Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Ohio Supreme Court Will Soon Swear in 250 More Lawyers

The Ohio Supreme Court will soon be swearing in 250 lawyers. According to the Court's press release about the results of the Feb. 2012 bar exam in Columbus:

"Out of 397 applicants, 250 applicants (63 percent) received passing scores; out of 224 first-time applicants, 79 percent received passing scores. This year’s February bar exam results for all test-takers compare favorably to previous years, which saw 69.77 percent receiving passing scores in 2011, 65.6 percent in 2010, 61.2 percent in 2009, 65.5 percent in 2008 and 63 percent in 2007."

The Court has also posted the list of all the successful candidates' names.

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor and OSBA President Carol Marx Have Issued Video Messages in Remembrance of Law Day Today

President Eisenhower 1st established Law Day in 1958. Ten years later, in 1968, Congress recognized May 1st as the official day to celebrate Law Day. Today, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor has issued a video message in remembrance of Law Day. This year's theme is “No Courts. No Justice. No Freedom."   Expounding on this theme, Justice O'Connor states that:

“This Law Day is an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to ensuring that our courts are properly funded... It is an opportunity to see to it that access to justice is universal; that the courthouse doors are open to all; and that we always have fair, impartial, and peaceful venues to resolve our disputes.”

Ohio State Bar Association President Carol Marx has also issued a video message and a written statement, both with a theme similar to Justice O'Connor's.

Lawschooltransparency.com Provides Key Financial and Job Placement Information for Potential Law Students

Lawschooltransparency.com has launched a new database that provides key financial and job placement information for potential law students. I compared the numbers for Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland-Marshall to see how local grads are doing. Case currently costs $42,564 compared to CM at $27,204. Barring scholarships and grants, Case 2015 grads face $228,904 in debt, compared to $157,010 for CM grads. Interestingly, however, their employment statistics are pretty close at 64.6% for Case and 62.9% for CM. However, the website reports more under-employed lawyers (i.e., unemployed, part-time or in non-professional jobs) at Case (31.8%) than at CM (22.5%). The final statistic I compared was location of employment, and 53.6% of Case grads stay in Ohio, compared to 96% of CM grads.

Click here for a good article about this new database from law.com.

"Paralegals are fastest growing sector of nation's legal profession"

According to the Daily Reporter, paralegals are the "fastest growing sector" of the United States' legal profession. According to the Director of graduate law and paralegal programs at Capital University Law School in Columbus:

“Access to justice is such an important issue and the work that a paralegal does is what is making a dent in that access...As we become a more litigious society, paralegals are one of the links to justice.”

These comments debunk the stereotype that paralegals are still "souped-up secretaries."

Latest Stats Show Law Grads with Mounting Debt and Few Job Prospects

An article in today's Columbus Dispatch really paints a bleak picture for Ohio law school graduates. Except for their debt (which is up), every conceivable statistic is down, including the number of paid summer internships, starting salaries, and employment rates for new lawyers. Students who might have otherwise decided to go to law school may be taking these hints to heart because over 20,000 fewer individuals took the LSAT. The article includes an ongoing debate over whether the U.S. has too many lawyers compared to an insufficient number of doctors. Interesting reading!

Law Firm Mergers Are on the Rise

Legal Current has reported that domestic law firm mergers rose 67% in 2011 compared to 2010 figures. There were apparently 45 mergers last year versus 27 in 2010, and a study by the Hildebrandt Institute predicts that the trend will continue this year. Click here to read the entire Merger Watch report.

New Study Reveals Employment Figures for 2010 Law Grads

In a very detailed article, complete with supporting data and statistics, Capital University Law School Adjunct Professor Jason M. Dolin, paints a bleak picture of how 2010 law graduates are faring in the workplace. Compared to higher statistics he reported for 2009, Mr. Dolin states that only 40.3 to 67 % of law grads obtained full-time work that required a JD degree, although the stats are higher if you include part-time work. Mr. Dolin also provides detailed information for all of Ohio's law schools and the percentages of graduates employed in private, small, solo, mega practices. Interestingly, he reports that the national average law school debt is $68,827.36, while Ohio grads finish law school with an average debt ranging from a low of $58,455.00 to a high of $81,408.00. The article is definitely worth a read.

Ohio Supreme Court Will Soon Permit Insurance Law Specialization

Starting October 1, 2011, the Ohio Supreme Court will recognize a new area of specialization in insurance law. According to the Court's Commission on Certification of Attorneys as Specialists, “Insurance Coverage Law is the area of law involving issues between insurers and policy holders concerning the rights and responsibilities that arise under insurance policies.” For more information, read the Court's Press Release. The text of the specialization area amendment is also available from the Ohio Supreme Court.

Ohio Attorneys Must Register by Tomorrow, September 1st, or Pay Late Penalties

Tomorrow is the due date for Ohio attorneys to register with the Ohio Supreme Court for the current biennium.  All Ohio attorneys (and non-Ohio attorneys registered for corporate status) have to do this every odd-numbered year. The cost is $350 again, and the penalties for failure to register range from a late fee of $50 to suspension from the practice of law. For more information, including how to register online at the last minute, click here.

Cleveland Law Library Board President Joseph Gross Installed as CMBA Trustee

The Cleveland Law Library Association would like to congratulate its Board President, Joseph Gross, who was installed as a new Trustee of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association at its annual meeting on Friday, June 10, 2011. Mr. Gross is a partner at the Cleveland office of Benesch Friedlander, and he is Board certified by the Ohio State Bar Association in Labor and Employment Law.