Over the last decade, AALS has kept law school leadership, faculty, and staff informed with its weekly Legal Education News Digest and Blogs Digest. Sign up to receive these digests by email.
To keep law school faculty and staff up to date with the latest legal education news, we collect articles on new programs, collaborations between schools, milestones, faculty accomplishments, awards, clinical activities, and special events. You can share news and updates with the editors of the weekly digest here. With the launch of our online platform AALS LENS, we will be sharing a weekly roundup of legal education news, highlighting the most important stories.
Over the summer, AALS will publish “This Week in Legal Education News” every other week. The next article will cover the two-week period ending August 15 and will be released on August 18. Weekly articles will resume for the week ending September 5.
AALS Legal Education News Digest – Two Weeks Ending August 1, 2025
AALS Legal Education Blogs Digest – Two Weeks Ending August 1, 2025
Here are a few articles of note from the past week:
- A National Association for Law Placement survey has found that 2024 law school graduates gained record-high employment. The survey found that the employment the rate increased by .8 percent over the previous year and 93.4 percent of 2024 graduates received jobs within 10 months of graduation. (Reuters)
- The Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform in collaboration with the Conference of Chief Justices has released a report calling for states to look into alternative attorney licensing pathways. The report recommends the measure to remove barriers to public service careers and address unmet legal needs, especially in rural areas. (Reuters)
- The US Department of Education has launched an investigation into Duke University and Duke Law Journal. The investigation comes in response to allegations that the school is in violation of the Civil Rights Act in hiring, admissions, and scholarship decisions. It is similar to other actions the federal government has taken against universities in an attempt dismantle DEI programs with many universities losing funding until they comply with federal demands. (MSN)
- The National Conference of Bar Examiners is testing technology in preparation for the rollout of the NextGen Bar Exam in July 2026. The exam is planned to be entirely online and will require thorough testing to avoid technology issues during the launch. (ABA Journal)
Law School Programs, Clinics and Milestones
- The LSU Law Small Business and Community Development Clinic offers free legal services to non-profit organizations and entrepreneurs. (Yahoo! News)
- University of Miami Law and FIFA partner on International Football Law Summer Campus. (University of Miami School of Law)
- Stanford Law researchers look to create fair and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems. (Stanford Law School)
Law School Dean Moves and Hires
- Eboni S. Nelson reappointed dean of University of Connecticut Law. (UConn Today)
Higher Education
- Multiple universities have reached settlements with the federal government to end cuts to funding and investigations into discrimination claims. Columbia University, UCLA and Brown University have agreed to pay millions to the government to resolve federal probes. Though school officials claim that the agreements were made to protect students and return federal funding to programs, critics argue that the move could set a precedent that the federal government can control private institutions. (Los Angeles Daily News) (Reuters)
- Congress recently passed a federal budget that overhauls the federal student loan system by creating borrowing limits and restricting repayment options. (NPR)