How Diverse Are The Top-Ranked Law Schools?
In its first annual “Law School Diversity Special Issue,” Lawyers of Color Magazine published a Minority Faculty Directory and analysis of minority representation in U.S. law schools. “We want prospective law students to get to know the minority law professors and compare the level of diversity found at different law schools,” Lawyers of Color staff writer Jamie Brathwaite and publisher Yolanda Young wrote.
Source: National Law Journal | ‘U.S. News’ Top Law Schools Fall Short on Diversity
Continuing Rise in Wage-and-Hour Employment Lawsuits
The incidence of wage-and-hour lawsuits in America rose about ten percent over the last 12 months. This uptick marked the fifth straight year of increased legal action in this area — much of it regarding overtime claims from salaried workers or disputes about time expenditures by hourly workers. Many of these Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements were drafted in the 1930s — well before technology enabled employees to work remotely and at all hours.
“So many regulations under the FLSA were written to cover an economy that we just don’t live in anymore,” said Noah Finkel, a Seyfarth Shaw partner practicing in the area of wage-and-hour law. “Complying with that is hard.”
Source: Corporate Counsel | Wage-and-Hour Suits Up for Fifth Straight Year
Linked-In at 10 Years Old: Social-Media-of-Choice for Lawyers and Clients
Linked-In observed its tenth anniversary this month, and the years have treated this social networking site very well, indeed. For the legal community, LinkedIn’s membership base of 225 million users has made the site an indispensable tool for networking and business development. In effect, Linked-In has become the “go-to” customer-relationship-management (CRM) tool for lawyers, paralegals and the broader business community.
Source: Real Lawyers Have Blogs | Nine of ten executives use LinkedIn often
Sequester-Driven Funding Sought For Federal Courts
In a letter to Congress, the U.S. Judicial Conference has requested a $73 million emergency appropriation to stave off cuts from the Federal Budget Sequester. This emergency funding would protect 550 jobs in public defender and clerk offices, and also would prevent 24,000 furlough days for 5,000 employees.
“The judiciary is confronting an unprecedented financial crisis that could seriously compromise the Constitutional mission of the United States courts,” said the letter. “We believe our supplemental request meets the threshold for receiving an emergency designation.”
Source: Blog of Legal Times | Federal Courts Ask for Emergency Funding
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