In total, the court decision orders the University of California to pay $38 million in refunds and interest to 2,900 students in law, medical, business and other professional schools, according to an article Saturday in The San Francisco Chronicle.  The ruling applies to all students who accepted an offer of admission by August 2003.

A lawyer for the students, Andrew Freeman, said the ruling indicates the institution “cannot balance its budget on the backs of students, after promising them not to raise fees.”  Fees were raised at UCLA and Berkeley Boalt Hall Law Schools, for example, by more than $6,000 to help fill budget gaps caused by diminished state funding.

Though the decision could be viewed as a victory for recent graduates, costs also could be passed onto current students in the form of higher fees or reduced programs.  The Chronicle article also says that the University of California is considering an appeal.

0L Lovely Mrs decided on a school for next year, prepared to send in the deposit in a month, and looked forward to living near the beach. 0L Ricky Nelson saw a trend in blog discussions about dating good friends, and provided his own anecdotal opinion on the matter.

Miami ‘12 Goateed 1L was one of very few in his latest contracts class. Austin ‘12 Mariel wrote her own lyrics to a Lady Gaga song, focused on the life of a gunner. NCCU ‘12 TDOT proposed the idea that law students should write state statutes and posted his first video. Columbia ‘12 Soleil’s post about a ‘friend’ trying to figure out a romantic situation was part of Ricky Nelson’s inspiration for his own post. Due to an illness in the family, 1L Abbie was offering up her SXSW badge and lodgings to the highest bidder. Northwestern ‘12 Jeremy attended an ‘Employers Night’ and had mixed feelings about the success of the event.

Marshall ‘11 Huma prepared herself for her trademarks exam and became rather fond of all caps.  Austin ‘11 New Law Mom planned on making it a point to write more often, but covered a lot of ground in her latest post: her grades are fine, her summer internship will be relevant to her interests, and her current classes are interesting. Minnesota ‘11 Jansen shared a few humorous interactions he experienced during his dog walks.

3L Insanity Gal remained a good student even in her last semester, but did find a little more time for crocheting. 3L I’m Nobody explained how to play fantasy America’s Top Model. UVA ‘10 Rule 12 noted that while many aspects of law school may have increased in price, the school’s annual Libel Show ticket price would remain the same as the previous year. 3L Googiebaba reached out to many different practicing lawyers in the area for informational interviews and shared her findings…and a cute picture of her new baby!

And that’s a wrap on this week’s Fridays From the Frontline. We hope the warmer weather and increased time in the sun is improving everyone’s dispositions, if not complexions. Until next week, have a great weekend!

The clinic, which is slated to begin Fall 2010, will work on a variety of community-based issues, including HIV cases for incarcerated persons, societal re-entry for incarcerated clients and representing allegedly mentally ill patients in civil proceedings.

“It is our hope that the Community Justice Project will both provide students with an opportunity to work for social justice and show them that they can make a difference as lawyers,” said Interim Dean Judith Areen, in the release.

In the announcement, the law school stressed the skills participating students can hope to obtain, including policy initiatives, litigation and transactional activities. To complete the program, law students will be required to provide legal services to at least one individual client.

Additionally, one two-year teaching fellowship will be made available to practicing attorneys to supervise casework and co-teach the clinic.

In a recent post to Harvard Law School’s admission blog, HLS in Focus, Emily Murphy takes the time to discuss the challenges associated with selecting a program – three years ago, she found herself in the same situation many future law students are now facing. In her post, Emily explains her reasons for deciding to attend Harvard. As any candidate should do, Emily explains that she considered a number of factors when evaluating the programs to which she was admitted. For example, she notes that she applied to law school with the intention to focus on disability law, a somewhat niche law field. After asking questions, Emily determined that the disability law community at HLS was “large and active,” which she considered to be a major draw.

Emily also notes that, while she did not realize this prior to attending HLS, the school’s larger than average size can also be an asset to individuals with specialized interests like hers. As she explains, “Harvard’s size allows people with unique interests to find a critical mass of professors and other students who are interested in the same topic. While at Harvard, I have been able to participate in two disability law classes, one disability law clinical, two disability-related extracurricular activities, and one disability law reading group. I have met with three disability law professors about papers, summer jobs, and class assignments.”

Even applicants not considering HLS when deciding where to pursue their degrees can learn from Emily’s story. Not only are there a variety of factors worth considering, but the initiative Emily demonstrated when asking questions of HLS representatives is worth emulating. For further help in choosing the right program for you, make sure to check out our Clear Admit Law School Guides. The guides will allow you to compare schools head-to-head using objective data that goes beyond published rankings, ultimately helping you to select the program that’s most in-line with your individual interests and goals.

Along with Richmond, the podcast offered Ann Levine, founder of lawschoolexpert.com, Richard Geiger, associate dean at Cornell Law School, and William Hoye, associate dean at Duke University School of Law.

Within the discussion, the quartet explained why law schools maintain waitlists and what various programs expect from their waitlisted applicants.  The group then offered strategies applicants in such limbo should employ.

Both law deans stressed the unpredictability of their waitlist counts as Dean Hoye said Duke Law is likely to increase its waitlist as prospective students, sensing a competitive landscape, are applying to more schools than in prior years.  Richmond too noted that leading law schools seem to be using the tough economic climate to hedge their positions and expand their waitlists.

In response, Richmond said applicants should explicitly follow individual schools’ waitlist guidelines and both he and Levine said applicants should be proactive in showing a program interest and continued personal and professional development.

“People do get in off the waitlist,” Richmond said.  “I’d say that’s the one thing to take away from this.  That it does feel like purgatory when you first are placed on a waitlist, but the earlier on that you get the news and the earlier you can sort of begin your campaign, the better off you’ll be.  They wouldn’t have the list if they didn’t take folks off of them.”

To hear the full 24-minute podcast and to read a transcription, please visit Law School Podcaster.

1) Examine your file. There are several reasons for being put on hold.  The first is that although one is a strong candidate, the admissions committee is simply not ready to make a decision until they have reviewed more applications.  The adcom may also be concerned about your numerical scores (i.e. LSAT and GPA) or another aspect of your candidacy.  If you are not sure why you have been put on hold, it is in your best interest to reflect upon your application and see if you can pinpoint the reason for the adcom’s concern.

2) Prove yourself. Once you have pinpointed the reason why the adcom has put you on hold, it’s helpful to address this concern by sending in materials that supplement your application.  For example, if you had weak grades your junior year, perhaps you have just finished your senior year on a strong note and can send in your updated transcript as a sign of the strength of your candidacy.  Even if you don’t have a major “weak point” in your candidacy, you can still show the adcom how your candidacy has improved since the time of you application, i.e. a promotion at your job.  This way the school not only knows that you are still interested in being considered for admission, but is also aware of the most recent strengths of your candidacy.

3) Remain positive. The good news is that being put on hold means that you are originally a strong candidate.  Therefore while you may be upset about not being automatically accepted, you should definitely view this as a “glass half full” outcome – it’s certainly better than being denied outright.  That being said, the decision you may receive can be admit, deny, or waitlist, so you should have a backup plan in place: the other schools to which you have applied, job options, or a strong strategy for being a reapplicant next year.

Best of luck to those who are on “hold!”  Stay strong – we know it’s a grueling process.

Detailed in a press release, the accelerated LL.M., which is slated to begin in May 2011, will be offered to graduates of non-U.S. law schools working in their home countries.  Rather than spending a year on the Northwestern campus, these visiting students can complete the proposed LL.M. in one intensive summer of two six-week sessions or over two summers.

The focus of the 20-credit program will be business law, especially transnational legal issues.  Participating students will take a set course load — which differs from the yearlong LL.M. — on subjects including contracts, commercial sales, business associations, intellectual property, taxation and litigation.  According to Northwestern Law’s associate dean for executive degree programs, Mayer Freed, these classes will meet five days a week, for up to five hours a day.

The introduction of the accelerated LL.M. recalls the law school’s accelerated J.D. program, which we discussed in June of last year.  At the time, it was the first top-tier school to commence with a two-year J.D. and just the third American law school overall.

Also last year, in December, we relayed a report from the Financial Times that examined the increasing popularity of the LL.M. degree, including a 25 percent rise in applications to LL.M. degrees at Northwestern in 2009.

Penn Law is one of the few leading law schools that includes legally-oriented community service work, known as pro bono work in legal parlance, as part of its graduation requirements.  Instituted in 1989 as an initiative to encourage student involvement in the community, Penn Law’s pro bono requirement calls for students to complete a minimum of 70 hours of volunteer work by the end of 3L, with at least 35 hours, or half the requirement, completed by the end of 2L.  Penn Law’s Toll Public Interest Center, which oversees pro bono service, expects that all hours will be completed during 2L and 3L, and though 1Ls are permitted to complete pro bono service hours that count toward their total requirement, they are not expected to do so.

Students have the opportunity to sign up for projects organized by the Toll Center at the end of each semester.  Most Penn students enjoy taking part in pro bono projects and find ample time during the academic year to do so.  Close to one-third of the Class of 2009 completed more than the 70 hours that were required, some of them engaging in hundreds of hours of service during their law school careers.

Volunteer activities that satisfy the pro bono requirement include unpaid work for government agencies and non-profit organizations, as well as time spent assisting private law firms with pro bono or reduced-fee cases.  Many Penn Law students have worked with local and national organizations, such as Philadelphia Legal Assistance and the Women’s Law Project, to provide legal assistance to the local poor and homeless population on issues of family law, employment law, immigration and senior citizens’ affairs.  Others have created outreach programs in Philadelphia’s inner-city public schools, providing instruction on the U.S. Constitution to elementary school students and starting after-school clubs to advise high school students who hope to start their own business ventures.  Participation in clinics can also count toward the pro bono requirement.  Students who are working for a clinic for credit are permitted to exchange one semester hour of credit for 35 pro bono hours.

For more information about opportunities for practical experience and pro bono service offered at leading law schools, be sure to consult the Clear Admit Law School Guides!

The blog, started earlier this month on March 4, has so far covered topics such as classes, faculty, public interest offerings, internships and jobs, campus events, off-campus social activities, living in New York City, public interest, general tips and advice, and bloggers’ thoughts on various topics of law.  In two of the first posts,  one student outlined the best way to learn the campus, while another blogger described her experience at the Public Interest Law Center’s career fair.  To visit the blog, go here.

Yale was followed in the rankings, which tabulate scholarly citations over a five year period, by Harvard Law School and the University of Chicago Law School in the top three. Rounding out the top ten are: Stanford, New York University, Columbia, U. California-Berkeley, Northwestern, U. California-Irvine and Vanderbilt.

The study’s methodology is based off of the number of citations from January 2005 to mid-January 2010, and is primarily restricted to tenured faculty, excluding, for example, judges who still teach periodically at these leading law schools.

The full rankings list extends to the top 25 scholarly programs. Of these remaining law schools, Leiter writes that Florida State University College of Law had a “particularly notable” placement, coming in at No. 23.

Leiter also said he hopes to have the entire study online by mid-April. The full study will also feature specialty rankings in such areas as Tax, Law & Economics, Legal History and International Law.