Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports

Wall Street Journal law school analysis overlooks increased diversity and lower interest rates (Michael Simkovic)

August 5, 2021

In my last post, I discussed problems with WSJ coverage of law schools. In particular the WSJ has effectively faulted law schools for broad, national declines in employment that are most likely due to macroeconomic conditions such as the financial crisis of 2007-2009 and its aftermath, to COVID, and to other broad secular trends in…
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Wall Street Journal blames law schools for COVID economy (Michael Simkovic)

August 3, 2021

In 2010 to 2013, the Wall Street Journal effectively blamed law schools for the economic fallout of the financial crisis and the Great Recession. In particular, the recession caused a large reduction in employment which hit young and inexperienced workers across the economy.
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New Facebook group for those interested in “Experimental Jurisprudence”

July 30, 2021

Here. (Thanks to Roseanna Sommers [Michigan] for calling this to my attention on Twitter.)
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Richard Painter: “either dishonest or blinded by righteousness” (updated)

July 30, 2021

That was Penn lawprof Jonathan Klick's apt assessment (noted earlier this week) based on his own experience of having Painter "Twitter shit" on him and his work. Based on recent events, I will go with "dishonest." Fear not, dear readers, I do not plan on regularly reporting on the unhinged Twitter behavior of this character,…
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Do academic norms and politics mix? The case of Richard W. Painter (UPDATED AGAIN, 7/30)

July 26, 2021

Prior to last week, I'd never had (to my recollection) any interaction with Professor Richard Painter of the University of Minnesota, a moderately well-known expert on corporate law and legal ethics. As some readers will recall, Professor Painter had the dubious distinction of agreeing to serve as the White House ethics lawyer for George W.…
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Invitation to participate in “Legal Academy and Theory Survey”

July 19, 2021

Law professor Kevin Tobia (Georgetown) writes: I am conducted an anonymous survey, with a graduate student collaborator, to learn more about the legal academy and legal theory. Anyone who self-identifies as a member of the “legal academy” is invited to participate. Participants might include, among others: law professors, fellows, and students; legal practitioners; and scholars…
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Books by Nobel prize winners to read (or listen to) this summer

July 16, 2021

One of the great joys of being a student or academic is the ability to engage in self-directed learning. The freedom this affords can be overwhelming, given the massive volume of books, articles, and other media that could be consumed. This raises the question, what should be read for pleasure first? Recently, I've been reading…
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Cornell Interim Dean Jens David Ohlin named Dean

July 13, 2021

The Cornell announcement is here.
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Disability in a post-pandemic world

July 12, 2021

Law professor Adam Samaha (NYU) writes insightfully about this issue, drawing on his own experience.
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Law schools hiring in 2021-22 can announce their committees and hiring priorities…

July 8, 2021

…here.
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In Memoriam: Mathew McCubbins (1956-2021)

July 5, 2021

A leading and influential scholar of the legislative process, Professor McCubbins was, at the time of his death, a professor in both political science and law at Duke University. The Duke Political Science memorial notice is here.
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Summer blogging

June 29, 2021

I'll be posting less regularly until early August. Professor Sisk and colleagues at St. Thomas are working on a new scholarly impact study, and I will make time for thost results as they become available.
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Monday is the last day for submitting comments regarding the proposed changes to the ABA standards regarding diversity and curriculum

June 25, 2021

Many interesting comments have already been submitted, some echoing concerns raised here. The lengthy analysis by current or emeritus "Sterling Professors" at Yale Law School may be of particular interest. ("Sterling Professor" is the most distinguished professorial rank at Yale, and includes such well-known scholars as Bruce Ackerman, Owen Fiss, John Langbein, Roberta Romano, and…
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A look at this year’s lateral moves by race and gender

June 23, 2021

Professor Orin Kerr (Berkeley) looked at the list of laterals this year and posted his findings on Twitter: There were 40 men on the laterals list, of whom 21 were "people of color"; there were 53 women on the laterals list, of whom 23 were "people of color." Put differently: there were 49 white laterals…
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In Memoriam: Jack Weinstein (1921-2021)

June 22, 2021

A longtime member of the Columbia Law School faculty and a district court judge in New York, he was also well-known for his scholarship on evidence, civil procedure and mass torts. The Columbia memorial notice is here.
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Not a great advertisement for the Hogan Lovells firm

June 18, 2021

An investigative report in the NYT.
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When “DEI Training” goes wrong

June 16, 2021

Stories like this ought to give the ABA substantial pause about the proposed revisions to the accreditation standards.
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Call by ABA for comments on significant proposed changes to standards pertaining to “non-discrimination and equal opportunity” and “curriculum”

June 14, 2021

MOVING TO FRONT FROM JUNE 1–TWO MORE WEEKS TO SUBMIT COMMENTS TO THE ABA! The proposed changes are available here. Written comments on the proposals should be addressed to: Scott Bales, Council Chair. Please send comments to Fernando Mariduena (Fernando.Mariduena@americanbar.org) by June 28, 2021. I am going to offer a few observations of my own…
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Congratulations to the University of Chicago Law School Class of 2021!

June 12, 2021

It's been a pleasure and a privilege to teach such talented young men and women, and I am sure I speak for all of my colleagues in wishing you much professional success and personal happiness in the years ahead!
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The Yale Law School spectacle continues

June 9, 2021

What an embarrassment, mostly for Yale, but there's also a fair bit of myth-making (both about Rubenfeld and to a lesser extent Chua, and, again, about Yale). I do suspect Heather Gerken's Deanship is not going to be long-lived. A couple of excerpts: Faculty members I spoke to have mixed feelings about it all. “There’s…
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Congratulations to the University of Chicago alumni and Fellows who secured tenure-track positions this year

June 7, 2021

MOVING TO FRONT FROM APRIL 27–UPDATED This was a tough year for job seekers, with fewer schools hiring and the entire process being carried out remotely, but happily all our candidates on the market succeeded in landing tenure-track jobs, most with multiple offers. They are: Emilie Aguirre who will join the faculty at Duke…
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Is the age bias in law school hiring a thing of the past?

June 3, 2021

Here. (Earlier coverage.) (Thanks to Bernadette Meyler for the pointer.) In my other academic field, philosophy, it is quite common (indeed probably the norm) for faculty to make lateral moves later in their careers, rather than earlier: faculty in their 50s and 60s frequently take tenured positions at peer or stronger departments. When I started…
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“The Originalist Case for Inciting Insurrection” courtesy of the Stanford Federalist Society

June 2, 2021

UPDATE: Stanford relents. (The Stanford Law Dean has also sent a message to alumni noting that the Law School had nothing to do with this travesty.) The Stanford Law student responsible for this very funny satire is now under investigation by Stanford, and his graduation is endangered! What an embarrassment for Stanford! (Thanks to Jeremy…
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“Why are so few law professors interested in antitrust?”

May 27, 2021

Lawprof, antitrust expert and Chicago alum Daniel Crane (Michigan) comments.
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U Miami Law Dean Varona ousted by President and Provost effective July 1…

May 25, 2021

…and apparently without consultation with the faculty. He moved to Miami just two years ago. I don't know more at this stage, just that faculty were caught by surprise. UPDATE: More details here. ANOTHER: Another news item.
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UIC John Marshall Law School to strike “John Marshall” from its name

May 24, 2021

Although the reason given is the historical John Marshall's racist views, I strongly suspect this will also have a positive effect on the school's peer evaluation scores in the USNEWS.COM rankings because of the well-known halo effect of school names on scores (better to be a law school at the "University of Illinois" than a…
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Judge at center of U of Toronto hiring scandal found by Judicial Council to have made a “serior error;” judge expresses “remorse”

May 21, 2021

(Earlier coverage.) From the public announcement: The Review Panel did find…that it was an error for Justice Spiro to raise such concerns [about the faculty candidate] in the manner he did. The judge properly recognized the mistakes he made and expressed remorse. The Review Panel found this error serious but that it did not warrant…
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The class composition of the student body at Yale Law School…

May 21, 2021

MOVING TO FRONT FROM MAY 19–AFTER I POSTED THIS ORIGINALLY, YALE REMOVED THE REPORT; A YALE LAW STUDENT KINDLY SUPPLIED AN ALTERNATIVE LINK FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO READ THE REPORT …and the effect of class background on the student experience. As the report notes near the start, during the 2018-19 academic year, "Students called…
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In Memoriam: Christopher Stone (1937-2021)

May 19, 2021

A longtime member of the law faculty at the University of Southern California, Professor Stone was probably best-known for his contributions to environmental law. The USC memorial notice is here. (Thanks to Scott Altman for the pointer.)
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Lawsky’s Entry-Level Hiring Report for 2021

May 17, 2021

Although Professor Lawsky will continue to update the report, an initial version is here. A few notable results: *There were 64 rookie hires, down from 88 last year. *There were only 45 schools hiring, down from 66 last year. *All rookie hires had some combination of a clerkship, a fellowship, and/or an advanced degree. If…
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Entry-level hiring report: today is the last day to submit information…

May 17, 2021

…before Professor Lawsky compiles the results for this year.
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In Memoriam: Eugenio Bulygin (1931-2021)

May 12, 2021

An Argentinian legal philosopher, and longtime member of the law faculty at the University of Buenos Aires, Professor Bulygin enjoyed an international reputation for important contributions to all aspects of jurisprudence (see a collection of his papers from OUP for a sense of the range of issues he worked on); his most famous and influential…
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The Northwestern Law Dean search (UPDATED)

May 10, 2021

There's an alarmist, and not entirely accurate, report here. I received an anonymous e-mail to the same effect. I do not know who sent it, or if they were even at Northwestern. A few points: First, there were several faculty on the Dean search committee. The finalists did not, however, meet the full faculty, which…
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AALS cancels fall 2021 in-person hiring convention (“the meat market”)

May 6, 2021

Here. The AALS also cancelled last fall's in-person hiring convention for the obvious reasons. What this means for academic jobs seekers is that they have to be ready to do screening interviews (via Zoom) within a week or two of the FAR forms being released next August 18 (forms will be due before that of…
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U of San Diego Provost finds that statements by Professor Smith are protected by academic freedom

May 4, 2021

The Provost has issued a statement regarding the case we noted previously, that reads in part: We recently received complaints relating to a post by USD Law Professor Tom Smith on his personal blog concerning the causes of COVID-19. The complaints alleged violations of various university and School of Law policies. As a threshold matter,…
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Cardozo Law faculty protest Yeshiva University’s continued discrimination against LGBT student groups

May 3, 2021

It is an embarrassment, and especially for a school in New York City!
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Texas House authorizes public universities in Rio Grande Valley and El Paso to establish up to two new law schools

April 29, 2021

The bill still has to get through the state Senate. Texas established a new public law school at the University of North Texas (near Dallas), which began admitting students in 2014, but is only still provisionally accredited by the ABA. Texas acquired an additional public law school when Texas A&M University acquired the former Texas…
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Report finds no clear evidence that judge’s political objection to a faculty candidate at Toronto affected hiring decision…

April 23, 2021

MOVING TO FRONT, ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 6–UPDATED AGAIN …but the separate investigation of the judge continues. (Earlier coverage.) UPDATE: Apparently, the investigation did not evaluate the credibility of the testimony collected, which may be a problem. 4/22/21 UPDATE: The Canadian Association of University of Teachers clearly did not agree with the earlier investigations' finding, and…
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Five law professors elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

April 22, 2021

They are: Jose Alvarez (NYU), Kimberle Crenshaw (UCLA & Columbia), Gillian Lester (Dean, Columbia), Anup Malani (Chicago), and Angela Onwuachi-Willig (Dean, Boston University).
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Academic freedom issues

April 22, 2021

Although I do blog about some of these issues here, usually when law faculty are involved, I cover the issue more thoroughly in the modern academy at my philosophy blog, for those who are interested. You can bookmark that category for posts on academic freedom issues (and so you're spared philosophy-related news).
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