A colleague, Professor Stewart Harris, recently published a piece in The Law Teacher with the catchy title:  “Sometimes, We Really Do Suck” available at http://lawteaching.org/lawteacher/2009fall/lawteacher2009fall.pdf.  (scroll to page 18).  Professor Harris wrote about student evaluations and recommends that professors should regularly look at the written student evaluations and seriously consider how to make changes to … Continue reading So, what did you think of the class? →

On December 7, 2009 at 2-4pm EST, the United States Institute for Peace is bringing together speakers to discuss “The Way Forward in Afghanistan.”  It will be broadcast via webcast at: http://www.usip.org/webcast.html The invitation states: “On Tuesday, December 1, 2009 President Obama gave a major address on Afghanistan, committing additional U.S. soldiers, civilians, and assistance … Continue reading Thoughts on our future in Afghanistan →

Professor Theodore J. St. Antoine will be speaking at Case Western Reserve University School of Law on “Mandatory Employment Arbration:  Keeping it Fair and Keeping it Lawful” tomorrow, November 19, 2009, at 5-6pm (EST).  The lecture will be broadcast live on webcast and be available for later viewing at: http://law.case.edu/lectures.

The next Law & Society Association Annual Meeting is in Chicago from May 27-May 30, 2010.  Proposals for individual papers and panels are due on December 8, 2009. To learn more see: http://www.lawandsociety.org/ann_mtg/am10/call.htm The Law & Society Annual Meeting brings together a wonderfully diverse group of scholars from a variety of fields and countries.  There are … Continue reading Law & Society Association Call for Papers →

A good friend of mine is a journalist in Afghanistan who was in the Hotel Serna in Kabul this morning when it was hit by mortar.  You can read her account at: http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/afghanistan/091028/the-unexpected-hazards-life-war-zone.  The New York Times reported that attack and the deadly attack that same morning by the Taliban at a UN guest house … Continue reading Should we negotiate with the Taliban? →

Last night Jon Stewart did a piece on the Daily Show about the Franken Amendment to the Job Arbitration Bill (reported by Sarah Cole on this blog on Oct. 9). It doesn’t show a strong understanding of arbitration…but it is funny. See http://www.thedailyshow.com/ (under “coming up” and “Rape Nuts”).

The University of Maryland School of Law will hold a symposium on November 6, 2009:   Problem Solving Courts: A Conversation with the Experts. The conference announcement states: Please join us for a conversation with a diverse array of Maryland practitioners and national experts about past, present and future role of problem solving courts in our judicial system. … Continue reading Problem Solving Courts Symposium in Maryland →

Imagine a race for District Attorney where the lead candidates  talk about alternative ways to handle criminal cases, including problem solving courts, and are not simply competing to see who will be “tougher” on crime. This seems to be happening in New York City. The three contenders for District Attorney in next week’s Democratic primary … Continue reading “Meting out justice with sympathy”: The race for NY District Attorney →

James Surowiecki had an interesting piece in last week’s New Yorker describing the endowment effect and the status quo bias and applying them to the current health care debate.  In looking at the endowment effect (when you own something you tend to overvalue it) Surowiecki states: “What [the endowment effect] suggests about health care is … Continue reading Can Bias Help President Obama in the Health Care Debate? →

Hofstra Law School will hold a conference on “Collaborative Law: Opportunities, Challenges and Questions for the Future” on November 19 and 20, 2009. The conference announcement states: “The conference will cover topics in Collaborative Law in the context of legal ethics and professional responsibility, mediation, arbitration and other ADR processes, access to justice and vulnerable … Continue reading Collaborative Law Conference and Call for Papers →