Law Students

How to Run Against McCain?

Posted on May 07, 2008
Can we start talking John McCain now? I liked Hillary once upon a time, and I?ve humored her candidacy to ensure my own domestic tranquility, but, to paraphrase a line her husband used in 1992 (that he himself took from Reagan in 1980), ?It?s time for her to go...

And the winner is ... Professor Lester?

Posted on May 06, 2008
From an anonymous tipster:According to the University of California (and other public institution) salary database compiled by the Chronicle, who was the highest paid professor at Boalt (and the eighth highest paid person on the entire Berkeley campus) in the 2006-2007 fiscal year? Gillian Lester...

Take this Severance and Shove It

Posted on May 06, 2008
Over at Above the Law an email from a laid-off Paul Hastings associate has been posted. Here's the first paragraph of the email:"The circumstances surrounding my departure from Paul Hastings have been deeply disappointing. It is one thing to ignore an email sent as a colleague is waiting to have her uterus scraped after a miscarriage, but it is wholly another level of heartlessness to lay her off six days after that...

The Bus Witch

Posted on May 06, 2008
I need help. Those of you who are familiar with the Bus Witch understand my predicament, for today on the 51, I was hexed.The story beings with a pretty straightforward encounter, when she and her assorted parcels/baggies/wheely-thingies boarded the bus and kicked me out of my seat: "I need to sit down...

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Fatal Stabbings: Unhappy Thoughts During Law Finals...

Posted on May 03, 2008
From the Chron:"A UC Berkeley engineering student was fatally stabbed early today in a sorority parking lot a few blocks south of campus, Berkeley police said. The 21-year-old victim, a man whose name was not immediately released, was found stabbed at about 2:45 a...

Rebate Checks: Happy Thoughts During Law Finals...

Posted on May 02, 2008
It's week 1 of the federal government rebate checks, and $7.1 billion has been sent out.I've heard a lot of discussion among my fellow classmates as to what should be done with the money. As many of us face significant school debt, one approach is to pocket the money and take less in loans (or have more to pay them down)...

Dude. Enough With the Eval Requests Already

Posted on May 01, 2008
If you are a Boalt student, your @berkeley inbox contains the following email:"Please take a minute to complete your teaching evaluations. Not only are they important for feedback to faculty, but they also ensure you will have access to the online exam interface...

I Can't Believe It's a Law Firm

Posted on April 30, 2008
I meant for this to be on ink and paper, but since that doesn't look like it's happening, I figure I'll turn it into a post. Note: if you don't find it funny, it's because you have no sense of humor and don't watch enough of The Simpsons to catch my references...

Berserkeley - A place we call home

Posted on April 29, 2008
I've used this soapbox to do a lot of complaining about Berkeley over the past year. Today, the Chron had an article that indicated Berkeley may not be all that crazy - at least some of the time. The article looks at Berkeley "firsts," which include, "police radios, a ban on Styrofoam, health benefits for domestic partners and a switch to biodiesel for city cars...

Test Dummy

Posted on April 29, 2008
The blogosphere (and my inbox) lit up this evening with news about Boalt's "new hire." See a faculty profile here, and coverage here, and here. A PDF of the faculty list (in case it has changed) is here. WTF? Why hire someone who is bad at tests?Oh well...

More on Graduation Protests

Posted on April 28, 2008
I am posting this on behalf of someone else. No matter how many times I say this, people will still forget that I AM NOT THE AUTHOR OF THIS POST.***So, it seems like the protest plans are gathering steam. Not only will it be the hoary standbys in orange jumpsuits, but some actual lawyers and law students may come protest...

Guess Who's Coming to Graduation!

Posted on April 27, 2008
A bunch of orange-suited protesters with faux electrodes tied to their balls!--- On Thu, 4/24/08, actagainsttorture@riseup.net  wrote:From: actagainsttorture@riseup.netSubject: Fire, Disbar, Prosecute John Yoo: Protest at 5/17 Graduation,Boalt Law SchoolTo: actagainsttorture@riseup...

Tele-update

Posted on April 24, 2008
So: the administration has responded to the Telebears "scandal" (see comments for full email).Key quote: "Modifications will be made, beginning with the Spring 2009 iteration of Tele-BEARS, so that the appointments are assigned in a more randomized fashion...

California Faculty Swap Three-Way

Posted on April 24, 2008
As far as I can tell, Cynthia at The Shark scooped everyone on this tidbit: we didn't lose Dean O to UCLA. In fact, we may have merely traded her in on a newer model.Cal Law published an article explaining that the "Boalt Hall School of Law [sic]" will be filling an academic support position with one Krist*n Holmq*ist, currently at UCLA...

Thou Shalt Count to Three, and Three Only

Posted on April 24, 2008
I guess current students got an e-mail about this, but alumni should know that there is an official memo on the name of our school. First, to all the law firms out there, please, please, update your associates' profiles. An example of the more egregious violations include:"University of Berkeley School of Law" (for undergrad and law)...

Straight From The Horse's Mouth Part Deux

Posted on April 23, 2008
A commentator points out that the original content of this post was incredibly petty. He totally busted me, and I apologize. At any rate, this is the professors quotes thread for this spring.

Who the Heck is Joe Nation?

Posted on April 23, 2008
The following rather startling email, sent to the campaign of one Joe Nation, was cc'd to me this morning. While the Boalt Student who wrote the letter has asked that I redact his name and contact information, he has also given me permission to put any interested Boalt students in touch with him, behind the scenes...

Goodbye grants, you will be missed...

Posted on April 23, 2008
The financial aid office has released offer letters on Telebears. It's official: if you plan to work at a firm, you will (most likely) lose any chance at a grant.I don't feel this is getting enough attention. The $4k DE grant for summer public interest work is well-known among current and future students...

Applause for John Yoo?

Posted on April 22, 2008
John Yoo closed his last formal constitutional law class of the semester today. Going in, I put the odds of perfunctory end-of-class applause at 50%. On the one hand, he?s an effective and endearing professor. On the other?well, you know ? the electrodes-to-genitals thing...

Hard Drives Fair Game at the Border

Posted on April 22, 2008
This SF Gate article discusses a recent Ninth Circuit holding. Apparently that there is no 4th Amendment violation when border patrol agents examine the content of travelers' laptops without probable cause:Border agents would need grounds for suspicion before conducting a body search, but a "piece of property simply does not implicate the same dignity and privacy concerns as highly intrusive searches of the person," the court said...

Administration Response Email on Bar Passage Rate

Posted on April 17, 2008
Attached (in the comments) is the administration's email to 3Ls regarding last year's bar passage rate.Essentially, the administration finds that class rank and bar passage are correlated. And they're looking at helping "those people" with a pilot assistance program...

Supreme Court upholds use of lethal injections

Posted on April 16, 2008
From the Chron:"The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the most common method of lethal injection executions, likely clearing the way to resume executions that have been on hold for nearly 7 months. The justices, by a 7-2 vote, turned back a constitutional challenge to the procedures in place in Kentucky, which uses three drugs to sedate, paralyze and kill inmates...

There is Something Ironic About Where I Now Sit

Posted on April 16, 2008
Speaking of surveys, we touched on this earlier issue last fall, but it is happening at University of Chicago Law: no more internet in class. Discussion also at WSJ Law Blog. According to the article, ten other law schools have already called to ask about the move...

Let's Out TeleBears!

Posted on April 16, 2008
Something about the TeleBears Phase I appointment times is fishy.And unless you work in the Registrar's office, DO's office, or on Pluto, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about.The truth doesn't have to be a speculative matter, and it doesn't have to be taken as an article of faith...

Breaking UCB News: "Random" = Linear

Posted on April 16, 2008
Initially I thought I would need a couple hundred responses to confidently confirm or dis-confirm the TeleBears rumors.But after about 90, the picture is clear. Painfully clear.Excel spreadsheet with all data (IP addressed deleted)PDF of registration dates by law classPDF of registration dates by undergraduate applicationLink to the survey...

Bitter? Who's Bitter?

Posted on April 15, 2008
Obama's been criticized for saying that small town Americans are bitter and angry. McCain and Clinton have jumped on these statements, claiming that they show how out of touch Obama is.I guess maybe I fall into the category of an "elitist", as I'm here at Boalt getting a top tier legal education...

How the Drug Czars Are Squishing the Poor People

Posted on April 15, 2008
While other bay area bloggers are busy screwing up this country's future, something that actually matters is passing unnoticed by all but the very unfortunate.You may or may not have seen the recent NY Times article about changes health insurers are making to prescription copay policies...

Lonely Little Fredo

Posted on April 14, 2008
Alberto Gonzales can't find a job. Instead, he has been forced to hit the lecture circuit. Which, as it turns out, isn't a bad racket. He pulled in $191,000 last year, billing fees in excess of $30,000 apiece from places like Washington University in St...

Implications of Legal Ethics

Posted on April 12, 2008
This AP article isn't new news, but it's well-written, includes color photos, and arrived on my doorstep today. Here's a snip for your thoughts:An innocent man was behind bars. His name was Alton Logan. He did not kill a security guard in a McDonald's restaurant in January 1982...

Everything is Bigger in Texas

Posted on April 12, 2008
Would you like to do something educational this fall?The Texas courts anticipate being overwhelmed by what at least one journalist has called "the biggest child welfare case in Texas history."Tom Vic, partner at the Texas firm Vick Carney & Smith, is seeking the names, addresses and phone numbers of family lawyers willing to volunteer as ad litems for the 400 children who were removed from polygamist compound in Eldorado...

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