Friday, October 10, 2014

Elon's Turn to Revolutionize Legal Education

Elon is a fairly new law school, which means they aren't behold to stodgy ideas stuck in the 1960s like all the other law schools.  Dean Luke Bierman (formerly of Northeastern) understands that now is the perfect time to become the next school doing radical things to try to connect student debtor to market wealth.
Elon will adapt a seven-trimester schedule, which means law students will graduate in 2.5 years instead of the traditional three.
...
The revised curriculum will emphasize real-world experience. Elon says it’s the first law school in the country to require all students to serve a full-time faculty-supervised residency during the academic year rather than during the summer.
Viva la revolucion!  If I wasn't so greedy with all the money my law firm is raking in, I'd sure as shingles hire someone who did an academic-year faculty-supervised residency.  No way would I instead hire someone with a "summer associateship" at some hole like Skadden.  Legal business is clearly better during the academic term than in the summer, when everyone stops working to take month-long vacations to Dubrovnik or Mallorca.

Also, tuition is reduced, so Elon students are going to have an unhealthily-high amount of debt instead of a total shit ton of debt.  That's progress!

Meanwhile, long-time readers will remember that just last week I noted the rise of hookups among law schools with single undergrads.  Lo and behold, the rabbit orgy continues.  Florida State went for a convenience relationship and now has a six-year undergrad/JD deal with West FloridaIndiana, on the other hand, scored with Vassar for a unique scholarship-nomination program.

As pointed out in the article, Indiana has various relationships with Rose-Hulman, Wabash, Grinnell, Georgia Tech, Knox College, and Princeton.  Just like its graduates who ace the employment market, Indiana knows how to play the field.  And just like other types of noble whoring, Indiana is clearly more likely to get positive results.

9 comments:

  1. The law school swine have no guiding principles, other than to keep the scam going for as long as possible.

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  2. "Lo and behold, the rabbit orgy continues. ... Indiana, on the other hand, scored with Vassar for a unique scholarship-nomination program.

    As pointed out in the article, Indiana has various relationships with Rose-Hulman, Wabash, Grinnell, Georgia Tech, Knox College, and Princeton."

    WTF?

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    Replies
    1. Just using their 10% quota for non-LSAT admissions to attract average students rather than abject failures. I like it...a little bit.

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  3. It's good that the kids will save some $$$ but they won't have a shot at a good job. No firms hire from there and the debt will still be crushing. All this will do is keep the one straw off the poor camels back. But this does not mean a good outcome.

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  4. Lower tuition, a 2.5 year degree program, and a residency requirement. These are worthwhile reforms if implemented by a reputable and selective law school. Elon, Law however, is a recently-accredited, bottom-tier dump. Its median LSAT is 150 and has been falling fast; it has among the worst employment outcomes in the country. The only positive thing Elon Law can offer to the legal community is its closure and an apology to its alumni.

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    Replies
    1. "The only positive thing Elon Law can offer to the legal community is its closure and an apology to its alumni."

      LOL. Right on.

      Delete
    2. 6:08 AM

      I stand by my comment.

      For entering class 2010, the median was 155. For entering class 2013, the median was 150.

      http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/elon/

      There was, apparently, an uptick in 2014 (153). This uptick is almost certainly temporary because Elon has announced that it is going to increase its class size.

      Delete
  5. Why is it called Elon? That sounds futuristic, perhaps Klingon or Ferengi.

    Do they give you a free KIndle once you sign the loan documents?

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