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The Downside Of Requiring Additional Experiential Courses In Law School, Douglas A. Kahn

Articles

In recent years, the bar has expressed dissatisfaction with what is considered by some to be inadequate preparation of law students to begin practicing law immediately after graduation. There are several reasons why this has become a matter of concern for the legal profession. The profession itself has undergone significant changes. Although there are a few exceptions, most law firms no longer wish to spend time training their young associates or allowing them much time to develop the skills they need. First, clients are unwilling to pay for the time a young lawyer spends in acquiring needed skills. Second, the …

Capital Defense Lawyers: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, Sean D. O'Brien

Michigan Law Review

Professor Welsh S. White's book Litigating in the Shadow of Death: Defense Attorneys in Capital Cases collects the compelling stories of "a new band of dedicated lawyers" that has "vigorously represented capital defendants, seeking to prevent their executions" (p.3). Sadly, Professor White passed away on New Year's Eve, 2005, days before the release of his final work. To the well-deserved accolades of Professor White that were recently published in the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, I can only add a poignant comment in a student blog that captures his excellence as a scholar and educator: "I wanted to …

Michigan's First Woman Lawyer: Sarah Killgore Wertman, Margaret A. Leary

Articles

Sarah Killgore Wertman was the first woman in the country to both graduate from law school and be admitted to the bar. Thus, she was Michigan's first woman lawyer in two senses: She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Michigan Law School, and the first woman admitted to the Michigan bar. Others preceded her in entering law school, graduating from law school, or being admitted to the bar, but she was the first to accomplish all three. Her story illustrates much about the early days of women in legal education and the practice of law, a …

Tribute To John Pickering, Elaine R. Jones

Michigan Law Review

This talented, persuasive, committed lawyer-leader, John Pickering, had several abiding personal and professional interests, two of which enhanced my life directly, and most of which enhanced my life indirectly. The first was the great personal interest he took in lawyers younger than himself, and the second was his passion about civil rights and combating the effects of racial discrimination.

Aba Accreditation Of Law Schools: An Antitrust Analysis, Andy Portinga

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The accreditation activities of the American Bar Association are under attack. From within legal academia, professors and deans complain that the ABA accreditation process is overly formalistic and intrusive. In addition, the Massachusetts School of Law has sued the ABA, alleging that the ABA's accreditation standards violate the Sherman Act. From outside legal academia, the Department of Justice has investigated the ABA's accreditation activities and initiated an antitrust suit against the ABA. The Department of Justice and the ABA immediately settled this suit, and, as a result of this settlement, the ABA has agreed not to enforce certain standards and …

Two Views Of The Question: Are Law Schools Doing Their Job?, Terrance Sandalow, Robert B. Mckay

Other Publications

You have all heard the criticisms of lawyers, which I need not rehearse to this audience. Critics range from Aristotle, Jesus, Shakespeare, and Samuel Johnson to Jimmy Carter and Derek Bok; the cast of characters goes on and on. The criticism I like best, although in a way it is the most cutting of all, is what Samuel Johnson is alleged to have said about two centuries ago: "I do not like to speak ill of any man behind his back but I do believe he is a lawyer." It is always easy to bring people together, nonlawyers at least, …

Aba Approval Of Law Schools: Standards, Procedures, And The Future Of Legal Education, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Graduation from an accredited law school is a requirement for admission to the bar in most states. Although rule-making power with regard to bar admission lies in the state supreme courts, the courts give great deference to the American Bar Association (ABA) as an accreditor of law schools. Admission requirements frequently prescribe unconditionally that an applicant must be a graduate of a law school that has been approved by the ABA. Other states require either graduation from an ABA-approved law school or some specified alternative. The few remaining states require unconditionally or as an alternative that an applicant for the …

Specialization, Certification, And Exclusion In The Law Profession, John W. Reed

Other Publications

This essay is the published text of an informal address delivered on April 19, 1974 in conjunction with the University of Oklahoma College of Law's Enrichment Program.

The Virtuous Prosecutor In Quest Of An Ethical Standard: Guidance From The Aba, H. Richard Uviller

Michigan Law Review

Among his other endeavors, the public prosecutor strives to maintain an upright stance in the stained halls of criminal justice. He correctly senses that the people demand more of him than diligent, workmanlike performance of his public chores. Virtue is the cherished ingredient in his role: the honorable exercise of the considerable discretionary power with which our legal system has endowed his office. Daily, the ethical fibre of the prosecutor is tested -and through him, in large measure, the rectitude of the system of justice.

Here, I shall discuss only three of the many ethical problems along the prosecutor's way: …

Advisory Committee On Fair Trial And Free Press: American Bar Association Project On Minimum Standards For Criminal Justice: Standards Relating To Fair Trial And Free Press (Tentative Draft), George Edwards, Robert M. Cipes

Michigan Law Review

A Review of American Bar Association Project on Minimum Standards for Criminal Justice: Standards Relating to Fair Trial and Free Press (Tentative Draft) Recommended by the Advisory Committee on Fair Trial and Free Press

Sunderland: History Of The American Bar Association And Its Work, Glenn R. Winters

Michigan Law Review

A Review of History of the American Bar Association and its Work . By Edson R. Sunderland.