- As reported by New York Lawyer, Berkshire Hathaway Vice-Chairman Charlie Munger is donating $20 million to the University of Michigan Law School. The money will help fund a $39 million renovation of the Lawyers Club, a law student housing complex built in the 1920s. The law school is also in the process of building a $102 million academic building and commons area.
- A recent panel discussion sponsored by Catholic University’s law school centered on “the role of law schools in increasing their proportions of black and Mexican-American law students,” The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. From 1993 to 2008, the proportion of black students in law school decreased by 7.5% and Mexican-American students by 11.7%. Some solutions suggested at the panel were to collaborate with high schools and connect with these students earlier, and encouraging them to take off two years once they finish college before starting law school. Gaining useful work experience could then boost their law-school applications.
- While the national average for law school applications dropped by 11%, Yale Law School’s applications dropped by 16.5% this year. Above the Law’s Elie Mystal writes that people may have gotten the wrong idea from all the recent media coverage about law schools: “The NYT says ‘stay away from law school,’ and applications to Yale drop. But if you read Above the Law, you pick up nuances like ‘stay away from crappy law schools.’ See how much more subtle and informative that is? I know, I know, it bothers me too when the print media sensationalizes things.” An alternative reason why YLS applications are down is their new requirement for a “Dean’s Certification,” which may have deterred some from applying. As Mystal notes, “Not applying to Yale just because it requires more paperwork is not smart. But I suppose the kids not applying to Yale for that reason weren’t going to be Yale Law School material anyway.”
- According to The Faculty Lounge, now may be the ideal time to apply to law school. With applications down (“to 2001 levels”) and the potential to drop even more in the years to come, “it’s likely a student’s LSAT will go a lot farther in this admissions cycle.” A chart reflects the inflation of LSAT scores in the 25th-75th percentile for select law schools from 2001 to 2009. Accordingly, the chart “suggests, at least, that particularly among the more elite schools, this might be an excellent opportunity for students already certain about attending law school to—shall we say—get more house for their LSAT dollar.”
- University of Notre Dame Law School professor Vincent Rougeau will be the new dean of Boston College Law School, New York Lawyer reports. The school’s first black dean, Rougeau was drawn to Boston College for its religious affiliation and “mission to advance social justice.” Rougeau would like to devote attention to career opportunities for students, and consider possibilities such as extended internships. He also hopes to “expand Boston College’s network of clinics, internships and externships to ensure the school is producing graduates with the practical skills they need to be successful lawyers.”
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Read the full article: Law School News Round Up
