Monday June 25, 2007

I am writing this blog on a Sunday, having returned late
last night from a two-day trip to Chicago with about 25
University of Detroit Mercy law students, the vast majority
of whom just finished their first year.

What were we all doing in Chicago? Well, I know that
Chicago has become a very "hot" market in terms of student
desires for law jobs, and it's a market where UDM School of
Law has many contacts. On my Dean's Advisory Board sit
Chicago-based partners from a range of major Chicago firms:
Baker and McKenzie; Katten Muchin Rosenman; Mayer Brown
Rowe and Maw; and Winston and Strawn, to name a few. We
also have alumni at other firms, such as Jenner and Block;
Vedder Price; McDermott Will and Emery; Neal Gerber
Eisenberg; and others.

Given student interest in the Chicago market, we decided to
take a group of students to Chicago to introduce them to some of
the players at the major firms, give them a sense of the
opportunities, and also have a little bit of fun while we're at it.

Of course, it doesn't make sense to visit every firm, so we
chose three that represent different aspects
of the Chicago market. First stop was Dykema Gossett,
which is a Detroit-based firm with a growing Chicago
presence. As we were talking with a partner there about
their practice and their summer associate program, he
mentioned the firm's longstanding relationship with the
School -- as more than 20 of our alumni work at Dykema,
including Rex Schlaybaugh, the firm's Managing Partner.

Having seen the Chicago office of a Detroit-based firm,
we also wanted our students to meet some of the players at
one of the major Chicago-based firms, Jenner and Block.
At the firm, our students had an opportunity to speak with
one of the hiring partners as well as with attorneys in the
corporate and litigation areas. Also joining us at the
firm were a UDM alum who just graduated this past December
and is now an Associate at the firm, as well as a current
student who is a Summer Associate there this summer.

Our final stop was the Chicago office of New York-based
Skadden Arps. Here we spoke with several attorneys,
including a tax partner (whose niece is a student at UDM
School of Law), the head of recruitment, and attorneys from
the corporate, real estate, and litigation departments. A
partner from Skadden's New York office is on my Dean's
Advisory Board, and their New York office flies to Detroit
to interview our students in the fall. We also discussed
ways that students more interested in the Chicago office
can be considered for summer associate positions.

After visiting these three firms, we hosted a reception for
our Chicago-based alumni (we have more than 100 alumni in
Illinois, and more than half of them are based in Chicago),
which provided an opportunity for our students to network,
ask questions, etc. For example, one of our alumni who is a
partner at Mayer Brown, spoke informally with students
about his firm, as did an associate at Vedder Price.

Since the reception ended around 7:00 p.m., our students were
able to spend a Friday evening having fun in Chicago. On Saturday,
we went to see the matinee performance of "Wicked" before
getting back on the bus for a spirited ride back to Detroit.

Since this was the first time we did one of these
excursions, I was particularly interested in hearing from
our students about their reactions, which were all
extremely positive. In fact, I was peppered with
suggestions that we make this an annual event and that we
also do road trips to a series of other cities.

Based on this recent experience, I certainly think that
these kinds of trips make sense. We'll be exploring what
we should do next year. I am eager to hear about the cities
in which our Fall 2007 1Ls hope to practice. If you are an
incoming student, please feel freeto contact me at
gordonmc@udmercy.edu.

Friday May 25, 2007

I just finished meeting with a whole group of prospective
students, talking about the School and answering their
various questions. One of the things that always strikes
me is that while there are many questions about the legal
education students will receive, their bottom line concern
frequently centers around employment. "How will you help
me get a job?"

In my five years now as Dean, I have realized more and more
that a significant part of my job is to help create an
educational environment that will help students get their
jobs. That's why the recent article in the Wall Street
Journal was so gratifying.

As you can see, the gist of this
article was that because of our innovative curriculum here
at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, a whole range
of national firms that previously just looked at students
from Ivy League law schools are now flying to Detroit to
interview our students. It's easy for me to recite to
prospective students the names of firms with offices in New
York, Chicago, Washington, Florida, California, and
elsewhere that now
participate in our On-Campus Interview program. But when
the Wall Street Journal says it too, and when it says how
unique that is for a non-Ivy League law school, I suppose
people start to notice.

A similar point was evident in the recent US News and World
Report rankings, which showed that of all the law schools
in Michigan, only two had employment rates (within nine
months of graduation) over 90% -- and those schools were
University of Michigan and University of Detroit Mercy
School of Law.

In this context, let me make a couple of points. First, no
matter how superb a law school is at helping with career
services, it is not something that happens by itself. As a
prospective student, you need to remember that you play the
largest role in your own job search. Second, there are
many opportunities to network for jobs while at law school,
and you should be sure to take advantage of them. At
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law we intentionally
set up events, lunches, panels, etc. that will expand your
networking. Be sure to come and participate.

Third, I always ask students to let us know as early as
possible (within, that is, the ABA rules) about their own
employment hopes and dreams. We have a great network of
people around the country and in numerous different
practice areas, and we want to activate that network for
you. But we can only do so if you share with us your
plans. And that's when we can help tailor your own
individualized job search strategies.

I must confess that it is very exciting to start seeing our
curriculum getting national attention, and it is thrilling
for me as Dean to watch our students getting job offers and
opportunities that they never dreamed of several years ago.
Since the Wall Street Journal article appeared, even more
national firms have agreed to come on campus this fall.

As I said to the most recent prospective students: "You
and I have exactly the same self-interest. The more I can
help you get a stupendous job, the better it is for the
School." According to the Wall Street Journal, we seem to
be turning some heads with our successes.

Thursday May 17, 2007

The Bar Exam results just came out for the most recent exam
(taken in February). First, let me tell you how UDM
students did, and then I'm going to tell you why you
shouldn't care.

In terms of how UDM students did, the answer is "really
well." In fact, among all the Michigan law schools with
multiple first-time test takers, UDM came in first. That's
right. Our students beat those at University of Michigan,
MSU, Wayne State, and Cooley as well as University of
Toledo. The statewide average for first-time test takers
was 76 percent. UDM students had an 84 percent pass rate.

If you combine this first-place finish with the 93 percent pass
rate that our students achieved on last July's exam, you can see
that we are on a roll.

Having said that, the truth is that I think prospective
students put far too much stress on a school's bar pass
rate. Why do I say that? First, the pass rate really
isn't telling you all that much about how much value the
school added. Many students are good test
takers, and, assuming they put in the time and energy,
they'll do pretty well on the Bar, regardless of where
they go to law school. Others have difficulty on standardized tests, and that too will be
reflected in their Bar pass rates.

Second, even in years when our pass rate has been less
stellar than recently, students who did well in our School
still passed at really high rates. So, those students who
"got what we were teaching," did well--whether the
overall pass rate was first in the state or not.

I can't deny that I like the fact that our alumni (as well
as prospective students) are excited about our great
performance on the Bar. So I guess I should just enjoy it.
But, I think there are many better ways for a student to
decide where to go to law school. And I think there are
many better ways to assess the quality of what gets taught
at a law school. Of course, UDM does really well on those
measures, too. If you want to chat about those--or about
your own specific concerns or priorities as a potential law
student--feel free to give us a call at UDM
(313-596-0287).

Monday April 30, 2007

This has been an important week here at University of
Detroit Mercy School of Law. For the students it is
important, as this week was the beginning of final exams.
But I think it has been even more important for the School
-- as we officially launched our new Veterans Rights
Clinic.

We believe strongly in training our students with hands-on
practical experience, and this Clinic (our seventh, if you
include the Environmental Law Clinic that will be starting
in the fall) provides a great way to do that while also
serving a population that is truly in need.

In fact, this clinic has national ramifications. Its
creation was front-page news for the Detroit Free Press
(DFP Article) and USA Today (USA Today Article)

We have already heard from more than 100 veterans eager to have
students in the Clinic help them with their disability and
other issues. And, I have heard from veterans in Florida,
Washington State, etc. who are praising our efforts.

I speak at Orientation for incoming students about
"training to do well while also being challenged to do
good." This Clinic is, I think, a perfect reflection of
that. Students in the Clinic will receive hands-on
practical experience on a range of issues for real clients.
They will be able to represent their clients, to help
prepare submissions, to investigate facts, to interact with
clients, etc.

And they will be able to serve a group of people who have
served their country, but who now need our help. So I,
like the students, look forward to getting final exams
behind us so that we can focus on handling the many cases
that are coming our way.

Monday April 09, 2007

We are in a pretty crazy time of the year for prospective students. You are visiting schools, juggling offers, making initial deposits, etc. And you must wonder how you'll decide where to attend. Frankly, at this point, I think prospective students start to obsess about the wrong things. You look at all the data--and there's loads of it. For example, some people focus on employment rates. I can understand the impetus behind that, as you want to know that after spending all this money on law school you'll be able to get a job. The most recent data in that respect shows that of all the law schools in Michigan, only two--University of Michigan and University of Detroit Mercy School of Law--had employment rates nine months after graduation above 90 percent. That's nice to know. But, frankly, even though that makes our School look really good, you shouldn't make your decision on that basis. Others look at price and financial aid. Here again, UDM's tuition is below the median for all Michigan law schools, but it's still expensive. Law school is going to be expensive no matter where you go. When you consider the fact that you are making an investment for the next 30 to 40 years, even tuition should not be the lone deciding factor. Spread out over the lifetime of your earnings, you are talking about less than $1000 per year, if that. In some jobs, your earnings during the first several months may more than make up for even significant tuition differences.

Others look at bar passage rates. Here again, UDM did really well: our pass rate for first-time test takers during last July's exam was 93 percent. However, if you want my advice, you shouldn't decide on that basis either.

When you wrote your essays for admission, you probably argued that you should not be judged just by your scores, or by the numbers. I think the same thing applies to law schools. If you didn't think that the LSAT rankings accurately reflected your qualities, why would you assume that law school rankings accurately reflect all law schools' best qualities?

How should you decide? I would suggest that you visit all the Schools where you were accepted. Talk to the students; talk to the faculty; talk to the administrators; sit in on classes. In the end, you should go with what you truly value, with your gut. If you are about to spend time and money on your education, you should at least do it someplace where you think you'll be happy.

Of course, all law schools have different things that distinguish us and of which we're proud. UDM offers a different approach to legal education, one that focuses on giving you both a theoretical foundation and a strong set of practical skills that can enable you to hit the ground running when you apply for jobs. That seems to work really well for our students, but if you don't think you'll like it, you shouldn't come. I encourage you to ask questions and to get a sense of where you are most comfortable.