The University of Chicago Law School (also known as UChicago Law, or Chicago Law) is today’s Law School Spotlight. From LSAC’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools:

Chicago graduates lead and innovate in government, public interest, academia, and business, as well as law. For this reason, Chicago aims not to certify lawyers, but to train well-rounded, critical, and socially conscious thinkers and doers. Three cornerstones provide the foundation for Chicago’s educational mission: the marketplace of ideas, participatory learning, and interdisciplinary inquiry.

Our students’ chief passions are ideas. They have shown this passion through their academic success, and they exhibit signs of great professional promise. Over 5,500 applicants seek approximately 190 seats in each incoming class. Chicago students come from more than 100 undergraduate institutions with degrees in nearly every discipline, and one in ten have graduate degrees. Many of our students have also had interesting and successful careers before law school.

Type of school: Private

Setting: Urban

Size: 600 (approx.)

Incoming class size: 205 (2010)

Student-to-faculty ratio: 9.1 to 1

Acceptance percentage: 15.2% (849 of 5,579 admitted)

Tuition and fees: $46,185

Cost of living (single student): $21,060

Address: Admissions Office, 1111 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773.702.9494
Email: admissions@law.uchicago.edu
Website: www.law.uchicago.edu
Twitter accounts: @UChicagoLaw, @UChicagoLawOCS, @UChicagoLawApps (more of the law school’s Twitter accounts listed here)
Facebook: The University of Chicago Law School
Blog: The school has numerous blogs, all of which can be accessed here.

All information (except for social networking and blog information) was gathered from the school’s profile on the Law School Admission Council’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools and the school’s website. For more information, and to see the school’s profile, click here. Please consult the school’s website and Office of Admissions with questions regarding this information.

To see other schools in the PowerScore Law School Spotlight series, click here.

To listen to a Featured Law Schools podcast on UChicago Law, featuring the Dean of the law school, Michael Schill, as well as commentary by current UChicago Law students, please check out the original post on the PowerScore LSAT and Law School Admissions Blog.

The University of Virginia School of Law (also known as UVA Law) is today’s Law School Spotlight. From LSAC’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools:

Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, just two hours southwest of Washington, DC, the Law School offers students a unique environment in which to study law.

The Law School is dedicated to upholding Thomas Jefferson’s conviction that lawyers must serve the public interest. The school provides special career counseling and placement assistance, operates pro bono programs, and administers a loan forgiveness program.

At Virginia, law students share their experiences in a cooperative spirit, both in and out of the classroom, and build a network that lasts well beyond their three years here. Faculty build intellectual and personal relationships with students. They are leaders in the academic life of the community, organizing and speaking at lectures and other events, working with student organizations, volunteering for pro bono service, and building new curricular programs.

Type of school: Public

Setting: Urban

Size: 1,120 (approx.)

Incoming class size: 368 (2010)

Student-to-faculty ratio: 11.9 to 1

Acceptance percentage: 10.8% (923 of 8,560 admitted)

Tuition and fees: $42,500 (in-state), $47,500 (out-of-state)

Cost of living (single student): $19,200

Address: Office of Admissions, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-1738
Phone: 434.924.7351
Email: lawadmit@virginia.edu
Website: www.law.virginia.edu
Twitter accounts: @UVALaw, @UVALawCareer
Facebook: University of Virginia School of Law
Blog: University of Virginia News Blog – Law School

All information (except for social networking and blog information) was gathered from the school’s profile on the Law School Admission Council’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. For more information, and to see the school’s profile, click here. Please consult the school’s website and Office of Admissions with questions regarding this information.

To see other schools in the Law School Spotlight series, click here.

To listen to a Featured Law Schools podcast on UVA Law, featuring the Senior Assistant Dean of Admission for UVA Law Jason Trujillo as well as commentary by current UVA Law students, please check out the original post on the PowerScore LSAT and Law School Admissions Blog.

Yale Law School (also known as YLS) is today’s Law School Spotlight. From LSAC’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools:

Yale Law School is an extraordinary community in which to study law. Standing at the intersection of the worlds of thought and action, Yale seeks not only to promote an intellectual understanding of the law, but also to sustain the moral commitments that justice requires.

Extensive student-faculty interactions and institutional flexibility are hallmarks of the Yale Law School experience. Students enjoy countless opportunities for research and writing with professors. Our unmatched faculty-to-student ratio allows us to offer a wide range of courses and small classes, with an average class size of fewer than 20 students.

The school is also part of one of the world’s great research universities. Yale University is home to an abundance of intellectual, cultural, social, and athletic activities, all of which are accessible to Yale law students.

Type of school: Private

Setting: Urban

Size: 600 (approx.)

Incoming class size: 205 (2010)

Student-to-faculty ratio: 7.7 to 1

Acceptance percentage: 6.7% (255 of 3,797 admitted)

Tuition and fees: $50,750

Cost of living (single student): $19,700

Address: P.O. Box 208215, New Haven, CT 06520-8215
Phone: 203.432.4995
Email: admissions.law@yale.edu
Website: www.law.yale.edu
Twitter accounts: @ylsadmissions, @YaleLawSch, @yalelawlibrary
Facebook: Yale Law School, Yale Law School Admissions
Blog: (203) Admissions Blog

All information (except for social networking and blog information) was gathered from the school’s profile on the Law School Admission Council’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. For more information, and to see the school’s profile, click here. Please consult the school’s website and Office of Admissions with questions regarding this information.

To see other schools in the Law School Spotlight series, click here.

The following schools have deadlines in June:

• Ave Maria School of Law – 6/1
• Faulkner University (Jones) – 6/15
• Liberty University – 6/1
• Regent University – 6/1
• Valparaiso University – 6/1
• Western State University – 6/1

Make sure to confirm these deadlines on each school’s website. Double-check to make sure you’ve got the right dates on hand.

With tuition at an all-time high, more and more lawyers worry about finding work that will enable them to repay their loans. The American Bar Association reports that from 2007 to 2008, average tuition rose 6 percent at private law schools, to $34,298, and 9 percent at in-state public schools, to $16,836. Add in living expenses and pricey books, and at least 80 percent of students now rely on student loans to fund their law education. [...] …the gap between reality and expectations may now be greater than ever: Jobs are no longer a sure thing, and loans are harder to pay back. Although the job market is improving, experts caution that law school hopefuls need to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of a law degree and, whether aiming for big law or Legal Aid, estimate their personal return on investment.

The ABA Journal also chips in with some grim news:

According to a separate “Tips and Stats” article, first-year associates at large law firms can expect to make $106,500 to $131,250, down 5.1 percent from last year. At midsize firms, associates can make between $71,500 and $100,750, and at small firms they make make $49,750 to $73,000.

To make matters even tougher, tuition at all law schools has been on a steady rise and, for some schools, is now scarily close to (or even surpasses) the $50,000 a year mark. With the majority of students relying on student loans to get them through law school, many are graduating with upwards of $150,000 in debt–and with scant job prospects to help them out. In many cases, says U.S. News, it’s important for the applicant to do a thorough evaluation of both their chances and their prospects after law school:

Students themselves are critical in establishing manageable debt levels. Many do not research the real economic costs and benefits of a law degree, says Prof. Herwig Schlunk of Vanderbilt University. “It’s kind of blindly accepted that education in general, and legal education in particular, is always worth the money,” says Schlunk. “[But] there’s a lot of kids who do go to law school who really have no business, at least not as an investment matter, in going.”

Being realistic about your career path is step No. 1. Success stories from the industry’s glory days tend to fuel law students’ assumptions that they will be able to get a high-paying job, says David Stern, CEO of Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit organization that promotes careers in public interest law. “In their mind’s eye, [law students are] thinking of hitting the lottery and getting one of these $160,000-a-year jobs, and it is a fiction,” he says. “By and large, it’s just like the lottery. You’re spending a huge amount of money in the hopes of hitting the jackpot, and there’s relatively small chances, and the chances have gotten a lot smaller.”

With news like these, it seems that the question “Is it a bad time to be in law school?” only has one three-letter answer. But all is not lost. Job prospects are improving, and the universe of (lesser paid, but still incredibly rewarding) public interest still needs legal warriors in its ranks. A BigLaw job may not be in your immediate future but, if you plan carefully before and during law school, manage your debt, and become informed both about the job prospects and the job possibilities available to you once you get your J.D., you’ll do a better job of surviving the tough legal job market.

TELL US: Do you think this is a bad time to be in law school? What should law students do to make themselves viable in this (and future) economies? Where are the jobs? Are you a current law student and, if so, how do you see your employment horizon and what are you doing to make yourself irresistible to employers?

A new dual degree program being launched at the University of Texas at Austin will award both a juris doctor degree and a master of science and information studies degree after a three-year program of study.

“The program results from the recognition that not only is digital information changing the practice of law, increasing reliance on digital information is changing our understanding of ownership, copyright, creativity and privacy,” the school says in a press release.

The first students will start classes this fall. They can earn the two degrees in three years by spending one summer studying, explains a university web page on the dual degree program.

This is a very interesting take on the dual-degree J.D. options, not only in the material covered, but also in the time it will take to complete. Traditionally, dual-degree J.D. programs (such as a J.D./MBA or a J.D./MA) take four years to complete; this degree can be completed in three years with only an additional summer’s study.

WHAT DO YOU THINK: Is this new J.D./MA combination destined to take off? Will more schools pick up this dual-degree option and/or the shortened dual-degree time frame?

Unfortunately, it hasn’t panned out that way.

For many students, bringing laptops into the classroom was a boon: It allowed them to take notes quickly and efficiently, and made searching for classroom materials easily done in real time. However, for many others, it has become a huge distraction — Georgetown Law Professor David Cole put it this way for The Washington Post: “[It] is like putting on every student’s desk, when you walk into class, five different magazines, several television shows, some shopping opportunities and a phone, and saying, ‘Look, if your mind wanders, feel free to pick any of these up and go with it.’” Cole is one of many professors in law schools and universities around the country that have banned laptop use in the classroom.

As students have become more and more “wired,” attention spans in the classroom have waned. Laptops, smartphones, and iPhones pose a variety of distractions to students — distractions many find hard to avoid, and can sometimes be detrimental to their overall performance. Students find themselves checking Facebook, updating Twitter, chatting on various programs, and surfing the web throughout class. Just this past week, another Georgetown Professor, Peter Tague, found himself the epicenter of a widespread rumor regarding the retirement of SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts; he unwittingly started this viral rumor after telling his students of the “retirement” at the start of his class, and then asking them not to tell anyone. Students, in turn (and completely disregarding their professor’s instructions), immediately started texting, Twittering, Facebooking, and spreading the news in as many electronic formats as they could (see the breakdown of this story at NPR and Above The Law.) While the rumor was quelled within a day and no harm came of it, it underscores a painfully poignant point: Even when told not to do so, students seemingly can’t keep themselves off the web and off their phones, even at the expense of their education.

One Oklahoma Professor, Keiran Mullen, finally had enough, and decided to prove his disdain for laptops in his class in a way very fitting to his science background: By dousing a laptop in liquid nitrogen and then smashing it on the classroom floor — all while his astonished students watched (and likely put their laptops discreetly away).

Is this anti-technology trend something that will permeate all educational establishments? It’s hard to tell. One thing’s for sure, though: As more and more law schools climb onto the no-laptop wagon, it’s in all prospective law students’ best interest to start relying less on their apps, and more on their penmanship.

* * *

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
What do you think? Should law school professors and law schools be allowed to enforce no-laptop rules in the classroom? Will it improve students’ attention spans and grades? Is a no-laptop rule a boon or a bust?

We recently had occasion to chat with a second-year student at a large second-tier midwestern law school. When we asked what she was planning to do this summer, there was silence on the phone. She had no idea.

Now, it wasn’t like this 2L was waiting to hear from a flood of employers. No, all those folks had already dinged her. Nor was she readying to send out a new batch of resumes. What was the point? She was just standing still, it seemed, and had literally no idea what she was going to be doing this summer. She dreaded having to move back in with her parents for the season. After the call, we were of half a mind to send the poor girl a check for $100. We’re sorry this has befallen you, we would say in our condolence note. We feel for you. Buy yourself some new running shoes. Or splurge on some sushi.

Ah, it’s grim. The recession is officially over, the stock markets have largely rebounded on news of strong earnings, and law firms are slowly regaining their footing. But the jobs just haven’t returned yet.

If statistics are your thing (and not just isolated anecdotes of woe), we’ve got some this morning, courtesy of the NLJ. The paper reports a reality as grim as the tales. The median number of offers by U.S. law firms for 2010 summer associate positions was seven, according to statistics released Tuesday by NALP. The number, reports the NLJ, was down from 10 offers in 2008 and 15 offers in 2007.

The offer rate was the lowest NALP has reported since the organization began gathering offer statistics some 17 years ago. The falloff was even more dramatic for firms with 700 or more attorneys. Their median offer rate was 30 in 2007 but only eight in 2009.

We’d be inclined to think, however, that the storm may be passing. If it is, however, it’s passing slowly, perhaps reflective of the job situation in the economy at large.

NALP Executive Director Jim Leipold told the NLJ: I don’t think anyone expects recruiting volumes to pick up significantly during 2010, though the worst does seem, we hope, to be behind us.”

1. Summer school. Yes, it’s summer, and you’re supposed to be having fun, or at least be out of the classroom. But what happens when there isn’t anything for you to do outside the classroom? Then stay in it! There are many advantages to summer school: You’ll get classes out of the way (which will then result in you having lighter schedules during 2L, and maybe even 3L). You won’t have to worry about subletting your apartment (and you won’t have to worry about getting a temporary place in a potentially more expensive new city). You’ll also get the undivided attention of your professors; summer classes are much smaller, and you’ll be able to connect and bond with them (which will come in handy come rec-letter time later).
2. Summer programs abroad. So many law schools offer either study or work (or, sometimes, work/study) programs all over the world; why not take advantage ot them? Just in the last two weeks, I’ve heard of students going to England, Greece, China, Australia, and France to study and work at international law firms. Of course, competition of these can be high, and there may be a lot of nooks and crannies you have to take care of, but that’s where your school’s Career Services Office can come in very handy. Reach out to them, and ask them for help. Get your applications for these programs in early, and you may end up on exciting international shores for the summer–which certainly beats a cubicle summer even in the most exciting U.S. city.
3. Research. Use your professors for more than just office hours. Ask them if they have research or writing projects they are working on over the summer, and ask them if they need help. These opportunities won’t often be advertised, and profs will jump at the chance of having help. Yes, these opportunities are mostly unpaid. However, the experience and résumé-building cred you will earn can often be priceless. Be proactive! Reach out to your favorite professors and ask. You may end up doing incredibly interesting work for one of your favorite people–it’s a win-win!
4. Unpaid internships and volunteer work. Yes, it’s unpaid. Yes, the hours are long. Yes, it’s not everyone’s first choice. However, what you can get here is experience (invaluable) and a demonstrated commitment to the profession (also invaluable). Yes, you may have to take out additional loans, work an food-and-beverage job to make the bills over the summer, or live with your parents to make it work. However, you will also be doing very rewarding work for those that need it most; at the risk of sounding cliché, that can be payment in itself.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no “limit” on registration for these forums, but this is a policy that can always change, so it’s best to enroll early and get your spot. Best of all, registration is FREE, which is a huge boon in my book. And when you register, you not only get access to the school reps, but also to all of the discussions and workshops held that day by LSAC representatives.

If you want to learn more about the Forums and see a few neat resources LSAC has available for forum-goers, click here. If you want to register for any of the forums, just look to the right of page, find the forum you’re insterested in, and click the “Register” button. It’s very comprehensive and easy.

I’ll be at the Houston forum. Hopefully I’ll see some of you there!