Arizona Advocate, Vol. 9, No. 5 (January-February 1975) Item Type text; Periodical Authors Student Bar Association, College of Law, University of Arizona Publisher College of Law, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) Rights For non-commercial educational or personal use only. All other rights reserved. Download date 07/10/2021 17:46:19 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/610991 IINI\'EitSIT\' of i\ltiZftNi\ 1:~t1.1.1~1m ltl1 1.1\\Y vm .. !I ISSIIIl S Ji\NIIi\ltY, l'llllltlli\ltY 197S Committee Studies Babbitt. What's Missing In law Schools by Jim Craft Ad vocate Executive Editor A c o mm i t tee e s ta b l is h e d l ast Novem ber to stud y the quality o f the state's two law schools has begu n its research with a p olling of state bar members. The Ari zo n ~ Board of Regen ts created the committee and an advisory g roup of yet unselected m embers to determine what failings, if any, the bar finds in law graduates from the schools, a ccord in g to commitlee membe r William Kimble, a Tucson atto rney and lecturer at the Arizona College o f Law. A "combination of events" prom pted 25% on Probation Regents President James Ellio tt Dunscath to pro pose the s tudy, whic h h e estimated will require at least nine mo nths to Students Challenge-Grading Policies complete. One of the events was the failure of Grading policy at the University of past, disqualification occurred only after He added, "Students work harder here about 50 per cent of the law graduates Arizona College of Law has been a full year. than in other law schools with which I am who took last February's bar exam . questioned by first year students this Action by the committee at a acquainted . There's a faculty "That shook me up," said Dunseath , a semester after over one quarter of their February 7 meeting resulted in letters commitment here to rigorous training Tucson attorney. class was disqualified or on probation being sen t to 39 first year students on not true elsewhere." He added that figu res over the past following first semes ter. p robation. Figures provided 24.8% of the class had a by Jean English, several years showed a proportionately According t o Professor Arthur cumulative grade average of Below a 2.0 admissions evaluator, ind icate"" that at the low number of Arizona graduates among Andrews, chairman of the Executive ("C"). same point in 1974, only 13 .7% of first the top 20 scorers on the Arizona bar Committee, nine students, or 5.7% of the Law Dean Joseph M. Livermore, who year students were on probation ; in 1973, class, were disqualified for having less has met with students upset over the large 14.8% and in 1972, 18.5%. At the end of than a 1.0 ("D" ) average. This year was numbers in academic difficulty, says he the 1973·74 academic year 6.3% of the Dunseath added that some members of the first that students were disqualified has " no reason t o think the grades first year class was disqualified. - the bar had told him they planned to aftet one semester in law school. In the inappropriate." Minority students, English said , bore recruit from schools outsi de the s tate. the brunt of all disqualifications after last "The report from the committee semester. Of 9 disqualifed first year hopefully will tell the regents what the Economics May students, 2 were minority group lawyers would like from the s tudents - Mean members. A total o f 5 second and third what would make students more year students were also disqualified and 4 attrac tive to Arizona law finns," Cuts In Academic Program of those were minority students. (Cominued on page 1 2) by Bill Bl aser The proposed budget for the College Advocate Associate Editor of Law is up 2.3% from last year's figure. Law Dean JOseph M. Livermore Plans have been developed to allow for a Morgue Investigations reports that the current economic 6%, a I 0% or a 13% legislative cut from downturn may have a potential impact on the proposed budget. The final decision by Margaret McConnell possible homicide and it looks very much law school employment, c urriculum and will be made by the legislature when it Advocate Associate Editor like a homicide and we can think back in admission policies, but that fi nal passes the Appropriations bill in May. An 18·year-old boy and h is twin our experience when we've seen other decisions await legislative budgetary Generally, the impact would affect _brother drove into town from the East to cases which have similar findings that action. employment ; a 6% cut would cause a visit some Tucson acquaintances. The turned out to be s uicides o r a ccidental Livennore was asked what the results "loss" of I professor, 1 secretary and I brothers and their friends went deaths," Dr. Hirsch says. of the general eConomic situation migh.t library staff member. A 10% cut would barhopping and somebody saw one of the (Continued on page 1 J) be on the immediate future of the law result in a loss of two in each category twins take some pills. Later that evening, school. Although he indicated that at this while a 13% cut would eHminate 3 each. the group adjourned to the friends' time it was impossible to tell what might When asked if this c ut in staff would house. In the morning, the young twin happen , he predicted possible be through forced retirements or layoffs, lay dead. ·consequences. Livermore said no. New faculty positions An obvious case of drug overdose, it would not be created and natural losses was called. But when Dr. Louis Hirsch, would not be filled. coroner's pathologist for Pima County, i11sitlc Livermore emphasized that the main performed an auto psy on the young man, effort under any circumstances would be it was discovered that the teenager had AN INSIDER'S GUIDE to Arizona's towards serving the needs o f those suffered a massive heart attack. courts: A pictorial survey of major already at the school. Fall admissions " He had a twin," Dr. Hirsch courthouses likely to be approached by levels are not expected to be affected by emphasiZes. " Both these boys were budding lawyers .. the cuts. adopted and they knew nothing about Page4 Livermore indicated that other their parents. This was important in sofar " PlAt N SPEAKING": This issue possible savings could include dropping as the twin is concerned so that he could presents a new feature - the book under-enrolled seminars or teaching them have his blood checked to see whether he review - for the d81ight and delectlltion in alternate years to prevent their has got elevated cholesterol and perhaps of re"aders. The first takes a look at the complete loss. As well , the number of on the basis of diet avert the continual Harry S. Truman story. seminars per term might be limited to progress of arteriosclerosis. To me this f Page 10 increase the enrollment in those offered. was an extremely interesting case. It CASEBOOK METHOD ABANDONED : There would be no impact o n new shows that we c an do some good for the Southwestern University College of Law courses, but all courses would be living." has just begun a new program designed monitored to insure minimum enro llment Dr. Hirsch has been a corner's to avoid the casebook method and levels. pathologist in Tucs emphasize an integrated approach to the on since 194 7 a nd is teaching of law . Professors may teach more and larger one of about thirty doctors in the PageS classes. Fewer outside resources would be country who is a certified f o rensic used, and internal sources would be pathologist. Forensic in this sense o f the YOUNG LAWYERS in Arizona have an u til ized to fill needs where possible. word means organization that's moving fast . They're " used in a legal proceeding" studying marijuana laws corrections, and Livermore anticipates no other majo r and Dr. Hirsch's task of securing o bjective the bar eJCam for possible reform. changes, emphasizing that the e xtent of medi colegal evidence in traumatic or Page10 legislative action will determine the unnatural deaths is one of extreme future of law school programs. importance to the lawyer. '----------:~~~:---.-.1_ · "Sometimes a case comes in as a photo by AlAn M•tulh Digitized bJ the Daniel F. cr. '"Chio/o L.rw Library; James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona. All Rights Reserved. ~ Sllllllll;lfittll .,- ROOM AT THE TOP? "The Ameri can Bar Associa tion, positions and further investigate All is not rosy fo r new law school graduates wh en it can and to as well as state and local bar and publicize the develo ping areas graduates. In fac t, the national job encourage new developments which associa ti ons and law schools, in traditio n al practice and pic ture for entering lawyers is will utilize their talent. should info rm the public that o the rwise w hich offer n ew becoming increasi ngly grim. The bar and the law school share there may not be suffi cien t opportunities." law students tend to attribute this jointl y the resp o n sibility for positions in the ncar term in some state of affairs to the bar's fear o f inves tigatin g an d publicizing traditional fields of legal practice American Bar Association, competition.