Trump budget ends LSC funding | Which law schools top US News rankings? | Pay ruling turns on comma

ABA Journal's Top Stories of the Week
Friday, March 17, 2017

Oxford comma issue benefits drivers in overtime case

Mar 15, 2017, 2:53 pm CDT

Contract lawyer who billed 6,900 hours in Sprint suit had actually been disbarred

Mar 15, 2017, 7:00 am CDT

What lawyers can learn from a dollar-store model

Mar 14, 2017, 8:30 am CDT

Federal judges block part of Trump's revised travel ban

Mar 16, 2017, 8:46 am CDT

In apparent reference to Trump, 5 dissenting 9th Circuit judges criticize attacks on judiciary

Mar 16, 2017, 11:38 am CDT

Lawyer may be sued under attorney deceit statute for lawsuit misrepresentation, federal judge says

Mar 15, 2017, 8:00 am CDT

What can neuroscience tell us about crime? (podcast)

Mar 15, 2017, 8:30 am CDT

The Brain Defense: Vets with head trauma find mercy in court

Mar 1, 2017, 11:20 am CST

Discrimination against gay employees not prohibited by Civil Rights Act, 11th Circuit rules

Mar 13, 2017, 5:10 pm CDT

Alito says he sees hostility toward those with 'traditional moral beliefs'

Mar 16, 2017, 12:24 pm CDT

In 'fiery' letter, resigning US attorney says feds should target social media to fight Chicago crime

Mar 14, 2017, 11:24 am CDT

Two BigLaw firms announce work-from-home policies for associates

Mar 13, 2017, 8:00 am CDT

Secretive billionaire lobbied for Gorsuch's 10th Circuit nomination; the two men have longtime ties

Mar 15, 2017, 9:28 am CDT

Judge refuses to dismiss food-libel case against ABC News over its 'pink slime' coverage

Mar 14, 2017, 4:05 pm CDT

In the Magazine

From the March 2017 Issue

Calculating Crime

Risk-assessment algorithms face allegations of bias in criminal cases.

Really Virtual

Putting a practice online means access, efficiency and upkeep.

This Week's Featured Blawg

From our Blawg Directory

The Legal Aggregate

The Legal Aggregate blog at Stanford Lawyer magazine is home to Stanford Law School faculty opinion, op-eds and Q&As on timely topics in law and legal scholarship.

ABA Journal Podcast

Powered by Legal Talk Network

The Modern Law Library

What can neuroscience tell us about crime? Kevin Davis talks about his new book, "The Brain Defense."

Question of the Week

We want to hear from you

Did you take note of the US News rankings when deciding on a law school?

This week, U.S. News & World Report's annual law school rankings were released. As always, this year's results were eagerly anticipated.

They're also continually criticized. Law.com notes the critique by sociologists Wendy Nelson Espeland and Michael Sauder in Engines of Anxiety that rankings penalize lower-tier schools and nontraditional students. On PrawfsBlawg, Texas Tech law professor Eric Chiappinelli finds ratings a "proxy for law school prestige," but makes a case for prestige as a factor in school choice.

The Kaplan test preparation company's law school blog notes separate surveys of prelaw students and law schools. While most students found rankings important in their decision, a majority of admissions officers agreed that it would be in everyone's interests to have no rankings at all.

This week, we'd like to ask you: Did you take note of the U.S. News rankings when deciding on a law school? If so, were you glad you did, or glad you didn't bother?

Answer in the comments.

Read the answers to last week's question: Do you use a tablet computer in your law practice?

Posted by Eric T.: "I used a mini iPad for a while but found it didn't achieve what I needed so I bought the 2-pound MacBook 12-inch with the most RAM and largest hard drive and am very happy. The battery lasts seven hours, and it can do everything I need and more. Two pounds is about all I need to carry all I need around and then some."

Cartoon Contest

You choose the caption

Which caption do you find most appealing?
We had more than 130 entries to caption this month's cartoon, and readers really did it justice. Now it's your turn to decide on the best. The caption with the most votes will appear in an upcoming issue of the magazine.