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Ira P. Robbins

Legal Education

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Full-Text Articles in Law

‘Best Practices’: What’S The Point?, Ira P. Robbins Oct 2010

‘Best Practices’: What’S The Point?, Ira P. Robbins

Ira P. Robbins

In a separate article - Best Practices on “Best Practices”: Legal Education and Beyond - Professor Robbins formulated a paradigm for “best practices” and applied it to the book, Best Practices for Legal Education. Professor Robbins concluded that the book did not meet any of the criteria necessary to constitute best practices and, further, that using the concept of best practices when thinking and writing about legal education is misleading and inappropriate. The primary author of the book, Roy Stuckey, responded, claiming that “best” can mean something other than best, that the difference really doesn’t matter, and that the debate …

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Best Practices On ‘Best Practices’: Legal Education And Beyond, Ira P. Robbins Oct 2010

Best Practices On ‘Best Practices’: Legal Education And Beyond, Ira P. Robbins

Ira P. Robbins

“Best practices” has become one of the most common research and development techniques in the United States and throughout the international community. Originally employed in industry, the concept sought to identify superior means to achieve a goal through “benchmarking,” thereby allowing companies to obtain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. In recent decades, the use of best practices has become widely popularized, and is frequently utilized in the areas of administrative regulation, corporate governance, and academia. As the term has grown in popularity, however, so too has room for its abuse. In many instances, the term has been invoked to …

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‘Best Practices’: What’S The Point?, Ira P. Robbins Oct 2010

‘Best Practices’: What’S The Point?, Ira P. Robbins

Ira P. Robbins

In a separate article - Best Practices on “Best Practices”: Legal Education and Beyond - Professor Robbins formulated a paradigm for “best practices” and applied it to the book, Best Practices for Legal Education. Professor Robbins concluded that the book did not meet any of the criteria necessary to constitute best practices and, further, that using the concept of best practices when thinking and writing about legal education is misleading and inappropriate. The primary author of the book, Roy Stuckey, responded, claiming that “best” can mean something other than best, that the difference really doesn’t matter, and that the debate …

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The Importance Of The Secret Ballot In Law Faculty Personnel Decisions: Promoting Candor And Collegiality In The Academy, Ira P. Robbins Dec 2006

The Importance Of The Secret Ballot In Law Faculty Personnel Decisions: Promoting Candor And Collegiality In The Academy, Ira P. Robbins

Ira P. Robbins

This article began as an exercise in self-education. At a recent faculty meeting, my colleagues were preparing to vote on a slate of candidates. Because discussion had become heated, a tenured faculty member moved for a
secret ballot on the appointments committee's recommendation. The main argument in favor of the secret ballot was that, for the protection of untenured professors (who have equal votes with tenured professors on questions
of hiring new faculty), neither their senior colleagues nor the Dean should be permitted to know how they voted. The ensuing discussion on whether to hold a secret ballot was no …

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Exploring The Concept Of Post-Tenure Review In Law Schools, Ira P. Robbins Dec 1997

Exploring The Concept Of Post-Tenure Review In Law Schools, Ira P. Robbins

Ira P. Robbins

Introduction: Faculty in American law schools and universities often view the award of tenure as an inviolate guarantee of job security.' From this perspective, any attempt to monitor the level and quality of a tenured professor's work infringes on academic freedom. Recently, however, academics have argued that shielding the performance of tenured faculty from serious review potentially may be a disservice to the academic institution. Critics complain that schools sacrifice professional accountability when deficient performance goes undetected and uncorrected.

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