Legal Profession - Noto Law School

Dean Admits Inaccurate Data

February 5, 2011 Alejandro Calderon General, Legal Profession

John Gotanda, the dean of Villanova School of Law, has admitted the school “knowingly reported inaccurate admissions data” to the ABA for YEARS.

He claims in a letter that he wasn’t aware of the problem until a couple of weeks ago. The school has started a “comprehensive internal investigation.” Kind of like a rapist going out and getting condoms after the rape. Won’t really help, but I guess there should be some points for effort.

Villanova said that it “appears the lies inaccurate information was limited to LSAT and GPA scores.” They have not said why they lied their asses off reported incorrect information. For years and years. No idea why.

I can think of a reason. Could it be they were trying to skew their rankings? So they could get more lemmings to go there? But that would be dishonest, and aren’t all law schools models of integrity?

A Fate Worse Than Debt?

January 25, 2011 Alejandro Calderon General, Legal Profession

I get a lot of mail from law graduates that say the most distressing thing about their combination of law school debt and low paying jobs is that they have to delay starting a family.

Having to put your life on hold after law school sucks, however, it could be possible that something even worse exists. Watch and decide.

Where’s The Job?

January 23, 2011 Alejandro Calderon General, Legal Profession

In California, where asking for a plastic bag for a purchase is considered as rude as telling your best friend you want to fist f*ck his sister, the state that focuses its outrage on the ridiculous has come up with another target: Taco Bell. Seems the fast food change has not been putting as much beef as it should in its tacos.

You’d think they would just go to Burger King, but what caught my eye was their reason for suing:

The would-be class action seeks what it calls accurate labeling, corrective advertising and attorney’s fees and costs.

Now that’s an argument to be used against the law schools: accurate labeling, corrective advertising. Wouldn’t accurate labeling and correct advertising include accurate employment statistics? Because saying 98% get high paying legal jobs when only around 2% get them doesn’t seem too accurate to me.

Just as consumers made their decision on what chemically enhanced processed crap to put in their bodies based on advertising, law students made their decisions to take out toxic loans based on false advertising by their schools. So, where’s the job?

Moonlighting White Collar Workers

August 18, 2010 Alejandro Calderon General, Legal Profession

Professionals are doing whatever they can to make ends meet: game shows, prostitution, laundering money for the mob, and now, working two jobs.

The Wall Street Journal reports that because of pay cuts and layoffs, many white-collar workers are starting to work two jobs to make up for the pay cuts. Want to get in on the action? Here’s one way the moonlighters are doing it:

The growth of freelance websites to higher-paid, white-collar occupations is making it easier to moonlight. Accountants, lawyers, marketers and other managers and professionals seeking work on PeoplePerHour.com have more than doubled in the past year to 58,000, says founder Xenios Thrasyvoulou.

Legal Sector At 1991 Lows

July 20, 2010 Alejandro Calderon General, Legal Aspects, Legal Profession

Guess I’m not the only jobless JD. Employment in New York’s legal sector has fallen to lows not seen since 1991, Law.Com reported.

This confirms why University of Michigan and other top students are only getting document review in India:

The labor data confirms earlier reports that law firms had dramatically scaled back their summer associate programs. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has 34 summer associates in New York, down from 102 in 2009. Weil, Gotshal & Manges meanwhile has 20, compared to 96 last year. A report by the National Association for Law Placement in May found New York firms reduced 2010 summer associate offers by 44 percent.