ABA tenure regulations may be eliminated
The American Bar Association is considering dropping compliance with its tenure system as a requirement for law school accreditation; it has set up a task force to examine a set of recommendations and is expected to submit its report on June 9. At present, regular faculty members, full-time clinical faculty members, library directors, and deans at accredited schools are eligible for tenure according to regulations stipulated by the ABA. The American Law Deans Association (ALDA) has been urging the ABA to stop regulating the employment contracts of accredited law schools for some time. Although ALDA does not have an official stand on tenure, it urges relaxing the standards and giving schools freedom to formulate their own employment policies. In the meantime, clinical faculty and law librarians have already submitted documents opposing ALDA's position.
Raymond A. and Kathryn A. Eckstein of Cassville will donate $51 million to Marquette University to finance the construction of a new law school facility. This is the largest gift ever made by individuals to a law school in the United States. The Ecksteins, both of whom are alumni of Marquette, say the donation is an "expression of gratitude" to the university. The facility will be established in Tory Hill and will cost around $80 million, according to initial estimations. The dean of Marquette's law school, Joseph D. Kearney, said he hoped the new facility would stimulate faculty and students to engage in more in-depth "discussion and research…in areas such as dispute resolution and litigation, intellectual property, health law, sports law, and restorative justice." The new building and its extensive law library will be named in honor of the Ecksteins. A Jesuit university, Marquette strives to give its graduate students the training they need to make a difference in the world.
Brigham Young University (BYU) law professor Cheryl B. Preston has won the 2007 Distinguished Research Award for her film entitled Fashioning Women in Law. The award, instituted in 2004 by the BYU Women's Research Institute, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the institute. The award is bestowed on research scholars whose academic pursuits and research have contributed immensely to the study of issues relating to women. In her film, Preston highlights the discrepancies between women in advertising and real women. The law professor questions the world's perceptions of women and its difficulties with accepting women as "serious, powerful professionals." Fashioning Women in Law also won the Chris Award at the Columbus International Film Festival. A BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School alumna, Preston teaches courses on contracts, business associations, commercial law, Internet regulation, and gender law at BYU.
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