ABA recommends changes to LSAT evaluation
U.S. law schools have been advised by the American Bar Association to revise their methods for evaluating Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores. Wendy Margolis, spokeswoman for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which prepares the LSAT, said that the ABA has recommended that schools accept students' highest scores instead of their average scores, as is prevalently done at present. The strength and efficacy of the LSAT are monitored by LSAC, stated Margolis. However, LSAC's decision regarding how it will implement the ABA's recommendations is still pending. Harvard Law School's administrators said that ABA's recommendations will not be incorporated by the school in the near future, as they feel the current system is adequate.
A record 11 Harvard Law School grads are serving as clerks to U.S. Supreme Court justices for the 2006-2007 session. This same record was met earlier, in 2000. The 2006-2007 group continues Harvard's three-year record of leading among law schools in terms of its number of Supreme Court clerks. 37 law school graduates are serving as clerks to U.S. Supreme Court justices for the 2006-2007 session.
Republicans revive measure to change bar exam guidelines
Report finds law school curricula inadequate
A report filed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, entitled "Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law," severely criticizes current law school curricula. In the report, the foundation complains that present curricula lack the capacity to hone skilled, practical lawyers for the future. The analysis, which is based on a survey of 16 U.S. and Canadian law schools (with the exception of Stanford Law School), reveals that most law schools churn out graduates full of theoretical knowledge but devoid of practical skills. It argues that these lawyers are inept at handling clients' needs, as well as ethical dilemmas, and urged law schools to incorporate both of these major components into their existing curricula. Larry Kramer, Stanford's dean, opined that the report did not reveal anything new and that it was incomplete because it did not provide enough solutions to boost hands-on experience. Kramer agreed with the report's statement that curricula need to focus more on practical and ethical training. Additionally, he said, a broader base of intellectual training to help lawyers solve clients' problems as well as training that will prepare them to work in diverse environments with varieties of people are more needed now.
Penn State's new international affairs school established
Penn State University has established a School of International Affairs. The university's board of trustees is confident that the move will enhance Penn State's contribution to this multidisciplinary challenge. The school will begin operations on July 1, 2007, and plans to begin admitting students in the fall of 2008. The school, said Penn State President Graham Spanier, has been set up to prepare new professionals to work in a world that is interlinked with regard to peace and security, health and commerce, and the sharing of natural resources. Housed within the Dickinson School of Law at Penn State, it will offer a professional master's degree in international affairs with several specialty concentrations. The two schools share similar educational objectives, as both emphasize the realistic application of knowledge when solving complex social problems. They also promote the maintenance of high ethical standards in a variety of challenging situations.
