Reflections from the Dean of Northwestern Law
Welcome friends of Northwestern University School of Law. I hope you will enjoy these observations about our Law School, about legal education and the rapidly changing legal profession, and about (on a somewhat lighter note) the adventures of a new transplant to the City of Big Shoulders.
I welcome your feedback: daniel.rodriguez@law.northwestern.edu
The National Registry of Exonerations
This is a remarkable initiative, co-organized by our Center on Wrongful Convictions and interested faculty at the University of Michigan Law School. Check it out!
A most remarkable American
In Washington DC for the meeting of the American Law Institute (where I was humbled to be elected to the Council yesterday).
Always a great privilege and honor to see our distinguished alumnus, the Honorable John Paul Stevens. Two times with the great Justice. First, he gave a remarkably interesting talk to the ALI, focusing on the “lost” legacy of Bush v. Gore, that is, the central equal protection claim that a narrow majority of the Court (sans Stevens, of course) used to justify the result. He made the intriguing point that, under the Court’s logic in B v. G, that is, that the absence of clear standards justified overturning the Florida court on E/P grounds, then there should be especially close scrutiny of naked partisan gerrymandering. A provocative argument, one expressed by a true living legend, and captured the rapt attention of a large assemblage of America’s great lawyers, judges, and law professors. OK, so I am a law nerd . . . this was quite thrilling indeed.
This morning, a lovely meeting in Chambers with Justice Stevens. Conversation ranging from his grand time at Northwestern (playing bridge in Levy Mayer basement), playing in the Faculty v. Law Review softball game, commenting about NU alum Stephen Colbert (“a very nice man”) asking after old friends, reflecting on some recent lectures at law schools and, get this, asking me what I thought of the Kelo decision. What a privilege, what a joy to spend time with this most remarkable lawyer-judge. Northwestern’s glorious son!!
Seattle alumni making their mark
Our “bus” tour continued through the pacific northwest, with a quick stop in Portland to meet with a remarkable alumnus, Don Washburn, whose work as a corporate officer and lawyer at various top levels (including Northwest Airlines and Marriott Co.) has given great pride to his law school. Then on to Seattle, the beautiful, energetic hub of innovation on the upper west coast. We joined several alumni at a Thursday reception and a small group of alums for breakfast at Perkins, Coie. We also stopped by to visit with one of our distinguished judicial alums, the Honorable Richard Tallman of the U.S. Court of Appeals of the 9th Circuit.
Seattle alums are proud of their association with Northwestern Law and embrace the opportunity to welcome new grads (and even not-so-new) grads to this magnificent corner of the U.S.
(And did I mention that the Copper River salmon season was just beginning as we arrived? If you haven’t enjoyed that delicacy, you are missing out). 
Gone to the Northwest
Off to the Pacific Northwest on behalf of Northwestern. How is that for a twist of phrase?
Will be pleased to be visiting with alumni from Portland and Seattle. More on that later.
Hastings shrinks class size
Interesting article describing Hastings Law School’s decision to slash class size. Dean Wu describes this as an effort to “reboot the system.”
As I visit with Northwestern Law alumni, I am struck by the myriad ways in which law firms and clients are undergoing structural adjustments in order to meet the circumstances of the new legal economy. There is simply no way that law schools are impervious to these structural forces. Indeed, retail success in the law school world of the future will be measured in no small part by the scope and substance of these changes within the legal academy.
Without access to the internal information available to Hastings Law decisionmakers, it is not possible for me to assess the merits of this significant reform. But I can certainly applaud the effort to think boldly and creatively in the face of real pressures.
Comments welcome.
Boston alumni visit
We were pleased to join last week with spirited group of Boston alumni. There is a critical mass — more than one hundred — Northwestern alums practicing law and doing many other interesting things in Boston and elsewhere in the New England area. Home to a vibrant law and business community and, of course, many world-class colleges and universities, opportunities for constructive engagement with our impressive Boston-based alumni and, as well, with prospective Northwestern law students, seem ample indeed!
NU Law alum, Carter Phillips, to lead Sidley Austin
New post for our esteemed alum and premier Supreme Court litigator. Kudos to Carter!
NU Alum named to World Court
Justice Dalveer Bhandari, LLM ’72, previously of India’s Supreme Court, has been elected to the International Court of Justice.
Here is the news report.
Divya Narendra, NU law and business student and entrepreneur
Check out this interview with JD/MBA ’12 (forthcoming!) student.
