Osler's Razor

Three things are most important to me: (1) Hire some non-Baylor professors; (2) Market the school better. I think it is telling that some of the best "litigation boutiques" in the state have not one Baylor grad; and (3) Add an LLM program in trial advocacy.
 

All of those are very good suggestions, with the possible exception of reducing the socratic method. That being said, I think publicizing PC is the most important thing, its just astonishing how few people even know what it is, let alone truly understand it. And we simply can't do it justice by trying to explain it in a 20 minute interview or in a cover letter.
 

EASILY DONE but not so urgent:
Printers on 1st floor of library.

MOST IMPORTANT:
Tuition relief for service

Diversity - honestly, do no 158-162 LSAT's apply? ASK WHY!

More PRACTICAL (big trial) hands-on criminal practice offerings

Increase efforts by CSO for non-law-review students


BEST IDEA for marketing/exposure:
LLM in Trial advocacy


INEXTRICABLY INTERTWINED TO ALL OF THE ABOVE (except for printers):
Increase grade scale to increase outside job opportunities - balance w/internal standards for probation/counseling/support
 

Increase efforts by CSO for non-law-review students - a little proactive selling would be a good thing.

Increase grade scale to increase outside job opportunities without sacrificing the intensity of the program.
 

Tuition relief
 

My top five:

(1) Tuition relief

(2) Publicize success of Practice Court - 2:59 is right. A cover letter or short explanation in an interview isn't enough to describe the program accurately.

(3) Create more criminal law offerings - here's an example. I know we covered the death penalty in some detail in Sentencing, but I've always thought that an entire class on the death penalty would be a good idea (especially since we're in Texas).

(4) Increase efforts by CSO for non-law review students - if you can't get a job, what's the point?

(5) Create LLM in trial advocacy - I forget who put this idea forth, but I thought it was great!
 

Publicizing PC has got to be the number one priority. I have no idea how to do this. As a current PC student, I can't even explain to my family and friends what I'm going through right now.
 

You didn't mention getting a better building...with better wireless and large cup holders.
 

My Big Five, in order:

1) Publicize PC/market Baylor better. It'll help the CSO do their job and improve our ranking by increasing our rep.

2) Move PC to 2L or at least let people take it 4th or 5th quarter.

3) More practice-oriented crim stuff, esp. hiring a big name practitioner whether a Baylor Grad or not who can still help students find jobs. Also, not forcing crim types to take as many irrelevant courses.

4) Add an LLM in Advocacy. I might even sign on to get one.

5) Reward barristers. It's easy, it'll improve the barristering since it actually involves both positive and negative feedback in the form of rankings, and might decrease some of the bad feelings that crop up every tournament. This is more important than it seems because it is the only advocacy experience many students get outside of PC.

It does seem easy to add some printers. I vote against less socratic method, clinical programs, broadening advocacy participation, and shortening the moot court competition.
 

I think the LLM in trial advocacy is the most brilliant idea imaginable. I would totally sign up.

Love,
Matt
 

All great ideas. None of this will ever be implemented until there is a fundamental shift in the way the school goes about changing to fit the current market and addressing student concerns in a real way.
 

The LLM in advocacy is the best idea I have ever heard. It brings together a lot of the other ideas.

1. It will increase awareness of the PC program - since that would be part of the LLM and the LLM would have to be marketed
2. It will help create more BLS grads who would be able to get the name out to more lawyers around the state (or even country)
3. It will help people get jobs because of the increased awareness of the PC program
4. It will bring in more people to BLS - which always creates the chance for some diversity!
5. It will help attract that 'big name' prof when we can tell him that there are students coming specifically to learn advocacy skills
6. I think there are only a couple of schools around the country that have a trial advocacy LLM, and ours would automatically be one of the best around - thereby creating more recognition for BLS
 

(1) Publicize the success of practice court

(2) Hire more non-Baylor profs.

(3) Hire more full-time profs.

(4) Help Pedro get a job.
 

More full-time faculty. We need an additional civil law professor and an additional criminal law professor. Right now some required classes (Consumer Protection/Remedies) are being taught by adjuncts. This winter quarter, 19 adjunct faculty members are teaching more than fifteen classes. At the same time, many faculty members are teaching only one class. This winter quarter, Guinn, Underwood, Bates, Cordon, Miller, and Quarles are only teaching one class. I have no problem with time off, but the ratio of full-time to adjuct teachers is not good.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal did a major story on law school jobs and law student debt. http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/09/24/the-dark-side-of-legal-job-market/
I would like to see the Board of Regents give more consideration to the fact that, statistically, more than 70% of our graduates won't get top paying law firm jobs. I agree with the earlier posters who suggested a widespread program of debt relief or scholarship for students promising to serve at least 3-5 years in public service or legal aid jobs.
 

As an alum, I think the advocacy LLM is a fantastic idea and I would help in any way possible to make it a reality.
 

Once again, I'm with Dustin.

Love,
Matt
 

I agree that printers are a necessary and quick fix...if the line in the lounge is any indication.
As for Underwood and Bates only teaching one class next quarter, they are both teaching 2 sections of the same class. That doesn't sound like much time off to me...same amount of tests, office questions, etc.
I also agree that 4th or 5th quarter students should be allowed to take PC. The Fall PC class is historically large, however the spring-summer class is usually small and this could help balance.
 

PC in your second year is an awful idea - there's no way that you'd be ready for the program in your second year. You don't have enough substantive background at that time, and the workload is intense. Missing PC for interviews for OCI isn't practical either.

On the other hand the LLM program would be great.
 

The LLM in trial advocacy is a fine idea...but I would also say that the school needs to beef up its research and writing education. My practice is almost entirely based on motions and written briefs - I will never see a jury - and it has been a struggle to get up to a writing level that is on par with what the partners I work for expect. LARC is not enough and the inane insistence on no Westlaw or Lexis is out of touch with reality. There needs to be more, especially for those who are not interested in a jury-facing career.
 

Here are my top three (all having something to do with helping grads get jobs):

1) fix the grading--is it possible to do this for those recently graduated?

2) more students involved in extracurriculars

3a) CSO working harder for those not involved in law review

3b) move PC to second year--the workload of 3rd year makes it very, very difficult to look for and make sure one has a job upon graduation
 

Most Important to Me:

1. Tuition relief, particularly for those going into public service (Oh Dear God yes! I have no idea how I'm going to pay off $160k in debt on a DA's salary)
2. Create more criminal law offerings
3. Publicize the success of practice court
4. Printers on first and second floor of library
5. Create more diversity at Baylor Law. (Out of curiousity, could we do maybe a voluntary survey about diversity here? I'm half Hispanic so I techncially count as a minority, and I'm sure there are others who are more diverse than they look. I'd like to see the %age based on self-reporting.)
 

(1) More full time professors--Baylor or non-Baylor grads, as long as they are quality hires, they will increase the quality of the courses currently being taught by adjuncts.

(2) LLM in trial advocacy

(3) Open PC to 4th and 5th quarter students

(4) Reward the good barristers

(5) Require 1st year students to Witness for PC mini-trials

(6) Printers on the 1st and 2nd floors of the library

(7) New TV and better coffee machine in the student lounge
 

As a recent graduate, I have to say that tuition relief is the most important. I'm 150k+ in debt, and struggling to make it on a DA salary. I love my job, but now I'm forced to make a decision to stick with what I love doing, even though I can't afford to make ends meet, or get a higher paying job with a firm, which would pay enough, but be miserable at work.
 

1) Tuition relief for public interest work is NUMERO UNO. Baylor is still in the dark ages on this issue compared to the majority of law schools. The lack of a tuition relief program for public interest work makes the law school appear as if such work is not valued or appreciated. Awarding one 3-year scholorship every 5 years is grossly deficient. Public interest work is an excellent way to gain experience, but with the tuition and lack of support for such work, who can afford it?

2) Share the wealth in re: moot court, mock trial, etc.

3) Offer more hands-on training for 3Ls (i.e. temporary bar cards)

4) Increase Diversity in student body
 

AZ Public Defender, I agree completely w/ your 3b.
 

Regarding sharing the wealth w/ mock trial and moot court:

If you never make a moot court team, you have at least 5 in-school moot court tournaments you can compete in.

If you never make a mock trial team, you have 3 mini trials, 1 big trial and 1 top gun tournament you can compete in.

The opportunities for experience are there for EVERYBODY. Even if you aren't Law Review, and even if you never make any Baylor team.
 

Regarding PC -

I think that moving it completely to the 2nd year might not be a good idea. I agree w/ another comment that said you don't have enough substantive background by your second year. However, I also understand that many students feel disadvantaged at 2nd year summer clerkships etc. b/c they haven't had evidence yet.

Proposed solution -
Create a 2nd year evidence course (still required of everyone) focusing on the law of evidence. There could even be some mini-exercises. Perhaps WJC could teach this course.

Then, when students get to PC in the 3rd year, the evidence portion could be like an advanced evidence course and focus more on advocacy principles.

Imagine what the PC exercises / mini-trials would be like from the beginning if the students already had a grounding in evidence principles.

Also - sorry I didn't post before the "deadline" for suggestions, but I have to add one. I think the cafeteria hours should be shifted. Current hours are 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. If you have an 8 a.m. class or PC, there's no chance to get breakfast until 9:30 which is a little too close to lunch. Also, that place does hardly any business between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.

Proposed solution - just shift the schedule 1 hour earlier. Make the hours 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Labor costs wouldn't increase and I would bet revenue would greatly increase. Aren't you guys always looking for ways to make money off of us anyway?

Clint
 

Tuition Relief for public service!

Baylor can continue to concentrate on landing big firm jobs for it's top few grads,

OR

Continue to place those tops students (which will happen by virtue of their GPA/ranking regardless of CSO's emphasis) and neglect the majority of their students, i.e., future alums.

Baylor does not need to shift focus onto public service to reap large rewards. But choosing to immediately direct a portion of its wealth (African cherry wood, anyone?) to create a tuition loan forgiveness/repayment program to aid students who go into public service would be a WIN-WIN situation.

Make the program effective in 2008 - retroactive to 2007 graduates (or 2006 if $$ permits) who go into - or went into - public service within 1 year of graduation (or bar passage).

Marketing to Texas governments and agencies would be simple - job opportunities would increase dramatically for the remaining 70% because there are many small county/underfunded agencies that have openings they cannot fill because no one - esp. Baylor grads - can afford to work for $30K-$40K a year under a $150K-$200K debt load.

Results:

Increased competence in public service - ADAs, Public Defenders, Legal Aid, etc.

For those who later (3-5 years) decide to move into firm jobs, increased Baylor presence in those firms by virtue of job experience rather than CSO/GPA.

Those alums/grads who receive tuition forgiveness or loan repayment assistance would be "good alums" - the money-donating, job-offering, internship-providing type that Baylor thrives on.

Increased level of counsel in public service fields.

More jobs - present and future.

Increased Baylor presence & reputation.

Participating/contributing alums.