Marquette Has No Place on the New Moss Law School Rankings (Thankfully)

My former colleague Scott Moss (now teaching at Colorado Law) recently posted his Moss Law School Rankings.  Harvard and Yale took the top spots, but you may be surprised by the remainder of the top 10.  

#1: Harvard (7 points)
#2: Yale (4 points)
#3: Tulane (3 points)
#4: NYU (2 points)
#5: Georgetown (2 points) 
#5: Cincinnati (2 points) 
#5: Rutgers (2 points) 
#5: Pepperdine (2 points) 
#5: Louisiana State (2 points) 
#10: Fordham (1 point)
#10: Washington & Lee (1 point)

After the list, Scott explains his methodology.

Continue ReadingMarquette Has No Place on the New Moss Law School Rankings (Thankfully)

Appreciating Our Professors: Robert F. Boden

When I applied for admission to Marquette Law School in the fall of 1971, my application was denied because over half of my undergraduate coursework was ungraded, a consequence of the policy at the Residential College of the University of Michigan from which I graduated.  Upon being admitted to the Law School when my application was reconsidered, the lowest grade I received was in Professional Responsibility.

That I am a Professor of Law at Marquette University with particular expertise in legal ethics is due in large part to Dean Robert F. Boden, who caused my application for admission to be reconsidered, who hired me during my third year of law school, and who assigned me as a junior faculty member to teach Professional Responsibility even though he gave me my lowest grade in law school when I took that course from him. 

Marquette had some great law teachers in my era as a student (1972-1975). 

Continue ReadingAppreciating Our Professors: Robert F. Boden

Appreciating Our Professors: Chuck Clausen

Although I had many teachers who played a significant role in my development as a lawyer, a judge, and now a law professor, Professor Chuck Clausen most profoundly impacted me. His love of teaching and his unwavering commitment to his students came across in everything he did.  Chuck believed in the goodness of all people and wanted to be sure that all of us demonstrated our own personal goodness in our legal careers. He was committed to the responsibility of lawyers to help others, particularly the poor, in every way that we could.

I was fortunate enough to have Chuck for a few classes and to have him as a faculty advisor on some moot court work that I did. What I loved about Chuck is that having a conversation with him was like speaking to a renaissance man. He was so knowledgeable and engaged in so many different areas of life and of the community that I always learned something new when I was around him. His enthusiasm for life was infectious.

Because of my deep admiration for him, we continued to have contact after graduation. He truly became one of my most trusted advisors.

Continue ReadingAppreciating Our Professors: Chuck Clausen