Given earlier budgetary troubles, this development (Download UC Hastings Law School Tuition Increase)–a 20% hike in the cost of a legal education–is not really surprising, though it is no doubt very painful for the students, especially in this job market.

UPDATE:  Judging from this, it looks like UC Davis has raised its fees even more than Hastings, and of course all the UC law schools are way up.

The Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values will sponsor a talk by Larry Laudan (National Autonomous University of Mexico) from 4-6 pm in Room D of the Law School on Monday, October 26.  The title:  "The Rules of Trial, Political Morality and the Costs of Error:  Or, Is Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Doing More Harm than Good?"  Chicago-area faculty or U of C law (or philosophy) students interested in attending should e-mail me for a copy of the paper, which should be read in advance.  Laudan, as evidence scholars will know, is doing the most interesting work in the field, and turning lots of conventional wisdom on its head–in this case, the Blackstone ratio, which you'll never think of the same way again after this paper.