Earlier this summer, I attended a talk by David Brooks at the Chautauqua Institution in New York.  (Quick aside: The Chautauqua Institution is as close to heaven as any place I have ever found.  How’s that for an endorsement?)  During his talk, David Brooks told the audience that there are, apparently, more Americans who own … Continue reading Ferrets, Fox News, and Framing →

Herbert Kritzer has posted The Antecedents of Disputes: Complaining and Claiming on SSRN. The article is a compendium of empirical research into the “naming, blaming, and claiming” process that leads to disputes. (See Felstiner, Abel, and Sarat, The Emergence of Disputes: Naming, Blaming, Claiming . . .) It goes much deeper than the usual disputing … Continue reading Kritzer on Complaining & Claiming →

I learned earlier today that Grande Lum has accepted a position in the Small Business Administration, directing the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUB Zone) program.  A brief article appears here.  The HUB Zone program has faced a considerable scrutiny in recent years for some of  its practices, and I think it’s safe to say that … Continue reading Grande Lum (Hastings) to the Obama Administration →

I wonder if anyone can direct me to simulations / roleplays that take place in a criminal law setting.  I used one out of the PON Clearinghouse a long time ago, and I know of a second one.  Neither quite fits my purposes for this coming year, and I wonder if anyone out there has … Continue reading Simulations in a Crim Law setting ? →

Harvard’s Laurence Tribe is currently serving as a senior counselor in the Justice Department on access to justice. Last week he addressed the nation’s state chief justices at their annual conference, where he gave an impassioned plea to reform “a system in which the deck is stacked in favor of those who already have the … Continue reading Tribe on Private Dispute Resolution and Access to Justice →

Many lawyers seem to be constantly questioning whether they can be happy as lawyers.   A new book, The Happy Lawyer:  Making a Good Life in the Law takes a comprehensive look at this question and concludes that yes, it is very possible to be a happy lawyer.  Professors Nancy Levit and Douglas O. Linder do a … Continue reading Can Lawyers be Happy? →

Susan S. Raines, Director of the Master’s of Science in Conflict Management Program at Kennesaw State University in Georgia send around a notice earlier today that they are looking to make an entry level hire in their graduate program. According to the description: Minimum qualifications at the time of appointment include a Ph.D. in conflict … Continue reading Kennesaw State is Hiring →

I got my copy of the ABA Journal today with it’s list of the 25 greatest fictional lawyers, excluding Atticus Finch.  This kind of frivolity is good for competing with People Magazine for airplane reading, but not much else.  Later in the magazine, the Journal makes up for that by listing the 2010 ABA Award … Continue reading Kudos to the ABA Journal →