Small-group learning, it is suggested, has several benefits for law students that they cannot otherwise obtain. The work of scholars in the social sciences can help to better understand ways in which to structure and facilitate the use of small groups in the law school curriculum. (Author/MLW)

This study of Law School Admission Test (LSAT) performance by selected subgroups has been conducted to provide some baseline information that can later be referenced in a variety of projects and activities. The study provides a detailed psychometric analysis, by selected gender and ethnic subgroup membership, of LSAT Form OLSS1. This form was…

A survey at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School examined student expectations and their fulfillment, career specialization interests, changes in attitudes toward the legal profession, and personality changes. It was found that the desired student maturation often does not occur. Available from Am. Bar Fdn., 1155 East 60th St.,…

Describes a study comparing the level of achievement of nonnative English-speaking students with native English- speaking students in community college law courses in the Toronto area. Reviews studies of the academic achievement of nonnative English speakers. Reports no significant differences in final grades between the two groups. (AJL)

The article presents an econometric analysis of the interrelationships between law school tuition levels, law school quality, law faculty salaries, and the starting salaries of graduates. It then analyzes recent data and concludes that, while tuition increases have outpaced starting salaries, law school attendance is still a good investment.…

Describes need for more Native Canadian lawyers and law students. Explains socioeconomic causes for Native underrepresentation in legal profession. Argues that law admissions policies and requirements for Native students are culturally biased and suggests admission reforms. Describes Program of Legal Studies for Native People at University of…

A survey of 144 first-year law students from 78 undergraduate institutions investigated their level of cultural literacy. On average, students identified 24.1 percent of the 250 test items correctly, with widely varying error patterns by subject. It is concluded that students come to law school without enough factual information about our culture.…

This project evaluated and compared the values used by medical and law students when dealing with ethical dilemmas in the practice of law and medicine. The Professional Decisions and Values Test was given to 77 medical students and 92 law students. Differences were noted on beneficence, professional responsibility, and harm avoidance. (MLW)

Case notes from an Australian law course illustrate linguistic demands that this academic genre places on non-English-speaking background students. These demands need to be explicit to clarify the association between lexicogrammatical realizations and generic meanings in the discourse. Case notes and a reading assignment are appended. (Contains 26…

Examines the teaching methods of David Wilkins, an African American Harvard Law School professor considered an exciting teacher by his students and colleagues. Describes his skill in getting students to attend class, engage in legal thinking, feel comfortable in the classroom, and learn the formal rituals and procedures for the court. (SM)

This book, written for individuals contemplating a career in law, presents insights about the legal profession from 28 of the nation's top lawyers, judges, and legal scholars. Updated to address the critical issues facing the legal profession in the aftermath of the 1980's, the revised edition reflects the changing marketplace for lawyers and…

This manual is intended to serve as a resource book for law professors and program directors who would like to conduct a program for teaching law students to instruct the public in their areas of the law. Over 30 law schools nationwide offer credit or compensation to law students to teach in the community, primarily in high schools, but also in…

Although law professors often say that first year law students need training to "think like lawyers," many law students survive law school by practicing the "skill" of rote memory. It is when they take the bar examination or actually begin to work in a law office that they need the faculty of analytical thinking, for notes must…

A study compared the attitudes toward change held by students preparing for careers as teachers, nurses, medical doctors, and lawyers. It was hypothesized that: (1) education majors are less likely to be open to change than other students; (2) education and nursing ("semi-professions") majors are less likely to be open to change than other…

Despite the myths and the movies, law teaching does little more than the most obvious things for its students. It is a sometimes clever, often boring, initiation rite for the legal profession, and it serves up reams of information about the law. However, the materials of law are the materials of human beings, and these experiences have to be…