Legal News & Trends
Minority, female law school enrollment climbs
as overall enrollment drops
Despite a decrease in the number of law students attending
accredited law schools, the number of female and minority students
increased in the fall of 1998, according to statistics released
by the American Bar Association (ABA)
Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar Section.
Overall enrollment for juris doctor degrees dropped slightly,
from 125,886 in 1997 to 125,627 in 1998. This drop came despite
the addition of three schools to the list of ABA-approved institutions;
there are now 181 ABA-approved law schools.
At 53.9 percent of J.D. enrollment, men still constitute the
majority of law students. Women, however, continue to gain ground
and now make up 46.1 percent of enrollment, up from 45.2 percent
in 1997 and 44.4 percent in 1996.
Minorities now constitute 20.1 percent of all J.D. students,
compared to 19.6 percent in 1997.
And although overall J.D. enrollment decreased, the total
number of first-year law students increased 1.5 percent, from
42,186 in 1997 to 42,804 in 1998. Minority and female first-year
enrollment mirrored that increase, with first-year women law
student enrollment up 4.7 percent from one year ago, and first-year
minority enrollment up 6.9 percent. Male first-year enrollment
dropped 1.3 percent.
The statistics also reveal that the vast majority of law students
attend school full time. Currently, 82 percent attend full time;
82.3 percent attended full time last year.
Techno Tips
Preventive maintenance can keep your computer
running smoothly
At the State Bar's Annual Convention in June, the seminar
"60 Legal PC and Management Tips in 60 Minutes" provided
attendees with just that - straightforward, easy-to-understand
tips, tricks, and suggestions to maximize your computer's
efficiency while minimizing your effort.
MicroLaw's Ross Kodner offered some common-sense suggestions
on preventive maintenance you can perform on your PC to keep
it running smoothly:
- Empty your recycle bin - it can be a real space hog.
- Update your anti-virus software by downloading new virus
databases or signature files from your software's Web site.
Do this at least monthly in order to detect and kill the latest
damaging viruses that might infest your system.
- Test your data backup system at least once a month. Backup
systems that aren't working properly have the insidious
characteristic of looking like they're working just fine.
Select a few documents and restore them to the system (move the
originals first to a safe folder or a floppy so that you have
an empty area to restore to) and then see if you can access them
- that is, pull up a WordPefect document in WordPerfect.
- Keep your PCs and printers clean. Dust, paper particles,
and other miscellaneous PC-hostile gunk can trash PCs and cripple
laser printers. Use a can of compressed air that you can get
at any office supply store to blow out the crud from inside your
laser printer. Take the covers off your PCs and clean out their
insides as well.
On the Web
Currency converter provides timely exchanges rates
The Universal Currency Converter
contains exchange rate information on more than 175 currencies,
including the Euro, gold, platinum, and silver. Need to know
how many South Korean Wons there are in a U.S. dollar? Simply
highlight the two currencies on the extensive list, click "Perform
Currency Conversion," and you'll get the current exchange
rate - rates are updated every minute. The Interactive
Currency Converter allows you to plug in any date from
Jan. 1, 1995, forward and view the exchange rate for that date.
The site also offers the Currency Update Service, which sends
free daily currency rate updates via email, in the base currency
of your choice.
Pamphlet helps legal service consumers make informed choices
![Figuratively Speaking](/wislawmag/grafix/fspeak.jpg)
Percentage of U.S. elderly who rely upon Social
Security for half or more of their income: 62
Source: Wisconsin Law Review, Vol.
1999, No. 1.
Percentage of U.S. elderly whose only source
of income is their Social Security: 15
Source: Wisconsin Law Review, Vol.
1999, No. 1. |
Should I hire a lawyer? How do I find one? What services can
I expect and how will I be charged? Not knowing the answers to
these questions may prevent potential consumers of legal services
from contacting a lawyer - even when it is in their best
interest to do so. The State Bar Consumer Protection Committee's
new pamphlet, "Hiring
and Working With a Lawyer," answers these questions
and more.
Thomas Zilavy, Consumer Protection Committee chair, says the
committee saw a distinct need for this information. "So
many people don't know the basics of engaging a lawyer.
They also don't realize that they have recourse if they
work with a lawyer and he or she performs poorly or unethically.
This pamphlet allays their fears and lets them know what to expect."
Written by attorneys Mitchell Hagopian, Andrew Chevrez, and
William Slate the publication explains: when you should consult
a lawyer; how to find the best lawyer for your case; how lawyers
set fees; what you should expect from your lawyer and what your
lawyer will expect from you; and what happens if you disagree
with your lawyer's bill or have questions about the lawyer's
conduct.
"Hiring and Working with a Lawyer" joins the State
Bar's 17-pamphlet consumer pamphlet
series, which gives attorneys a low-cost way to dispense
basic legal information to clients and the public. Titles are
available in packages of 50 and are $18 for State Bar members,
$20 for nonmembers.
For more information, contact the State Bar at (608) 257-3838
or (800) 728-7788.
Office Tips
Save money, time and the environment
by recycling toner cartridges
With all the document printing that goes on, many offices
run through toner cartridges for their printers and copiers faster
than you can say "Control-P."
Did you know you can refill and re-use your old cartridges,
rather than buying new ones? According to Milwaukee attorney
Diane Loftus, a company called Environmental Innovations at (414)
358-7760 not only picks up the empty cartridges and delivers
filled ones, but does so for about 2/3 the price of new cartridges.
For companies in your area that recycle toner cartridges,
check your phone book under "Computers - Computer Equipment
- Service and Repair."
Supreme court seeks volunteers for BBE/BAPR
The Wisconsin Supreme Court seeks lawyers and nonlawyers to
serve on the Board of Bar Examiners (BBE), the court agency responsible
for managing admission to the practice of law, monitoring Wisconsin-licensed
attorneys' CLE compliance, and approving courses for CLE
credit.
In accordance with SCR
30.01, five slots on the BBE's nine-member board are
filled by lawyers, the other four by judges, law school faculty,
and the public. BBE members serve a maximum of two three-year
terms. There currently are two openings for lawyers.
The court also seeks lawyers and nonlawyers to serve on the
Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility (BAPR), the court
agency that investigates grievances involving possible attorney
misconduct or medical incapacity. The BAPR board and staff also
participate in efforts to educate attorneys on professional responsibility.
BAPR is composed of eight lawyers and four public members;
each member serves a maximum of two three-year terms. Currently,
there are openings for one lawyer and one public member. BAPR
meets in various locations around the state approximately every
six weeks.
Applicants interested in either agency should send a cover
letter and resume to the Clerk of the Supreme Court, P.O. Box
1688, Madison, WI 53701-1688. Applications will be reviewed for
current openings and kept on file for future consideration.
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