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What President Obama’s 2017 Budget Tells Us About Law Schools
February 16th, 2016 / By Kyle McEntee
Originally published on Bloomberg.
As law school — as well as other graduate and professional programs — become ever-more costly, the viability of the current federal student loan program wanes. The latest evidence comes from President Obama’s 2017 budget proposal, released last week.
But first a little history.
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Washington D.C. Adopts Uniform Bar Exam
February 9th, 2016 / By Kyle McEntee
Originally published on Above the Law.
Washington D.C. is the 20th jurisdiction to adopt the Uniform Bar Exam. In an order filed last Thursday, the D.C. Court of Appeals confirmed that it would begin administrating the exam this July.
This will not be the only new UBE jurisdiction in the coming weeks or months. Vermont’s Board of Bar Examiners also announced that “Vermont expects to adopt the Uniform Bar Examination for [the] July 2016 bar exam.” It’s not official but the Vermont Supreme Court asked the Board to propose rule changes to quickly make way for the changes.
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Workers’ Compensation (TX): Helping Injured Workers Fight Insurance Companies
February 7th, 2016 / By I Am The Law
This episode is presented by The United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corp.
If you hurt someone, a court may require you to pay their medical expenses and for their pain and suffering. Workers’ compensation insurance changes this process for employers and employees. An employee loses their right to sue their employer for negligence in exchange for an insurance plan that pays for the employee’s medical expenses and wage replacement when they’re hurt on the job. Workers’ compensation attorneys help employees navigate the administrative process and fight insurance companies over the insurance payouts.
In this episode, Royce Bicklein, a 1998 graduate of St. Mary University’s School of Law, discusses his firm’s practice and what’s involved in proving where an injury occurred and what’s to blame for the extent of an injury. Unlike almost every other state, Texas employers choose to opt in to the workers’ compensation process. As such, Royce’s firm handles workers’ compensation and traditional personal injury. Who helps a client depends on whether the client’s employer opted in to the system or not.
This episode is hosted by Derek Tokaz, an academic writing teacher at American University. It is sponsored by Barbri and Top-Law-Schools.com.
Episode Links
- The Law Offices of Miller & Bicklein
- Texas Department of Insurance
- Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation: Biennial Report to the 84th Legislature
Education and Employment
February 6th, 2016 / By Deborah J. Merritt
The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is once again considering amendments to Standards 304 and 305 in order to permit externship credit for paid work. As I have written before, I support that change. When granting academic credit, the quality of the experience counts–not whether the student was paid for the work.
I have heard about unpaid externships that offered very little educational content. Conversely, I know of terrific externship placements (with both nonprofit and for-profit employers) that required students to choose between academic credit and pay under our current rules. I see no clear line between pay and educational value. Nor does a black letter rule seem appropriate for a learned profession: Surely ethical educators can determine which externships deserve academic credit.
The debate, meanwhile, raises a more troubling issue. If education and paid employment are incompatible, as some comments on the ABA proposal suggest, then we have lost an essential element of our professionalism. It’s possible that we have lost that element, but I think it’s worth reflecting on the issue.
ABA House to Vote on Uniform Bar Exam
February 2nd, 2016 / By Kyle McEntee
Originally published on Above the Law.
Non-lawyers are encroaching on legal services traditionally offered by lawyers. Technology is changing how lawyers and clients think about value. Law schools have created a mismatch between the number of graduates and entry-level legal jobs. Throughout it all, regulators across the country are actively grappling (and griping) about how best to address these extraordinary circumstances.
While proposed actions or inactions cause sharp disagreements around the country about how to move the profession forward in the 21st century, one common-sense action shouldn’t: adopting the Uniform Bar Exam. Next Monday, the ABA’s House of Delegates will consider a resolution from the ABA’s Law Student Division that calls for all jurisdictions to adopt this portable exam. The House should support this measure, and all jurisdictions should adopt the UBE as quickly as possible.
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10K 1L Scholarship For One Lucky Student
February 1st, 2016 / By Kyle McEntee
For any readers out there who will begin law school this year — or who know someone else who will — I encourage you to check out a $10,000 scholarship contest. You can apply until April 15th, after which 20 finalists will be selected. One winner will be determined by votes via social media and will be announced on June 10th. The $10,000 will be paid directly to the student’s law school.
Law school is expensive and this will make law school slightly more affordable for someone. Scholarship application details can be found here.
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