KU Law produces high number of public interest lawyers
Distinguished international trade judge visits school
Law School Book Exchange closes after seven decades

KU Law produces high number of public interest lawyers

Public interest lawyers generally aren’t the kind you see in Hollywood movies, living large off of massive judgments from class-action suits.

They toil for the common good at legal aid offices, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, serving the underserved and advocating for reform. They do it for roughly $35,000 a year. They do it while carrying a heavy student debt load: an average of $54,509 from public law schools and $83,181 from private institutions.

Despite the sacrifices, law students at KU choose this path more often than students at most other schools. The KU School of Law ranks 28th in the nation for graduating public interest lawyers, according to rankings in the March issue of The National Jurist. More than 8 percent of the 2005 graduating class—14 people—went into public interest positions right out of law school. Another 15 percent took government jobs. Read more.

Distinguished international trade judge visits school

A judge from the U.S. Court of International Trade encouraged KU law students to think seriously about global trade issues during a public lecture at the law school in March.

“It’s not going to be long before you are the decision-makers,” said Judge Judith M. Barzilay, a Russell native who has served on the court since 1998. Barzilay spoke during a March 25 forum sponsored by the International Law Society. She also addressed students in Professor Raj Bhala’s Advanced International Trade Law class.

Barzilay, who was appointed by President Clinton, has handled cases in the areas of customs law, antidumping and countervailing duties, and trade adjustment assistance for workers who lose their jobs because of trade agreements between the U.S. and foreign countries. Read more.

Law School Book Exchange closes after seven decades

It’s the final chapter for a KU law school institution.

After some 70 years in operation, the Law School Book Exchange closed earlier this month. Tamara Dutton, who managed the store for 30 years, will retire in May.

Dutton’s pending retirement and increasing competition from online bookstores led to the decision to close up shop. The KU Bookstores will take over retail textbook services for the law school. Read more.

 

Visit the School of Law Web site for more information.