Tag: law school

Meet the lawyer who’s trying to flag judges who harass their clerks

Ana R. Cheatwood

Aliza Shatzman is devoting herself to giving judges a hard time.

She spends a lot of time fielding complaints from law clerks, who tell her stories about bullying, gender discrimination and harassment. She said those complaints come from mostly young law school graduates at the start of their careers who have few places to turn inside the federal judiciary to report their concerns anonymously.

That’s why she’s created a database to gather such stories and warn students about hostile situations, before it’s too late.

“The judiciary needs some more people to poke at it,” Shatzman said. “There are far too many judges who are mistreating their clerks and we need to hold them accountable.”

Some 30,000 employees who work for the federal courts are not covered by civil rights protections most other workers enjoy. Congress has proposed expanding their rights, but the judiciary for years has successfully resisted, citing concerns about its independence and the separation of powers. That means courts that hear employment discrimination and retaliation claims filed by workers are themselves exempt from such lawsuits.

A new legislative push to expand civil rights protections could come later this year, according to aides for Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Norma Torres, D-Calif.

Until then, Shatzman’s Legal Accountability Project has been surveying clerks to try to identify problematic situations. She recently launched a database that’s gathered 1,000 such surveys from former clerks, who are encouraged to share anonymously the good, the bad and the ugly experiences they’ve had — even as some of the country’s largest and most prominent law schools resist the effort.

“Law schools have not been held accountable for their role in these problems,” Shatzman said. “They have been sending students to known or suspected harassers for decades.”

Shatzman said she thinks some law schools

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Washington puts new laws on the books to become an attorney

Ana R. Cheatwood

Washington is now the fourth state in the country not to require attorneys to pass the bar exam.

This week, the Washington Supreme Court filed a pair of orders approving alternative pathways for someone to become a licensed attorney. This will be the first time in state history that lawyer admissions rules do not necessitate some form of bar exam to demonstrate competency to earn a law license.

“These alternative methods often include some sort of apprenticeship, actually working in the field under somebody who is licensed,” legal analyst Ashlynn Mejia, told The Gee & Ursula Show on KIRO Newsradio. “The sooner you can get into your field and start learning from people around you, the better off you are going to be.”

Legal analyst on Wash. rights regulating gun control: ‘A lot has changed’

The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ NextGen bar exam addresses many of the identified flaws in the current bar exam by focusing on real-world skills and practice.

“The court’s decisions in adopting the NextGen Bar Exam, a revised cut score, and the alternate pathways to licensure will protect the public, allow law school graduates a choice of modalities to demonstrate their competency, and will immediately help address the severe shortage of licensed attorneys in broad swaths of the state,” Seattle University Law School Deam Anthony Varona told KIRO Newsradio.

Law students now have 3 alternatives to become attorney

Create three experiential-learning alternatives to the bar exam: one for law school graduates, one for law school students, and one for law clerks (who are enrolled in a non-law school course of study).

For graduates, this would entail a six-month apprenticeship under the guidance and supervision of a qualified attorney. During that time, the graduates would be required to complete three courses of standardized coursework.

“These recommendations

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Eric Olson, attorney in Trump disqualification case, is Kentucky native

Ana R. Cheatwood

Donald Trump could be kept off Colorado’s primary ballot thanks in part to a Kentucky native.

Attorney Eric Olson, who was successful in convincing Colorado’s justices that Trump cannot run for the presidency because of his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, was born and raised in Eastern Kentucky’s Elliott County.

“I am very, very proud of my Kentucky connection,” Olson told The Courier Journal on Wednesday, a day after the ruling was issued.

Elliott County is near the Ohio border and has a population of less than 7,000 people. Olson left the state in the 1990s to attend Oberlin College, then Michigan Law School but said he still visits regularly, with his mom and sister still living in Eastern Kentucky.

Olson is the first to successfully argue that the insurrection clause in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution can allow the disqualification of a presidential candidate. The ruling, which would keep Trump off Colorado’s ballot, could ultimately impact the 2024 presidential race.

Olson argued that in Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, he incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, which violated his oath to uphold the Constitution and thus makes him ineligible for political office. He cited Trump’s urging of the crowd to “fight like hell,” and his knowledge of their intentions.

“A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,” the Colorado court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

“We’re thrilled and pleased that the rule of law remains strong in Colorado and in America,” Olson said.

The ruling will likely be challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court, and Olson said his firm will be heavily involved in that case and that he is prepared to serve

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Black lawyer a pioneer in cause for integration

Ana R. Cheatwood

Retired Tarrant County, Texas, District Judge Clifford Davis’ dream of being a lawyer started when Scipio Jones passed through his hometown, Wilton, Ark., while working on the defense of 12 Black men accused of murder and sentenced to death after the Elaine Massacre of 1919.

“He came through our little town and spoke and that inspired me to be like him,” says Davis, who recently celebrated his 99th birthday.

After college and then law school, he worked on school desegregation cases in Arkansas and in Texas, and even worked briefly alongside the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.

College, let alone law school, was not a given for Davis, whose father was a farmer in southwest Arkansas.

The local school only educated students through eighth grade, so the family rented a house in Little Rock so he and his siblings could go to Dunbar High School.

After graduation in 1942, he enrolled at Philander Smith College.

“I’m very proud of the training and experience I got at that Methodist institution,” he says. “Back in those days, they emphasized being gentlemen. For instance, men had to wear a coat and tie in class. We were taught all types of ethics and intelligence and integrity and everybody had to belong to a club and participate in all kinds of activities around the campus, and I did that.”

Davis was involved in choir, the dramatic club and basketball, as well as a civics and government organization.

He might have liked to go to law school in his home state following his graduation from Philander in 1945, but segregation prevented that.

“Back in those days, we couldn’t go, but Arkansas would pay tuition to another school, to another state, where you could attend,” says

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The Future of Social Change Lies in the Hands of Young Black Attorneys

Ana R. Cheatwood

In an era marked by renewed civil rights activism and mass protests, the next generation of leaders isn’t just waiting in the wings—they’re actively shaping the world around them. At just 16 years old, Cayden Brown serves as an awe-inspiring example of this young, transformational power. Yet, he is more than an individual wunderkind. He embodies the urgent need for Black representation in the legal world—a need that is deeply rooted in the history of social justice movements and bears critical importance for the future.

Brown, a student at the Walled Lake Consolidated School District in Detroit, sees himself as a fusion of his people’s collective pain and their enduring resilience. He believes his presence today serves a purpose, not just for him but for the community at large. “There is a need today,” he explains, “I recognize it today. So, I’ll do something about it today!”

“My hope is to change lives. Changing systems is one of many ways to do that and I see that law is one of the most effective. People are silently dealing with so much,” Brown said in an interview with the Michigan Chronicle. “So, when we protest and advocate, it’s a loud cry. It’s a traumatic cry. I was always able to feel that. But I want to go further than simply understanding the pain. I want to eradicate it at the source.”

Like many young Black leaders before him—think Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, Diane Nash, and so many others—Brown understands that change often starts with youth. Historically, young Black leaders have always been at the forefront of revolutionary movements, from the sit-ins and Freedom Rides of the Civil Rights Movement to the modern-day Black Lives Matter protests.

Brown’s journey in juvenile defense law began with the Oakland County Teen Court Program. Despite

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Beyond a miracle: Columbus native overcomes severe brain injury, depression to become successful attorney

Ana R. Cheatwood

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Cameron Fathauer poses for a portrait at The Republic in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, May 11, 2023. In September 2015 Fathauer suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a car while skateboarding. He is now married, has four children and in an attorney in New Albany.

Even after a recovery that many see as miraculous from a severe traumatic brain injury, and even after earning a law degree and launching a successful attorney practice with personal injury clients, Cameron Fathauer still feels a darkness descend every so often.

To clear his head that sometimes fills with suicidal whispers, he finds the silence of a cemetery near his family’s New Albany home. And the former Christian seminarian drops to his knees and cries out to God.

At age 25, an often vigorous time in life when some may feel invincible, the Columbus native is making peace with trials and hardship and hurdles. Major depression and suicidal ideation is a natural spinoff of more severe traumatic brain injuries.

“So much of the Christian life is paradoxical,” Fathauer said during a recent visit to Columbus. “The centerpiece of the Christian faith is a cross and, historically speaking, a cross was a form of capital punishment. It was an ugly, horrendous image.

“And now we put it on our buildings, we put it on our tattoos, we wear necklaces. So how did that happen?”

“Only God could turn such a horrible symbol into something so marvelous that we see today. And it’s a juxtaposition between pain, suffering, trial, difficulty, testing, and then resurrection, life, hope, and eternity. It’s this combination.”

Therein lies a short summary of Fathauer’s life nearly eight years after a skateboarding accident nearly killed him in front of the home of parents Brett and

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Two Dallas Lawyers, One Mission

Ana R. Cheatwood
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In the wet, hot summer of 1984, Dallas City Hall Plaza hosted a full-on beach party, Formula One staged a race in Fair Park, and Splash hit movie theaters. But Mark Whitburn, a shy, bespectacled college kid with a philosophical bent, was headed to Camp Soroptimist in Argyle. He had decided to spend his summer as a counselor at one of the first camps in the country to serve children with disabilities. 

One afternoon, while walking up to the main lodge, he noticed a young teenager with severe cerebral palsy in a wheelchair. As he approached, the boy started making noises and flailing his arms. Instead of dismissing the behavior as an involuntary spasm, Whitburn thought he recognized something familiar. As he got closer, the kid’s wide grin confirmed it. 

He was laughing. At Whitburn.

For the first time in what would end up a lifetime of listening, Whitburn stayed with Sean Pevsner to try to understand what he was saying. The one thing he was sure of was that Pevsner was laughing at his own joke. After spending half an hour with him, Whitburn was finally able to decipher the comment that had tickled his new friend: “Four eyes.” 

While an insult about one’s glasses may not be the best way to start a friendship, Whitburn could tell that he was talking to someone with a sharp, witty mind who not only knew how to laugh but would persevere through any obstacle to make his point, even if it was just for a joke. 

Nearly four decades later, Whitburn and Pevsner are best friends. They run a law firm in Arlington together, advocating on behalf of clients with disabilities. Few lawyers have more lived experience than the pair, who have been in this fight since the summer they first

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Do the Benefits of Law School Outweigh the Price? A Look at the Numbers

Ana R. Cheatwood

Aspiring lawyers who dream of six-figure salaries in their first legal jobs should know that attending a prestigious law school increases the odds of achieving that career goal.

Some law schools have a long history of getting graduates hired by large corporate law firms that offer hefty starting salaries. Among the 183 ranked law schools that reported the private sector starting salaries of graduates in the class of 2020 to U.S. News in an annual survey, 55 schools reported a median salary at or above $100,000.

The 22 schools whose 2020 grads were paid the most in full-time private sector jobs each reported a median salary of $190,000.

Prospective law school students should keep in mind that these salary figures may have been negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic and its related economic crisis.

An employment and salary report from the National Association for Law Placement, NALP, revealed that the J.D. class of 2020 had an overall employment rate of 88.4% – nearly two percentage points lower than the prior year’s class.

But that doesn’t necessarily mark the beginning of a downward trend. Instead, it “is likely to be a pandemic-related blip, with stronger numbers following for the Classes of 2021 and 2022 as the economy around us generally and the legal economy specifically have been booming as the pent-up demand from the pandemic-lockdown’s end has been unleashed,” James G. Leipold, NALP’s executive director, explained in a press release when the report’s initial findings were released in August 2021.

“Fueled by overall private practice growth, students from the Class of 2020 were able to secure jobs at a higher rate than many had predicted. That is good news for law schools, law school graduates, and the legal profession as a whole, and barring any unforeseen bumps in the road, there

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College Classes That Best Prepare You for Law School

Ana R. Cheatwood

In most countries, legal education begins at the undergraduate level. However, few American colleges offer prelaw programs or majors. If you can’t study law at your undergraduate institution, then what courses can you take to prepare yourself for law school and show commitment to a legal pursuit?

Maintaining a high GPA is more important than the specific classes you take, so prioritize the classes that interest you and suit your skillset.

There is no penalty for pursuing your passion as long as you still show intellectual curiosity with a willingness to tackle rigorous academic work. Most law schools aim for a well-balanced class rather than a class of well-balanced students, and law schools don’t require any specific prerequisite coursework.

That said, there are some courses that will show that you have what it takes to succeed in law school. Those subjects include:

  • American history and government.
  • Social science.
  • Statistics and data science.
  • Close reading and reasoning.
  • Communications.

American History and Government

The American legal system is based on precedent, a deference for settled cases. It is also a patchwork of federal, state and local laws, norms and institutions. Without understanding how American government works – or fails to work! – and how and why it evolved into the odd hodgepodge it is today, you may hold myths and assumptions that undermine your effectiveness as an advocate.

Beyond courses on topics like the U.S. Constitution and American politics, consider courses that approach the American experience from alternative viewpoints. Try a narrower view, like the history of a specific region or population, or environmental history, or the history of science. Or try zooming out through a course in comparative politics, international human rights or international relations.

A complex understanding of America’s past and resent will be particularly important if you wish to

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How to Choose a Law School Specialization

Ana R. Cheatwood

It’s perfectly fine for college students to arrive on campus with only fuzzy ideas about their careers. Many U.S. colleges provide a liberal arts education that promotes and rewards intellectual curiosity and versatility. College students often change their major, try out a wide range of courses and deepen their intellect through the cross-fertilization of different disciplines.

In contrast, law school is a professional school. The first-year curriculum is mostly fixed, and the requirements for graduation limit the number of classes that students can take in other schools or departments. Law school is not a rigid path, but there is less room for experimentation than at the undergraduate level.

Thus, it is best for students to come to law school with some sense of their career interests and goals. Expressing clear career goals, even if they are broad or subject to change, is one way to show admissions officers your commitment to law school.

Some applicants, like those with experience in the legal field, may find it easy to explain what they want to do with their law degree. Others may not even be aware of the range of legal specializations beyond those portrayed frequently in popular media, like criminal law, family law and entertainment law.

Law school applicants seeking to choose a legal career path can consider these four tips:

  • Look beyond legal topics.
  • Try out different courses.
  • Stay open-minded.
  • Explore extracurricular activities.

Look Beyond Legal Topics

It’s tempting to think of specializations in terms of their topical focus, like environmental law, labor law or constitutional law. However, a more salient distinction between legal careers is the lifestyle differences across different fields.

Consider the day-to-day tasks and challenges common to each legal specialty. For example, a criminal lawyer may need to think quickly and handle a hectic and unpredictable schedule.

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