Indiana law schools starting new year with strong incoming classes
Law schools in Indiana are welcoming students and preparing for a fall semester that will be as normal as masks and social distancing will allow.
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Federal judge upholds IU vaccination mandate
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana is allowing Indiana University’s requirement that students must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to additional requirements in order to return to classes in the fall, finding the 14th Amendment permits the school “to pursue a reasonable and due process of vaccination in the legitimate interest of public health.”
The summer associate experience: No comparison to in-person experience, summer associates say
Many summer associate programs were adjusted last year when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Although collaborating through online platforms and performing research and writing from home is doable, several 2021 summer associates can attest looking back that it pales in comparison to experiencing law firm life in person.
The summer associate experience: Law firms looking for future partners when they hire students
Summer associate programs are really extended job interviews. Law firms take a close look at the candidates to determine if they can do quality legal work and fit with the office’s culture, while the students are determining whether they enjoy practicing at that firm and would want to work there after graduation.
Students sue IU over COVID vaccine requirement
Eight students, including an incoming law student, have filed a lawsuit against Indiana University, claiming the school’s policy requiring students to be inoculated against COVID-19 is “irrational and unreasonable” because “the pandemic is virtually over, herd immunity has been achieved and there is extremely minimal risk of COVID to IU students.”
Perspectives on virtual J.D. courses vary between 1Ls, upper division students
First-year law students who did more online classes have a different perspective about virtual schooling during the pandemic than their more senior classmates, according to a study presented by AccessLex Institute and Gallup.
15 IU McKinney, Maurer students selected for third year of rural justice program
More than a dozen students from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and Indiana University Maurer School of Law will take part in a program for law students this summer to assist rural county judges.
Attorneys say their undergraduate pre-law experiences gave them a crucial boost
Pre-law organizations and programs at universities aim to inform and encourage undergraduate students about what it means to be a lawyer and strive to facilitate a community for those looking to pursue a legal career.
New lawyers express their gratitude during admission ceremony
Like the two previous admission ceremonies, the Tuesday induction for the new admittees to the Indiana bar was held virtually. But this time, along with introducing themselves to the state and federal judiciary, the freshly minted lawyers took a few minutes to thank those who helped them get to this day.
Indiana law school commencement season begins
The graduating law school classes of 2021 are participating this month in commencement ceremonies across the Hoosier state that began over the weekend with a virtual ceremony.
JLAP: Bar application changes promote mental health
When speaking to students at law schools, we repeatedly emphasize that they should never avoid counseling or treatment because they fear it would prevent their admission to the bar. To the contrary, the willingness to seek mental treatment demonstrates that an applicant has the maturity to do the right thing when confronting life’s daily challenges.
Parrish: Graduation, student excellence and trailblazing alumni
On Saturday, May 8, the Maurer School of Law will celebrate the Class of 2021 in its annual graduation ceremony. Looking back on a very unusual academic year, the positive and can-do attitude of our students, faculty and staff was impressive.
Notre Dame law dean embraces admission practice others call ‘unnecessary, callous’
In response to criticism about its 2021 admission process, which has been dubbed by one social media user as the “seat deposit scandal,” Notre Dame Law School Dean G. Marcus Cole is calling the approach a success and praising the process as yielding an incoming class that is strongly committed to the institution.
Indiana law schools are up, down, unchanged in national rankings
The U.S. News & World Report 2022 law school rankings were released today and the performance of Indiana’s three laws schools can be summarized as follows: one rose in the rankings, one declined, and one stayed just where it was.
Even virtually, law school clinics teach value of personal connection
Talking and connecting is important in any legal setting, but for the clinics at law schools around Indiana, in-person interaction not only helps the students learn valuable skills, it also may provide low-income individuals the only means to get legal help.
ABA urges key reforms on student loan debt
In an effort to address the crushing weight posed by student loan debt, the American Bar Association House of Delegates adopted a resolution penned by a group of young lawyers during its midyear meeting last week. The resolution urges programs to assist law school graduates and law students experiencing financial hardship due to their student loan debt.
Work beginning to create ‘next generation’ bar exam
The bar exam Indiana administered at the end of February is headed for the pile of historic has-beens as the state prepares to switch to another version and the National Conference of Bar Examiners starts the process to overhaul the entire test.
Admission rules updated in preparation for the UBE
Starting with the July 2021 bar exam, Hoosier applicants who score just under the 264 needed to pass will have their tests automatically reviewed and will no longer have to submit a written request to have their answers reassessed.
IU McKinney and Purdue unveil new joint degree program
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law is partnering with Purdue University to create the first agricultural economics and law program in the nation, the Indianapolis law school has announced.
Indiana Supreme Court opens ICLEO applications
The Indiana Supreme Court has opened applications for the 2021 Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity program serving student groups that are traditionally underrepresented in law school.