Category Archives: Law School

What Good Lawyers Do

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

Although it came highly recommended there were a number of things that I found didn't resonate for me in Deconstructing the First Year: How Law School Experiences Lead to Misunderstandings of What Lawyers Do at the blog called “clinicians with not enough to do.” I do think almost all of this part is pithy and descriptively accurate:

Really good law students succeed in part by figuring out how law school works and organizing around long-standing structures. Really good lawyers succeed in part by pointing out (diplomatically) what facts the judge does not understand accurately, or by making an argument never tried before in a particular jurisdiction. Really good lawyers know their cases and their files better than anyone else, inside and out. Really good lawyers understand the policy behind the law and why the laws are written a particular way. Really good law students learn to accommodate authority. Really good lawyers confront authority (again, in a diplomatic way).

My only caveat with the quoted passage that I'd say really great law students learn to maneuver around authority structures. But that's hard.

One could of course have a long discussion as to whether this is a good way for a law school to be. But I hope we'd agree that a good part of what a really good law school does is offer the initial training people need to be really good lawyers.

Posted in Law School, Law: Practice | 2 Comments

FedEx Offers 25 Free Resumes

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

FedEx Office is offering to print 25 free resumes tomorrow (Tuesday). It's just a drop in the bucket of the expenses of seeking work, but every little bit helps.

This offer is good for 25 black-and-white resume copies per customer and is only valid for orders placed and picked up in-store. Customers may place orders by submitting their resume in printed format or as a digital file, and the copies will be printed single-sided on resume-quality paper.

Black and white only, but I don't think law firms want color anyway. FedEx Office used to be Kinkos, and there are a bunch of them all over the area. (I know students get a lot of free printing in the law school, but this offer includes nice paper.)

Posted in Law School | 4 Comments

UM Student Running Florida Bar’s LSD

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

No, not what you're thinking. Actually 2L Madeleine Mannello just got elected as the first President of the Florida Bar's new Law Student Division. Here's the official announcement:

Last week, second-year UM Law student Madeleine “Mady” Mannello was elected president of the Florida Bar's newly-established Law Student Division (LSD). Mannello was elected by representatives from 10 Florida law schools.

…

A South Florida native of Ft. Lauderdale, Mannello came to the Law School after earning her Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida. She is fluent in Italian, and volunteers with several student organizations at UM Law including the Environmental Law Society, where she is vice-president of events and programming; and the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center, where she co-founded a domestic violence initiative and works with Books & Buddies. Mannello is also a notary public and a soon-to-be-certified fitness instructor. With interests in political activism and human rights issues, Mannello plans to go into human and civil rights work.

We have great students!

Posted in Law School | Comments Off on UM Student Running Florida Bar’s LSD

Looks Like We’re Getting New Neighbors

Posted on February 21, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

Law.com – Embattled Ave Maria School of Law Wins Approval for Controversial Move to Florida

Ave Maria School of Law has won approval from the American Bar Association to relocate to Florida.

The ABA's “acquiescence,” which allows the school to move from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Naples, Fla., means it will retain full accreditation after the relocation, which is slated to occur in early July.

I recall a few years ago when we first heard about the plan to open a Catholic Law powerhouse only 125 miles away that some of us did worry some about whether the new school might interfere with local fundraising, and maybe to an extent recruiting of students.

Given all Ave Maria's terrible troubles, and everything else going on in the world, that doesn't seem like one of our top five worries at present.

Prior related posts:

Posted in Law School | Comments Off on Looks Like We’re Getting New Neighbors

I Suspect There’s A Poignant Story Here

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

On my way to class this morning, I saw this sitting there, with no one around:

trash-roses.jpg

When I came out of class an hour and a half later, it was gone.

Posted in Law School | 2 Comments

Updates on Sex/Race Bias Suit Against UF Law

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

Some updates to my previous post, UF Law Professor Files Sex/Race Discrimination Lawsuit:

  • Paul Caron has the most extensive updates, including a link to a public email from Florida Dean Bob Jerry, which says, among other things,

    At this time, I am at liberty to say that the allegations of discrimination in this case are unfounded. We will be responding vigorously to this complaint, and we will provide a copy of our response when we do. There are important facts with bearing on this case that will come out when we submit our response.

  • Earlier, in Former Florida Law Prof Comments on Racial and Sexual Discrimination Lawsuit Against School and Dean Prof. Caron wrote, “Ms. Russell-Brown has sent me the following clarification:”

    I just wanted to clarify one point for your blog that was not covered by the National Law Journal article, but which is addressed in my complaint.

    I went on leave from the UF College of Law in August 2004, in order to meet the 2-year residency requirement for a DPhil in public international law at the University of Oxford (UK). It was while I was overseas that I felt more comfortable, as a “tenure-accruing” faculty member, speaking up about some of the statements and/or comments that I was hearing. I returned from leave back to Gainesville in January 2007, which is when I began to experience the difficulties resulting in my departure by the end of that year, December 31, 2007.

    However, while I was on leave and at Oxford for my doctoral studies, from August 2004 until December 2006, my “tenure clock” stopped, along with my publication obligation, and was “re-started” when I returned to academic service at the UF College of Law in January 2007. Consequently, my complaint does not allege that I was “passed over” for tenure consideration, in the sense of being denied tenure, but rather that I was not allowed to continue in my “tenure-accruing” position starting from January 2007, until the end of my “tenure probationary period” in 2009-2010 – that my “tenure clock” was unlawfully stopped on December 31, 2007, in retaliation for my disclosures, and I was not allowed to be considered for tenure in 2009-2010, as UF faculty regulations provide.

Other updates of note:

Posted in Law School, Law: Everything Else | 2 Comments