LSU law school boosts scholarships
Breaking Legal News
As the number of law school applicants decreases in Louisiana and nationwide, LSU is upping the ante on its scholarships for law students to keep the “best and brightest” in Louisiana.
The LSU Board of Supervisors approved increasing the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center’s scholarship dollars more than 40 percent to about $1 million for the coming school year during board meetings this week at LSU-Shreveport.
The increase is part of the law center’s new “Louisiana Distinguished Public Service Scholars” program that will ultimately be funded by LSU tuition and fee increases, although the tuition proposals are still pending, LSU Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss said.
With about 570 law students at LSU, Weiss said this new program is necessary “to maintain our current student demographics, much less enhance them, which is my goal.”
The new scholarship money is intended for the best in-state applicants who show an interest in legal public service, which is meant to coincide with LSU’s burgeoning clinical legal education program, according to the scholarship proposal.
Not only is more clinical education being demanded for continued American Bar Association law school accreditation, but it provides students with more real-life legal experience with clients apart from standard internships.
Although more money will be awarded to students, Weiss said LSU may not need to use the full $1.03 million scholarship allotment approved by the LSU board.
As for tuition, Weiss said, “We’re being limited by the budget we currently have.
“To put it bluntly, we cannot do what we need to do &hellip without a tuition increase,” Weiss said, noting that LSU’s tuition is below its peers.
Quoting LSU System President John Lombardi, Weiss added, “Money matters.”
Mike Gargano, LSU System vice president of student and academic support, called the plan a “significant” and necessary increase for scholarship funding.
Nationally, the number of law school applicants decreased from nearly 97,000 in 2003 to just 80,000 last year, Gargano said.
At LSU, law school applications dropped from 1,845 in 2003 to 1,299 last year, he said. Then there is the issue of Louisiana’s decreasing population.
With fewer students to choose from, Gargano said “the competition for students becomes that much more fierce.”
The scholarship adjustment is needed “to better confront these national dynamics,” he said.
Weiss also announced the hiring of Indiana University clinical law professor Robert Lancaster as the new director of LSU’s clinical legal education program.
Lancaster is a 1993 Tulane Law School graduate.
Related listings
-
Kansas AG asking judge to dismiss redistricting lawsuits
Breaking Legal News 03/09/2022Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking a Wyandotte County judge to dismiss two lawsuits filed over new Kansas congressional district lines enacted by Republican lawmakers. Schmidt’s request Monday came three days after the Kansas Supreme Cour...
-
Tunisian trial shines light on use of military courts
Breaking Legal News 11/24/2021A few days after Tunisia’s president froze parliament and took on sweeping powers in July, a dozen men in unmarked vehicles and civilian clothes barged into politician Yassine Ayari’s family home overnight and took him away in his pajamas...
-
International Criminal Court to probe abuses in Venezuela
Breaking Legal News 11/09/2021The International Criminal Court is opening a formal investigation into allegations of torture and extrajudicial killings committed by Venezuelan security forces under President Nicolás Maduro’s rule, the first time a country in Latin Am...
USCIS Issues Clarifying Guidance on NAFTA TN Status Eligibility for Economists
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it is clarifying policy guidance (PDF, 71 KB) on the specific work activities its officers should consider when determining whether an individual qualifies for TN nonimmigrant status as an economist.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) TN nonimmigrant status allows qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to temporarily enter the U.S. to engage in specific professional activities, including the occupation of economist. The agreement, however, does not define the term economist, resulting in inconsistent decisions on whether certain analysts and financial professionals qualify for TN status as economists.
TN nonimmigrant status is intended to allow a limited number of professionals and specialists to work temporarily in certain specifically identified occupations in the United States. This updated guidance provides USCIS officers with a specific definition of one such category – economists – allowing them to adjudicate applications in a way that complies with the intent of the agreement. This policy update clarifies that professional economists requesting TN status must engage primarily in activities consistent with the profession of an economist. Individuals who work primarily in other occupations related to the field of economics — such as financial analysts, marketing analysts, and market research analysts — are not eligible for classification as a TN economist.