Summary: What great law schools are located in cheap cities?

It’s been said time and time again. Law school is expensive, and there are no guaranteed jobs once you earn that J.D. With law schools leaving students in debt from $170,000 (Thomas Jefferson School of Law) to $55,000 (University of Hawaii-Manoa), it makes sense that potential students would want to live in an affordable city while paying expensive tuition.

This year, Law.com analyzed the highest ranking law schools in the cheapest cities. They identified affordable cities based on Forbes list of the Top 25 Most Affordable Cities, and that list took into account cost of food, housing, utilities, transportation, and more. To determine the best law schools, they used U.S. News & World Report’s ever so popular Best Law School list. According to the website, they first used these two lists along with factors such as tuition to determine the best law schools in the cheapest cities. As you will probably guess, this list is full of Midwestern and Southern gems.

Highest-Ranked Law Schools in the Cheapest Cities
1. University of Texas School of Law — Austin, TX
2. Washington University in St. Louis School of Law — St. Louis, MO
3. University of Tennessee College of Law — Knoxville, TN
4. University of Tulsa College of Law — Tulsa, OK
5. University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law — Louisville, KY
6. Wayne State University Law School — Detroit, MI
7. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law — Indianapolis, IN
8. University of Akron School of Law — Akron, OH
9. Oklahoma City University School of Law — Oklahoma City, OK

University of Texas School of Law in Austin ranked number 15 on U.S. News’ Best Law School lists, and Forbes ranked it number 19 as one of the Most Affordable Cities in the United States. According to a recent law school student debt ranking, students leave UT-Austin with about $100,000 in debt, but the average median private sector starting salary of graduates in 2014 was $160,000. Overall, it’s not a bad investment to become a longhorn. Plus, everyone knows liberal Austin, with its robust music scene and natural resources, is a fun place to live.

Washington University in St. Louis will set students back by $109,000 after three years, but Forbes named it the 7th Most Affordable City in the country. GraduatePrograms.com also said Washington University was the place to be if you were a student seeking a social life. While the website didn’t say what type of social life, meaning it could be a Playboy-party school or a hub for nerds to hang out peacefully, either way students reported a high rate of personal satisfaction.

The University of Tennessee was third on the list. Forbes said Knoxville was the second Most Affordable City, and U.S. News ranked the school number 86. According to U.S. News’ Short List, Tennessee alums have the lowest amount of debt amongst 183 law schools polled with an average of $$66,939. The city has less than 200,000 residents, which is big enough where you’ll always find something to do, but it’s not so crowded where you’re stuck in traffic or too overwhelmed.

The state of Oklahoma saw two of their schools on the list: University of Tulsa College of Law and Oklahoma City University School of Law. Tulsa and Oklahoma City are both known for their Midwestern friendliness, and even though Oklahoma City University was named one of the law schools with the most competitive students, the city itself will not stress you out.

Other Midwestern cities that made the list include Detroit, MI; Indianapolis, IN; and Akron, OH. Wayne State University in Detroit is ranked 97 on U.S. News’ Best Law Schools list, Indiana University is ranked 100, and University of Akron is ranked 136.

University of Louisville in Kentucky will leave students with an average of $86,880 in debt, but Forbes said it was the 13th Most Affordable City to live in. Louisville is the largest city in the state, and its famous for its sports scene, which includes baseball and horse racing.

• Related: Law Schools Where You’re Most Likely To Pay off Student Debt
• Related: Business Insider’s List of the Best Law Schools 
• Related: Law School Debt Ranking
• Related: How Can You Get Your Student Loans Forgiven 

What do you think of the cities on this list? Let us know in the comments below. 

The post Highest Ranked Law Schools in the Cheapest Cities first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: On Monday, The National Law Journal published its rankings of the law schools with the most first year BigLaw associate hirings.

This week, The National Law Journal released its 2016 list of law schools that send the most graduates to the 100 largest firms, and Columbia led the pack. With 220 of its 2015 graduates becoming first year BigLaw associates, this is the third straight year the New York Ivy Leaguer won the title.

University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago took the second and third slot, respectively, based on percentages. Columbia Law School saw 52.6% of its graduates head to big firms while U Penn had 52.23% and U of Chicago had 52.04%.

The National Law Journal’s list is based on percentages and not sheer number of associates per school. The National Law Journal writes:

“Overall, large-firm hiring held steady in 2015 with 23 percent of graduates from our top 50 Go-To law schools taking new associate jobs at the biggest 100 firms — the same percentage as last year. Those 100 firms hired a total of 3,412 law school graduates from the class of 2015. At the same time, the 50 law schools most popular with large firms sent slightly fewer graduates into the job market than in 2014, although that 1.8 percent decline compared with 2014 was smaller than the 4 percent drop the previous year.”

The 2015 list does not include graduates who went on to complete judicial clerkships. This could explain Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and Harvard Law School’s lower rankings on the list.

Mark Weber, assistant dean of career services at Harvard Law, said that the school produces a large amount of judicial clerks who later move into big law firms. He maintains that law firm recruiting is up at Harvard Law.

In previous years, The National Law Journal analyzed associates going into the top 250 firms but this year decided to narrow its focus to the top 100.

Overall, while this year’s percentage of graduates going into large firms was “flat,” career advisers at the schools are optimistic about the future.

“If you compare [on-campus interviews] from 2010 to 2015, the level of optimism across all parties was definitely higher last year,” David Diamond, assistant dean of the Northwestern’s Center for Career Strategy and Advancement said. “When you look back to where we were just five years ago, it’s a very different landscape.”

Source: The National Law Journal

The National Law Journal’s Top 20 Go-To Law School List 

1. Columbia Law School
2. University of Pennsylvania Law School
3. University of Chicago Law School
4. Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
5. Duke Law School
6. New York University School of Law
7. Cornell Law School
8. University of Virginia School of Law
9. Stanford Law School
10. University of California, Berkeley School of Law
11. Harvard Law School
12. University of Michigan Law School
13. Georgetown University Law Center
14. University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
15. University of Southern California Gould School of Law
16. Boston University School of Law
17. Yale Law School
18. University of Texas School of Law
19. Vanderbilt University Law School
20. Boston College Law School

For the complete list of Top 50 schools, check out The National LawJournal.

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Summary: The UT System could see the development of a distance learning program in the near future due to Rep. Terry Canales. 

New legislation filed by Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) on January 20 could allow first-year students at the University of Texas School of Law to take required courses in the Rio Grande Valley, according to Your Valley Voice.

The legislation, House Bill 791, would help students from the Valley focus on the important first year of law school.

Canales, who is an attorney, said, “Building a new law school in the Valley could cost $80 million or more, according to initial state estimates, and that would be a wise investment by Texas which I strongly support for many reasons. But setting up a distance-learning law school for our first-year UT law students here in the Valley is an excellent, much-less costly option, and would serve as a strong starting point for the eventual establishment of a full-fledged public law school in deep South Texas.”

He noted that the UT System already offers online education programs through the UT Online Consortium.

To read more stories about the University of Texas School of Law, click here.

Canales said that when the UT Regional Academic Health Centers were established in Edinburg, Harlingen and Brownsville, they helped make the creation of UT-Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine possible. The School of Medicine will open in the fall of 2015.

“Two outstanding legislative proposals calling for a comprehensive law school in the Valley have already been filed by Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez (D-Weslaco) and Rep. Eddie Lucio, III (D-Brownsville), and I plan to work very hard with them to help pass those measures,” Canales said. “I just want to have another, equally legitimate proposal on the table to help get us a first-class law school, in one form or another, as soon as possible.”

Martinez’s measure is House Bill 44 and Lucio’s measure is House Bill 59. Their measures are very similar and do not allow state funds to be used when building the Rio Grande Valley School of Law until after August 31, 2021. Their bills do allow for public university systems to create the law school.

The measure from Canales requires the Board of Regents at the UT System to create the UT School of law distance learning program no later than the fall of 2016.

To read more law school news stories, click here.

“Last session, we achieved an incredible victory by creating the new University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and the UT-RGV School of Medicine,” Canales said. “This session, we can continue providing new educational opportunities for our region by establishing another landmark partnership with the University of Texas School of Law, which will lead to even bigger and better  accomplishments.”

Will this program be approved? Use our poll to share your thoughts.

Image credit: Terry Canales

Source: Your Valley Voice

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Summary: The law firm of Quinn Emanuel has announced that it has elected 11 new partners to its partnership. 

The law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP announced via a press release that it has elected 11 new partners. The newly elected partners will begin their time within the partnership beginning on January 1, 2015.

Managing Partner John Quinn said: “It is always a great pleasure to be able to promote our associates to the partnership, and we are very lucky this year to be able to promote these outstanding young lawyers.  We have no doubt that they will help us win great results for our clients and grow  our practice.”

The new partners at the firm are Sean P. Baldwin, Andrew J. Bramhall, Andrew S. Chalson, Michelle Ann Clark, Dr. Jan Ebersohl, Andrew R. Dunlap, Joseph C. Sarles, Meredith M. Shaw, Elinor C. Sutton, Matthew Traupman and Tyler Whitmer.

To read more about Quinn Emanuel, click here.

Baldwin works in the firm’s New York office in the complex civil litigation and arbitration practice. He holds an L.L.B. from the University of Canterbury and a B.C.L. from Oxford University, Lincoln College.

Bramhall works in the firm’s Silicon Valley office in the intellectual property department. He holds a law degree from New York University School of Law.

Chalson is from the firm’s office in New York and works in the intellectual property practice. Chalson earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Clark is from the San Francisco office of the firm. She works in the firm’s litigation department with a focus on technology. She has argued cases in front of the I.T.C. Clark earned her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. She has also clerked for the Honorable Percy Anderson of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

To read more law school news stories, click here.

Ebersohl works in the Munich and Mannheim offices of the firm and has represented clients in nullity and patent infringement cases.

Dunlap resides in the New York office and handles commercial litigation cases involving ERISA, RICO, securities, antitrust and mass tort issues. Dunlap earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Sarles works in the firm’s Los Angeles office handling cases involving antitrust, intellectual property, unfair competition and professional liability. Sarles earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

Shaw is from the San Francisco office and is a trial lawyer who handles commercial litigation cases. She earned her law degree from Columbia Law School.

Sutton is also in the New York office. She handles cases involving financial disputes, class actions, contract disputes and property issues. She earned her law degree from Yale Law School.

Traupman works in the New York office and holds a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Whitmer is a member of the New York office. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas.

How much do these new partners strengthen Quinn Emanuel? Use our poll to share your thoughts.

Image credit: Quinn Emanuel

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Summary: A couple known for its philanthropic contributions to the community has donated $1 million to the University of Texas School of Law.

A generous gift of $1 million was given to the University of Texas School of Law to support the pro bono legal assistance program, the Austin Business Journal reports. Richard and Ginni Mithoff donated the funds to the law school. The Mithoffs also previously gave the program a separate $1 million gift when it was created five years ago.

Mithoff is an alumnus of the law school who graduated in 1971. Ward Farnsworth, the dean of the law school, was understandably very grateful for such a generous donation: “Richard Mithoff is one of the greatest lawyers in America, and he and his wife, Ginni, are two of the state’s most dedicated philanthropists. We are deeply fortunate to have their support of our Pro Bono Program; the endowment they are creating to support its work will make an important difference in the lives of thousands of people for many years to come.”

The pro bono program will receive a new name as a result of the impressive donation: the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program.

The program provides free legal services to both individuals and communities who need them most. Both students and faculty assist with the program, which provides students real life experience in the courses they are taking. With the donation, the program will be able to expand to serve more of the Austin community and allow more students to participate.

Photo credit: papercitymag.blacktie-houston.com

The post One Million Dollars Donated to University of Texas Law School first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Guest post by: Nabeal Twereet, writer for LawCrossing

Suzanne Dupree Howe is the Managing Director of BCG Attorney Search’s Texas office. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, she joined a large firm in Austin, where she concentrated on litigation for five years. During Ms. Howe’s tenure in litigation, she realized that interacting with fellow attorneys was her favorite part of practicing law. She was attracted to legal recruiting due to her interpersonal skills, as it was a profession that permitted her to regularly interact on a personal level with attorneys.

Ms. Howe earned her Sociology degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where she participated in the Liberal Arts Honors Program. While studying at Austin, she also completed a concentration in Psychology. Ms. Howe uses her background to help coach and inform attorneys during their job search.

She was attracted to BCG Attorney Search because of their ethical candidate-focused model, where recruiters give worthwhile and personal attention to every candidate. Ms. Howe is personally interested in helping every candidate she takes on, whether they are an experienced partner or a second-year attorney. She views herself as an advocate and friend of her candidates, assisting them in finding their perfect law firm job. Ms. Howe gets this done by using her knowledge of the local market, targeted resume critiques, as well as assisting candidates with interview coaching, partner business plans, and offer negotiation.

While she is based in BCG’s Houston office, Ms. Howe works the entire state of Texas, which includes Austin and Dallas. She also places candidates in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, where she is from. Ms. Howe also works with international candidates, even working with firms in locations as far as the Middle East and Russia.

She contributes to the online blog, Counsel to Counsel, which is an affiliate of the Law.com Network.

In her spare time, she enjoys American and English history, European travel, pop culture, and handicapping the Oscars. Ms. Howe plans to retire someday in Hawaii.

She discussed the state of the legal market in Texas with me, and I found out that the legal market in Texas is doing good, although there are still some areas that are slower than others. My interview with Ms. Howe is below.

State of the Market

How long have you been a legal recruiter?

I began recruiting in 2005 and came to BCG as Managing Director in 2006. So, nine years!

What legal areas do you specialize in?

I handle all practice areas.

You have placed attorneys throughout the state of Texas. How has the state of market been in Texas in the past year?

The Texas market has been quite robust for a number of practice areas. Corporate and Transactional Energy practices have had very consistent needs. I’ve also had a lot of needs for venture capital and private equity candidates.

In 2013, the majority of Texas’ needs were in M&A. Is M&A still in demand today?

This is true. While I stated that corporate needs have been consistent in Texas, M&A is definitely the most in demand component of the corporate sector. I think M&A is hot in Texas because our economy has remained strong throughout the recession and the state has done a lot to attract new corporations in terms of tax breaks. In short, people just like doing business in Texas.

What do you think the state of market will be like in Texas in 2014?

I think it will be very similar to today’s market, but I hope that we see more litigation needs. That practice area has been slow for years.

Can you predict the trend of the market for the next three years?

I think the market will be very similar to the last two years, where corporate needs abound.

What practice areas are not doing well in Texas today?

Litigation, as I mentioned, has been slow for years. Tort reform really changed the landscape in Texas. I think we had a lot of litigators and when tort reform occurred, the market was suddenly flooded with litigators and not enough work. Even though this happened a few years back, the market has really never evened out in litigation.

What do you tell your candidates who are in an area that is not doing well in Texas today? 

I tell them to consider strengthening their resumes in other ways. For instance, litigators can get trial experience. Some candidates can get board-certified in their specialized area. Candidates nearing partnership can work on business development skills. Networking and business development are more important today than ever before. It’s much harder to make partner than 15 years ago. The goal is to make yourself a more attractive candidate than the other person. You have to ask yourself, ‘What can you do to stand out?’

What has surprised you the most about the state of market in Texas today?

I am probably most surprised that litigation has remained a weaker practice area the entire time I’ve recruited in this market – 8 years!

Why has Texas remained a great option for partners and associates?

Texas has such a robust economy and a low cost of living. And large firm salaries here are commensurate with New York/DC salaries at the more junior levels, which I still to this day find remarkable! Your dollar simply goes much further here. Plus, while obviously you are not going to succeed anywhere without working hard, large firm attorneys typically do not have the workload here in Texas that is found in New York and DC. And while our summers are hot, our winters are warm!

If you’re interested in seeing the available attorney positions BCG Attorney Search has in Texas, click here.

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John F. Sutton, former dean of University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and longtime professor, died old and full of years last Friday, at the ripe old age of 95. Cause of death regarded complications due to old age, said Sutton’s son, John E. Sutton, and he is survived by his wife of 72 years, Nancy, their son and daughter, four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and his legacy as a great lawyer, teacher, and dean.

Sutton was born on Jan. 26 1918, in Alpine, Texas and was proud to be a Texan. He graduated in 1941 from UT Law School where he met his wife and practiced law alongside his wife and his father, but not before he served as special agent for the FBI at the beginning of WWII and then US Army Reserves as 1^st Lt. in the Judge Advocate General’s corps during the Korean War, as the Statesman detailed.

He later went on to join the faculty of UT Law, and according to his son, who attended his father’s classes, “What set dad apart as a teacher was he … had some real world life experiences that he loved to share, he made things come alive. He gave the law relevance.”

He went on to become dean, though he didn’t want to be an administrator, and Bill Powers, University of Austin president, said he led with distinction. “He was a dear friend for more than three decades, a first-rate teacher and evidence scholar, and most important, a tremendous colleague in the law school community.” His work including helping the American Bar Association to draft its Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and serving on the State Bar of Texas Professional Ethics Committee for years.

His memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in San Angelo. Arrangements have been made with Johnson Funeral Home.

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According to a report released by the University of Texas System, Larry Sager’s process to obtain a $500,000 forgivable loan for himself created “an impression of self-dealing that cannot be condoned” and should be suspended permanently. The report was written by Barry Burgdorf, the University of Texas System Vice Chancellor and General Counsel, according to the Texas Tribune. The report also examines the University of Texas Law School Foundation, which used forgivable loans to supplement salaries of professors.

When the loan was discovered, UT-Austin President Bill Powers asked Sager to resign from his post back in December 2011. The loans were suspended by the foundation when it learned of Sager’s resignation from the school. Glenn Smith, the spokesman for Sager, said, “It was done in accordance with the law and with the foundation’s historical practices.”

The foundation started issuing forgivable loans to faculty members, at the discretion of hre dean, back in 2003. In 2003, Powers was the dean at the law school but he never received a forgivable loan but he did get a compensation package from the foundation that was deferred. Sager asked for a raise in 2009 but was declined because of budget issues. He then asked Robert Grable for a $500,000 forgivable loan. Grable was the president of the foundation at the time.

Grable broached the issue with the foundation’s executive committee and it was approved. The administration of the university were never informed of the added compensation for Sager though.

“Dean Sager had good reason to believe that the foundation had consulted with President Powers,” Smith said. Smith also said that the payout in the first year was $100,000 and it appears on a document from the university in the report.

During Sager’s time with the law school, the forgivable loan program was expanded so that the school could entice top faculty to join the law school. The forgivable loan program began prior to Sager working at the law school and is described by the law school as “a highly effective and sensible recruiting and retention tool.” The report did say that the process used to approve and report the loans was broken and too much power was given to the dean.

Burgdorf wrote in the report that “the heavy balance of the evidence indicated that Dean Sager essentially acted alone and never consulted or sought input from the UT-Austin Central Administration and never reported this element of faculty compensation to anyone internally or externally.”

In the report, Burgdorf recommended that the outstanding loans be allowed to complete their lifespan. The office of Attorney General Greg Abbott did not agree with that suggestion though.

“Given our conclusion that the foundation’s forgivable loan program is legally problematic, it is difficult to also conclude that such an arrangement should nonetheless be allowed to continue years into the future,” Daniel Hodge, the first assistant attorney general, wrote in a letter to UT System Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell.

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According to the ABA Journal, the United States Supreme Court will hear a case involving race being used as a determining factor for college admissions and this idea is being supported by the American Bar Association.

A brief from the ABA says, “Full representation of racial and ethnic minorities in the legal profession is essential to the legitimacy of our legal and political systems and therefore constitutes a compelling state interest.” According to a press release from the ABA, the organization is arguing that diversity in undergraduate levels is needed for diversity in law schools and the legal industry.

The case being argued focuses on the University of Texas and whether or not it can use race as a determining factor in admitting students into its undergraduate programs at the school. The majority of admissions to the school are decided on by class rank right now. The final spots are decided on by a personal achievement score that uses race as a factor. The plaintiff in the case of Abigail Fisher. Fisher was denied admission to the school and has claimed that it is a constitutional violation.

According to the brief, the ABA used diversity when deciding admission in the Supreme Court case of Grutter v. Bollinger. The ruling of the court permitted the admissions standards used by the University of Michigan Law School. “In the nine years since Grutter was decided,” the brief says, “nothing has happened in our nation’s colleges and universities, in the legal profession or in American society at large, that would support a conclusion that race-conscious admissions procedures no longer remain valuable—and constitutionally permissible—tools for achieving diversity.

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According to a press release, the School of Law at the University of Texas at Austin has named a new dean. The new dean is Ward Farnsworth, who previously served as the dean for academic affairs at Boston University School of Law. The appointment takes effect on June 1 and it fills the position, which is being held right now by Interim Dean Stefanie Lindquist.

“As a teacher, a scholar and a leader, Ward Farnsworth is just what UT Law needs,” said President Bill Powers. “I’m confident he’ll not only continue the tradition of first-class legal education and service to society at The University of Texas, but take the law school to even greater heights.”

Farnsworth was a member of the faculty at Boston University since 1997 and taught courses in torts, civil procedure, rhetoric and contracts.

“I am thrilled to be coming to The University of Texas at Austin and to be working with such a world-class faculty and body of law students,” said Farnsworth. “I look forward to leading and building on the foundation of excellence and service that is already in place.”

The law school has over 1,200 students and 23,500 living alumni who work in government, corporations, public-service organizations and law firms across Texas, the country and the world. On the current faculty there are 24 members of the American Law Institute.

“The strength of leadership at the Law School is essential to the strength of the university as a whole as it pursues excellence,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Steven Leslie. “We have recruited a scholar of national prominence who has proved to be a stellar administrator. We are very fortunate to have Ward Farnsworth as our new dean.”

Farnsworth graduated from Wesleyan University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree and then from the University of Chicago in 1994 with a law degree. Farnsworth was employed with Richard A. Posner as a law clerk. Posner was the chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals in the Seventh Circuit. He also served as a law clerk to Anthony M. Kennedy, who is the associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. Farnsworth also served as a legal adviser in the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague.

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