representative Student Activity Council New Organization Review Committee Fiscal Policy Committee Charitable Endeavors Committee President's Council Career Services Advisory Committee Legacy Committee Mental Health Committee, and Property Management Committee Section 5 of the Bylaws of the Appalachian School of Law Student Bar Association describes each of these committees: American Bar Association Representative In the Spring semester, the newly elected SBA President shall appoint an American Bar Association (ABA) Representative. The ABA Representative shall be a rising 3L whose primary responsibility will be to represent th...

The Legislative Branch (Senate) of the Student Bar Association of the Appalachian School of Law The Student Bar Council (SBC) of the Student Bar Association (SBA) consists of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. I discussed the Honor Court - the Judicial branch --  here .  I discussed the Executive branch here . Representatives of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches must be in good standing as defined by the law school, including the ASL Academic Standards and the Honor Code. Failure to meet this standard results in immediate removal from office and replacement according to the SBA Constitution. Voting and non-voting members of the SBC must attend all meetings, except for good cause. Absences in excess of four meetings per semester or two consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, without good cause, allows a majority vote of the Senate to remove the member. The Senate The Legislative branch of the SBC is known as the “Sena...

The Executive Branch of the  Student Bar Association  of the  Appalachian School of Law The Student Bar Council (SBC) of the Student Bar Association (SBA) consists of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. I discuss the Honor Court - the Judicial branch --  here .  I discuss the Legislative branch here . Representatives of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches must be in good standing as defined by the law school, including the ASL Academic Standards and the Honor Code. Failure to meet this standard results in immediate removal from office and replacement according to the SBA Constitution. Voting and non-voting members of the SBC must attend all meetings, except for good cause. Absences in excess of four meetings per semester or two consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, without good cause, allows a majority vote of the Senate to remove the member. Executive Branch of the SBA The Executive branch of the SBA cons...

Creating a New Student Organization at the Appalachian School of Law Section 4.I. of the Bylaws of the Appalachian School of Law nicely state the reason to create and support student organizations. The Appalachian School of Law encourages and supports the creation of student organizations. Student organizations contribute to the educational experience at the Law School by providing social and professional interaction outside the classroom. The SBA Senate will recognize qualifying groups as official organizations. Official recognition allows the SBA to assist the organization in such ways as funding activities through student activity fees and locating office or meeting space on the law school campus.  A student organization may establish criteria for membership provided that the organization’s policies are consistent with the anti-discrimination policy of the Appalachian School of Law. Specifically, no officially recognized student organization may establish membershi...

The Appalachian School of Law Running Club In 2013, students and faculty members created an ad hoc running club that meets on Thursday evenings to run or walk.  The group encourages better health, stress management through exercise, and social interaction.   For more information, contact Assistant Professor Maryann Herman.  For more information about ASL student well-being, see my posting about the ASL Happiness Project  here .

The Lions Club ASL students serve in the local Lions Club in many ways to fulfill the mission of the national organization . The World's Largest Service Club Organization The national organization identifies 46,000 clubs and 1.35 million members as affiliated with it, thus making it the world's largest service club organization.  It also asserts that it is "one of the most effective." Our members do whatever is needed to help their local communities. Everywhere we work, we make friends. With children who need eyeglasses, with seniors who don’t have enough to eat, and with people we may never meet. The Lions Club Vision Statement To be the global leader in community and humanitarian service. The Lions Club Mission Statement To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubs. Activities and Events Sponsored by ASL Students and Other Local ...

"The Rhetoricals" Toastmasters Club of the Appalachian School of Law In 2012, ASL students created a local chapter of Toastmasters International, a public speaking and leadership educational group.  The club -- The Rhetoricals -- meets monthly and posts meeting dates and its program on TWEN. The International Organization The website  for Toastmasters International explains that it is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations.  It has more than 292,000 memberships in more than 14,350 clubs in 122 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. It also publishes a monthly magazine supporting the professional growth of members.  The national organization explains: The educational program is the heart of every Toastmasters club. It provides members w...

The Appalachian School of Law Jug Band ASL has its very own house band that plays at Heritage Hall, the local nursing home, at least once a month. This community service opportunity brightens the lives of band members, the nursing home's patients, and its staff.  The performance provides a much anticipated and appreciated social event for the residents, many of whom are wheel-chair bound, frail, or suffering with mental disabilities.  The band also provides entertainment at law school events, including the annual pig roast, the BLSA Apollo Night , and "Jugs Over Grundy."  It also appears at local venues like the Serendipity Cafe (The Dip). Help Needed! The Jug Band experienced almost a 100 percent turnover in personnel after the graduation of the 2013 class.  Accordingly, it needs new members who sing, play an instrument (any kind), would like to learn an instrument (the band has quite a selection of percussion items), or would ...