Category Archives: Legal Profession

The California Bar Wants to Force Law Schools to Provide Practical Skills

Posted May 5th, 2012
Shon R. Hopwood
The California Bar Association is considering a proposal that would require bar applicants to have taken a practical skills course during law school in order to be admitted to the bar. The Bar Association, however, has received some pushback from two prominent law school deans. Stanford Law Dean Larry Kramer urged caution. And UC Irvine Dean [...]
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The Plight of the Pro Se Litigant

Posted December 6th, 2011
Shon R. Hopwood
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Given the state of our economy and the rising costs of legal representation, it should come as no surprise that pro se litigation is increasing–rapidly. It should also come as no surprise that the legal system struggles to cope with pro se litigants. In his forward, entitled “Root Causes of the Pro Se Prisoner Litigation [...]
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Law Schools Are Teaching What They Can

Posted November 20th, 2011
Shon R. Hopwood
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David Segal’s piece in the New York Times yesterday raised serious questions about whether law schools are really teaching students to become practicing attorneys rather than, say, just good law students. The piece also addressed such things as clinical work, legal scholarship, and the cost of law school. My perspective on these issues is unique [...]
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Whew! Now I Can Quit Law School

Posted October 27th, 2011
Shon R. Hopwood
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Clifford Winston recently published an op-ed at the New York Times entitled, “Are Law Schools and Bar Exams Necessary?” The only words I can really add to it are: Nice work!
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A Different Orientation: The Best Law School Resources of Recent Memory

Posted September 23rd, 2011
Shon R. Hopwood
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I just finished up two weeks of law school orientation, during which I met quite a few of my classmates, many of whom asked me questions relating to law school. So I thought I’d provide a different kind of orientation—a “best of” listing of articles that helped me to understand law school and the profession. [...]
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The ABA Is Full Of It

Posted September 5th, 2011
Shon R. Hopwood
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A few weeks ago the New York Times published this piece addressing the serious issue that “most low-income Americans cannot afford a lawyer to defend their legal interests, no matter how urgent the issue.” The Times suggested several ways to provide better access to justice for low-income people. Those suggestions included allowing nonlawyers to handle [...]
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