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Res Gestae Law School History and Publications

1990 Vol. 40, No. 4, February 7, 1990 University of Michigan Law School

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Recommended Citation University of Michigan Law School, "Vol. 40, No. 4, February 7, 1990" (1990). Res Gestae. Paper 263. http://repository.law.umich.edu/res_gestae/263

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Vol. 40 No.4 The University of Michigan Law School February 7. 1990 Speaker Discusses Law Firm Commitment

By Steve Chalk expectationsofnewassoclates joining large. to cost at least $70,000 more" In office a year not because they like you ... but Dean Bollinger said Monday afternoon big-city fums. As a beginning associate. space and other overhead. Lambert said. because they think they can deploy you that a chief focus of the new speaker series "you·re thlnk!ng about two types of clients." He added that the total expenses to a fum profitably." and thereby ins ure their own on "Changes in the Practice of Law" Is to Lambert said. "those outside who pay the in employing that attorney means the lat­ paychecks, which reflect the business inform future lawyers about "what It Is. bills. and those inside" who Insure ad­ ter often must generate annual revenue health of the finn. when you earn $90,000 a year, that you are vancement up the career ladder. equalllngat least three Urnes the product of "In the last equation, when that 3: l selling." Early In an attorney's career. Lambert her salary. Based upon a billing rate of ratio breaks down, you're gone," he said. According to Fred Lambert. a Los noted. his or her value to a large finn lies in Sl 00 an hour, an attorney could be ex­ According to Lambert. when senior Angeles attorney who addressed the law the ability to help the firm operate above Its pected to bill at least 2100 hours a year - a attorneys give assurances about future school community :vfonday In Room 250 profit margin - a task that requires a tre­ work load translating Into aboutl2 hours partnerships, the "bottom line" may pre­ Hutchins Hall. the sacrifices offered up for mendous amount of time. and yet surpris­ in the office each day, according to Lam­ vent the fum from holding to that inten­ that monetary reward may be quite high. ingly little In the way of Intellectual chal­ bert. tion. Factors like the loss of lmportant Lambert began by establishing a lenge. Furthermore, "you·re coming Into a personnel and clients. and the need to "rough" guideline for measuring the work "A person who makes $70,000 is going situation that will not really test your remain competitive, mean "there's no way analytic skills,· but will instead confine those people can know what's going to attorneys to time-consuming ministerial happen with their law firms two or three tasks. Lambert said, repeating his mes­ years down the road,· Lambert said. sage about the mentality of the partners at Lambert's suggestions for an attorney large firms: "We've got to keep you busy for trying to gain securtty within a large firm Library Glass Breaks twenty-three or twenty-four hundred hours included mak!ng contact with those who a year." are already familiar wlth the various Idio­ Lambert said the task of working on syncrasies of the job. A large fragment of tempered glass fell attributed the damage to a gradual build­ group projects and performing less Inter­ ·t thlnknetwork!ngwlth fourth or fifth­ from the ceiling and shattered In Sub-2 of up of stress on the glass. esting legal work to justify the finances of year associates can be very helpful.· he the law library addition early Monday eve ­ ·certainly It wasn't struck with a blow," their hiring also removes attorneys from said. ning. According to a library administration the spokeswoman said, referring to the actual exposure and receptiveness to While answering questions. Lambert spokeswoman. reports from workers on more recent Incident. clients. When a lawyer Is working more said he hoped students would use Informa­ duty at the time indicated no one was The fragment, mounted as a perma­ than 2000 hours, "the clients on the out­ tion about working in a large firm environ­ injured. nent fixture with several others near the side don't want those last 100 hours," he ment to lend perspective to the sale pitches "From what I can tell. there was no edge of the balcony. serves as a "smoke said, because that time is ·going to be the firms will otTer. He said law school gives apparent reason," the spokeswoman said. screen" In the event of a fire, delaying the worked between 9 p.m. and 2 in the morn­ many their final chance to be around oth­ She noted that a similar Incident occurred rise of smoke from Sub-2 over the balcony ing." ers In the profession who share their best 8 or 9 years ago. shortly after the opening Into Sub-1. "Irs a slowing-down process," If. however, an attorney at such a firm Interests, and do not simply take the of the new wing, at which time engineers the spokeswoman said. fails to meet this "productivity" s tandard. "business perspective." despite u! cAU~Iio~Jttwork. "you've go~ By contrast. he said. "these recruiters a terrifieA- (rbJlW oftp oli) ~ ~ht~g. are chosen because they sell well.· New Hope for Quadrangle Lambert said. "You're fJg~~.gto 9 By Steve Chalk U /f~i~ law Project Names In the past few weeks. the slnk!ng yearbook could rest in good hands. Jill future of the law school's only recently­ Bernson. a first-year. said her acceptance Ne zH !&Bministrator revived Quadrangle has been buoyed by a of the post Is "kind ofconditional on getting cooperative publisher and the possible support staff." After noticing the Jan. 10 emergence of a new editor for next year. article outlining the yearbook's difficultie::;, By Steve Chalk on file. and about 50 of them active" In the According to current editor Christine Bernson expressed an interest in helping The Family Law Project has a new organization. Drylle, the publisher HerffJones has agreed with the project. she said. administrator, and he says he will soon be Soave said students who are inter­ to a ·pay while you can· arrangement for "I did do a yearbook considerably larger looking for help. ested In the FLP dedicate varying amounts the 1990 book, with the outstanding bal­ than this.· she noted. with the editorship of 1s t-year John Soave was named last of time to the work-as in any legal practice. ance subject to a debt-forgiveness plan. the Hope College (MI) book - a volume week to replace third-year Christine Dry lie the more compUcated the case. the more The yearbook's finances sufiered from a nearly 100 pages larger than the average as administrator of the FLP. which since extensive the commitment. Most of the smaller-than-expected response to the Quadrangle. 1979 has provided low-cost legal services routine background work. however. ln­ stafl's solicitation of law firm advertisers. "Right now. nothing is definite,· for victims ofdomestic violence. Soave said cludinglnitlal contacts with potential cUents as reported in the Jan. 10 Issue of the Res Bernson added. She said she hopes some one of the keys to his tenure may be filllng and preliminary screenings. Is performed Gestae. Drylie said the staff seeks to of the layout editors not graduating in May all of the vacancies left In the organiZation by undergraduate volunteers, Soave said. negotiate a $1000 reduction In the base will rejoin the stafi next fall. and that after this spring. According to Soave, his own role as publishing rate for 1991, thereby enabling enough photographers express an interest 'We're kind of top-heavy right now." administrator will consist largely of man­ that book to sell at cost and eliminating the in contributing to produce the Quadrangle Soave noted. adding that many of the cur­ aging a sizeable budget. He said he hopes concern about another potential shortage one more time. rent case supervisors will be graduating in the FLP can purchase a new computer for of advertisers. Both Dry!Je and Bernson also men­ May. Currently. he said, the FLP has a very next year. thereby Improving Its ability to Meanwhile, If sufficient volunteers tioned the continuing need of a business large representation from the law school organize all of the case materials. come forward. the artistic fate of the 1991 manager for the '91 yearbook. student body. with ·over 100 law students TheRa Gestae·· February 7, 1990 .. Pile two FRoM \HE MGP~E S ~ McHI5TDR'7 /.Ac P'= nr. r~ k ------··--·---- ···-- --- ·- ----. du.c.k~ f"\cCop~.J.ism ( ) n. o. soCio-r·o\i \it/\\ Y· Edllor tn Cldt!f Paw a. Cza:ucota Man.agtng Edllor: r:~ec l'lld S~ s r em i(\ whch veor\ e fo.y Business M

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The Ru Gco

LAsT P'RmAY WAS AN IloiPORTANT DAY for the laW Racism and the Law: Hand in Hand school. It was the day that professors were By Tony Tunnell supposed to tum In their grade sheets for the fall Americans, and many will not even venture to hire one. semester. There Is probably no arena where racism Is more I do not believe that all of this discrimination Is the Many faculty members met the deadllne. e\?dent than In the law. Once they have entered law school product of a concerted effort by a racist society to hold Indeed, some reported grades weeks ago, despite - especially one as prestigious as Michigan Law School­ Afncan Amen cans back. But racism does exist. and our large classes and other ezcuses. We congratulate It Is easy for Aftican-Amencan students to think that the society Is willJng to tum a deaf ear to the problem. Most these professors for not prolonging our grade barriers are down and that they now can proceed down the people will say that they are not prejudiced, and it is likely anzlety. road of legal success on an even keel with fellow maJonty they will not see themselves as racist. But what is the A substantial portion of the faculty, however, students. This could not be further from the truth. difference between those who knowingly go out and prac:. A simple way to see the results of racism In the law Is tice racism and those who see racism and do nothing did not meet the deadllne. For whatever reason to look at the current status of those Incarcerated by the about It? they chose to keep us aU - and our transcripts legal svstem and those oracUclnl! law In the larl!e. oreslll!­ The malorltv ofsocietv knows racism exists, vet it does - ln suspense Indefinitely. ious finns. In our pnsons today. Afncan Amencans make nothing to combat it. Those who are not part ol the The law school is unique at the University of up more than 80% of the population. while In the prestig­ solution are part of the problem. This country was built Michigan ln allowing professors unW February to Ious law firms they only make up a fraction of a percent· on a phJlosophy of racism. and If we do not do everything report grades. Every other department and school age, too lnsignillcant to even calculate. This depressing possible to reject it the tradition will live on. Even the most at the University required professors to turn ln state of affairs can be blamed on many factors other than liberal person is no better than a racist Ifshe does nothing grades by December 24. racism. but I truly believe that disparate treatment, or to help bri ng the races together. Sometimes I wonder how It would be easy to criticize our faculty for racism. is the primary cause. many Caucasian students, here at Michigan, talk about race relations, realize there is problem and then decide to this delay lf it were our law school alone that had I realize that a statement claiming disparate treat­ ment will usually be met by a demand for proof. Therefore, do something about it. l know that I have never been this long tlme lag. However, a survey of our I submit that the status quo of law In the two areas approached by a Caucasian student who wanted to know "peer" Institutions reveals that the slz weeks (or mentioned above Is proof enough that Afncan Amencans what she could do about racism. But I have seen the racist more) we have to walt for our grades is not are not treated equally In the law. It Is no secret that most banners and racist flyers here at Michigan for which unusual among law schools. enforcement agencies treatAfncanAmen cans as potential students were allegedly responsible. When will all the Unfortunately, the delays we ezperlence ln law breakers, and there are countless examples of Black people who disagree with racism speak up? law school say more about the prefession we are people being harassed, falsely accused. and unjustly This Is a sad slate of affairs for a nation that prides going Into than about the professors who teach Incarcerated. Any Afrtcan Amencan or Black person In Itself as the land of the free. People from all over the world us. After graduation we will take the bar eum general will be treated much more harshly than a Cauca· rush to the shores of Amenca for the bounty of opportu­ and then walt months to hear the results. We will sian person accused of an equivalent crime. This legacy nity. but African Americans constantly struggle to merely have careers of firm deadllnes that we must meet of the Amencan legal system has been evident since the attain equal opportunity. followed by seemingly endless waiting for deci­ abolition of slavery. As African Americans. we do not have the opportunl· ties that our fellow majority students have. We may sit sions of judges or responses from the other side. Although the racial impact that manifests Itself In Amen ca's prestigious law llnns Is dUTerent than that side by side with them and perform on the same level, but There are two lessons that we should learn found In our crimJnal justice system. It s till exists. Not our opportunities will be fewer and further between. This while we are waiting for our grades to be posted. many years ago a law firm might simply have said that It does not mean that we should sit back and take what a First, as lawyers we just need to learn to deal with did not hire Afncan Amencans: today It simply says racl.st society dishes out. On the contrary. we must work waiting. In a profession that seems to be Inca· nothing, but the outcome Is not much dUTerent. The major harder than others to attain the same goals - and In the pable of doing anything quickly, lf we do not llnns are rarely going to hire more than one or two African end, the success may be sweeter. learn how to wait productively, we will neither survive nor succeed. We cannot spend our entire legal careers constantly checking whatever Keeping Time "gradeboard" we are currently waiting on. To the Editor: Second, when we are in a position - as The most Important Issue facing the Law School now However, a worse problem dwells In those faculty professor, judge, or whatever - to make some· Is the fact that most professors do not know how to tell members who routinely keep students late. Chaos such one wait, we should remember how Uttle we like time. as this should not be tolerated. We are taught that society to be kept waiting. The power to delay is the Classes should begin tlve minutes after the posted Is composed of a set of rules to abide by. What set of rules power to mate someone miserable. Ifinstead, we time and end at the posted time. Few If any professors Is more lucid than that of a time schedule? If they are not do not keep others waiting, we may make a new abide by'thls rule, leadlng to anarchy. If a professor arrives hypocrites, then the faculty as a group are rude. late, this does not mean that he can go beyond his allotted ally or tame an adversary. I challenge Dean Bollinger and his colleagues to penod. The breakdown In civility Is Insensitive to students reaffirm their beliefin this simple tenet of society or else we J .S.J. and faculty In the next class using that room. Further, are all doomed to continue our lives In confusion. '------..J students will be late, disrupting other classes. David J . Kaufman MULTISTATE PROFESSIONA RESPONSIBILITY EXAM

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PAT WYROD JENNIFER WARREN The Res Gestae -- February 7, 1990 -- page four Diall-900-URA-JERK By Robert L. Jones Few things have ever appalled me as much as these twenty minutes. I'd be klsslng the porcelain long before I'm worried about the future of T.V. morally bankrupt ap peals. Not only do they pander to the the twenty dollars ran out. I know this sounds strange and Irs even stranger to weakest elements of society-the poor. the lonely. and the Some ads are so confident in the gullibility of the hear me say II. Each week. I watch enough television for stupid- but they are incredibly misleading and loose with American consumer that they don't even tell you what at least a dozen people. I watch T.V. whenever and the f'lcts. you'll hear when you call. The ad for one number has a wherever I can. If there's no T.V. around. I watch whole If you've watched T.V.· the past year. you've seen the man desperately entreatlng the home audience not to call. episodes of StarTrek in my head. So how can I wony about commercl.al for the 900 Party Line. A number of reasona ­ "Whateoer you do. don't caU this number: he pleads. I Its future? bly attractive women tell bow they ·call all the time" and imagine tha t when you do. a recorded voice says. "Tills call Over U1e years. we have seen many strange trends in sometimes don't speak but just listen.· The best-looking cost you two bucks. pal. I told you not to call!" . television. In the mid-sixties. It was the rural sitcom of the women says that the number ·es a non-stop party!" Of course. the argument is that this is America and if represented by Green Acres. Beverly HQ/bQUes, Petticoat The only male in this commercial makes the most some unscrupulous company can con some poor sap into Junction and the Andy Griffith Show. In the early eighties, outrageous claim, however. He says that calling the line spending s lxty dollars an hour to talk on the phone. then It was the peculiar, tabloid variety show llke Real People. is "cheaper than going to a bar: Let's figure this one out. that's his right. With that in mind. I now announce my new That's Incredible and Those Amazing Animals. WhJle these If you talk on this party llne for twenty minutes. It 900 number. may have seemed IJke twisted. horrtnc fads (e.;

Crime Doesn't Pay, Part XXXI Apartheid in the Afterlife Burn Baby. Burn PolJce in Las Cruces, New Mexico, arrested Pedro South Africa is serious about Its notorious practice of The Tennessee state legislature is debating a bill Spedalleri for robbing a bank by pulling up to the drive­ apartheid, even after all these years. The South African which would levy a $1 fiile for anyone convicted ofbeating in window, flashing a piece oftubing at the teller from his Justice Ministry recently sent a letter to student leader anyone who bums an American flag. car, telling the teller that It was a bomb, and demanding Caiphus Nyoka at his farnJly home. The lelter warned RG Secret Files money. Nyoka that he was barred from political activity and Volume Discounts He got his money, and made a clean getaway. But Invited him to slate In writing why s uch restrictions A group of lawyers was negotiating a contract In the pollee nabbed him shortly. It seems that just before should not apply to him. Caltfornla. One lawyer asked, "Should we Insert a provi­ he pulled the bomb out, Pedro was cashing a check at the Caiphus Nyoka was shot to death In 1987, during a sion for reference of disputes to 'rent-a-judge'?" window. In the process, he left his driver's license in the pollee search of his home. PoHce said they shot Nyoka 12 Another lawyer. a native of Chicago, replied. "That teller's service drawer. times when he appeared to reach for a weapon. shows how clviltzed Caltfornia is. In Chicago. you have The New Times, March 29, 1989 The New Times. March 29, 1989 to buy judges." ABA Jownal. July 1989