OPIA Blog

While law schools continue to provide rigorous academic and intellectual training, some are starting to supplement this with more practical instruction. Several law schools have started Visiting Assistant Professorship programs in which practicing attorneys join as full-time faculty. By giving these attorneys a chance to concentrate on their scholarship and teaching, law schools hope to mentor promising newcomers with private sector, government and nonprofit experience and introduce them to academia.

Students also stand to benefit from VAP programs. Akiba Coviz, director of academic affairs at Harvard Law School explains, “Anytime someone has practiced out in the world it brings an additional level of value to the students.” These visiting professors are able to offer real-world insights and instruction in practical skills that can be lacking in a traditional legal education. For more on this story, click here.

In a reversal of past department policies, Attorney General Michael Mukasey allowed the Department of Justice Pride group, which represents gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered employees, to use the Great Hall for its annual awards ceremony.

During the tenure of Attorneys General Ashcroft and Gonzales, DOJ Pride had been forbidden from using the Hall or any government computers for its activities. Along with recognizing the contributions of the GLBT community to the DOJ, Mukasey was given a standing ovation by the audience. The keynote speaker, Robert Spagnoletti, closed event by urging the audience to embrace who they are, affirming, “We can demonstrate pride in ourselves everyday.” To read more, click here.

With the provisional accreditation of two new North Carolina institutions last week, the United States became the first country in the world to host 200 law schools. Quantity, however, does not necessarily produce quality, explained a recent AP article. The proliferation of law schools has resulted in a surplus of lawyers, many of whom are having an increasingly difficult time finding work. This has led to the rise of “contract attorneys” – essentially lawyers working temp jobs at modest hourly rates. In addition to poor working conditions and the lack of job security, this temp work usually consists of monotonous tasks outsourced by law firms.

Lured by the promise of high earning potential and guarantees of employment, many students enroll in law school without doing adequate research. Universities, for their part, have also been somewhat disingenuous in their efforts to establish law schools and attract students. Because law schools feature big class sizes and small financial aid packages, they are a cost-effective and even lucrative option for many schools. Law school rankings have also had a damaging effect on the legal education system, as schools often exaggerate, underreport, or otherwise skew statistics to make their graduates seem more financially successful. To read more on this topic, click here.

In an arena long dominated by conservative judges and thinkers, liberals have started to make the case for a more progressive interpretation of the Constitution. On June 3, the DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) became the first major think tank and public interest law firm dedicated to advancing a liberal agenda on strict Constitutional grounds. At the heart of this new venture is the belief that the Constitution’s text and history are “on the progressive side.” Douglas Kendall, the firm’s founder, hopes to be able to establish a systematic and sound legal support for progressive ideas. Among the first issues the CAC will tackle is the essentially federalist argument that states should have greater autonomy to experiment with new environmental protections.

For nearly three decades, conservatives have positioned themselves as the defenders of the Constitution, rooting their arguments in the principles of “originalism” or “textualism.” Lisa Brown, executive director of the left-leaning American Constitution Society, has lauded the CAC as a much-needed liberal voice in a largely conservative chorus. Speaking on the Constitutional discourse in America, she asserted, “It’s absolutely time to reclaim this debate.” Conservatives, for their part, have also welcomed the new organization as a constructive way to increase serious debate about constitutional interpretation. To read the full article, click here.

Writing candidly about her career, a lawyer describes the joys and struggles of choosing to work in the public interest. As an attorney helping low income children with disabilities gain greater educational access, Aisha has forgone the big salaries and glamorous lifestyles of her “corporate big wig counterparts.” She is admittedly influenced by the materialistic impulses of society, and the wide income disparity between private and public interest lawyers has at times complicated her feelings towards her professional decision.

Despite these doubts, Aisha ultimately finds that the intangible satisfaction of public interest work overrides its humble material benefits. She writes, “I won’t lie. I am proud of what I do… I do it because I feel blessed and I feel that to whom much is given much is expected. I believe we can live in a just society and I want to be on the front lines of making this happen. I believe I am fulfilling my faith and I know I am making a difference.” To read the full story, click here.