Friday July 27, 2007

Here's a quick question for you: Which one Michigan law
school with multiple first-time test-takers can boast a
pass
rate on each of the last two bar exams of 90 percent or
over.

If you guessed, University of Michigan Law School, you're
wrong. The answer is University of Detroit Mercy School of
Law.

That's right. For last July's exam, 93 percent of UDM
graduates passed on their first try. And we just received the final
results for this past February's exam. While the statewide
average for first-time test takers was 80%, UDM's pass rate
was 90%. (If you're interested, no other Michigan law
school with multiple first-time test takers scored above
81%.)

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I think prospective
students spend too much time asking about these kinds of
numbers. While I'm certainly pleased that our graduates
have done so well, I honestly don't think they tell you
about what law school will be best for you.

And, as Dean, I see so much about University of Detroit
Mercy School of Law that cannot be captured in any set of
numbers. There's our International Opportunities Program,
under which between 15 and 20 of our students who just
completed first year are studying abroad this summer --
with the benefit of some funding from the School to help
defray their travel expenses. There's our new Veterans
clinical program, which has received national press and
offers an opportunity for students to sharpen their
practical skills while helping this very deserving
population.

There's the student in our Immigration Law Clinic who had
the opportunity this past year to argue a real case in
front of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.
Or how about the students who are now summer associates at
law firms like Shearman and Sterling or Paul Hastings in
New York; Mayer Brown or Jenner and Block in Chicago; and
so many other places around the country. How about the
approximately 80 students who are serving as Externs this
summer working for judges, prosecutors, non-profits, or
elsewhere while getting school credit. Or the 9 students
who received $4500 fellowships each to work in public
service this summer.

Then there are the dozens of students on our external Moot
Court teams who have an opportunity to interact with
experts in their fields around the country. Not to mention
the over 50 students who finished their first year in May
and are now preparing to be inducted into our Dean's Honor
Society.

Whether it's our innovative curriculum which has been
featured in so many national publications (see our website
home page for links to some of them, including The Wall
Street Journal, the National Law Journal, and USA Today) or
the many national firms now working with us on our Law Firm
Program, there's a lot more to any school than numbers
alone can tell you.

Students quickly discover that when they arrive for
orientation. And it becomes more and more evident
throughout the year. So, while based on the bar passage
numbers, we sure are doing well, I urge you to look beyond
them to really find out about our school -- and others you
might be considering as well.

Tuesday July 17, 2007

There are certainly some important changes underway in
legal education in US law schools. That's made crystal
clear by the recent article "Re-enginnering the JD Degree"
which appeared in the July issue of the ABA Journal, which
is the national publication of the American Bar Association
and is read by thousands of lawyers around the country.

In describing innovative curricular changes at key law
schools, the Journal article focused on seven law schools
around the country: Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, Penn,
Drexel, and the University of Detroit
Mercy.

Given all the attention that our distinct model of legal
education has been getting recently (from The Wall Street
Journal, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and the National
Law Journal, to the ABA Journal and USA Today, to name a
few), I am hearing from more and more attorneys around the
nation. Their comments have been very supportive as they
confirm that traditional legal education has not done a
particularly good job in preparing students to practice as
attorneys.

Students starting in the fall at University of Detroit
Mercy School of Law will enjoy the benefits of our now
nationally-recognized new model. The model includes our
new "Core Concepts" course in the first year, during which
students are introduced to a range of analytical techniques
and more hands-on problem solving. By discussing actual
fact patterns that cut across the different first-year
topics, students should be able to see better how the
concepts taught in each first-year class apply to real-life
problems.

Starting in their second year, students will benefit from
our extensive clinical program -- in fact, all of our
students will take either a clinic or an externship while
at the school. The list of clinics continues to expand,
including our Urban Law Clinic, Immigration Clinic,
Appellate Advocacy Clinic, Mediation Clinic, Criminal Law
Clinic, Environmental Clinic (starting next year), and our
new veterans clinical program as well.

Students will then be well-prepared for our third year "Law
Firm Program" in which they will work on simulated complex
corporate transactions of the types of national firms
generally handle. This is perhaps the part of our new
model which has gotten the most national attention, and I
keep hearing from partners in major firms across the
country about what a step forward it is. In fact, many of
those firms are now working with us to develop different
more specialized courses in the Law Firm Program.

Of course, it's always nice to get good press and to be
recognized as a national leader. But what brings me real
joy as Dean is seeing our students prepared in ways that
give them a real advantage in the marketplace for jobs.

Given all the changes underway in legal education, I think
prospective students trying to decide where to attend law
school need to ask themselves about how well the curriculum
under which they study today will help prepare them for the
jobs they will be seeking tomorrow.

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).