The Legal Economy: a View from Boyd Career Services

With all the discussions about the economy and how it's affecting hiring, WWL thought it would check in with the person who gets paid to keep an eye on the legal economy in Vegas: Cynthia Asher, Director of Career Services for UNLV's Boyd School of Law.

We asked her a few questions and she was kind enough to give us her thoughts:

What's your take on the state of the legal economy in Las Vegas?

The LV legal market as a whole has slowed down along with the rest of the economy but we seem to be doing better than the primary markets. We've
seen some layoffs and movement between firms but nothing like what we've seen in
CA, for example. Some practice areas are at a standstill but we're seeing a lot
of job postings by personal injury and insurance defense firms.

How are recent Boyd graduates doing finding work in the current market?

We're still getting in data on this year's graduating class at Boyd but the
numbers appear to be right on track with last year's placement numbers. We'll
know for certain in February (the deadline for reporting placement data to NALP)
so please check back with me then and I'll be happy to share them. The number of
judicial clerkship placements for the Class of 2009 came up a bit with a few
more federal court placements than in prior years.

[Editor's note: according to Boyd's website, the Class of 2008 had a 93.6% employment rate 9 mo. after graduating with 77.9% having a job offer before graduation; 83% of the 2008 class was employed in Nevada (stats here thanks to Anon)]

Has Boyd's jump in US News rankings opened the doors to more employers or new markets for Boyd students?

I think it's too early to know if our improved US News ranking will cause
out-of-state employers to take notice. Larger out-of-state employers in the
region already interview on-campus but I'm interested in seeing if some of the
smaller firms start to do so as well. For the 2009-10 year, we are focusing our
efforts on creating opportunities for Boyd students outside of the state
(Portland, Seattle, SLC, Sacramento, Denver, etc.).

Seems like the verdict's still out on how hard it's been for 2009 Boyd grads to find work, but those looking for work should have take heart. Apparently, the inability of Vegas drivers to drink coffee, change the radio station, text their friend and drive all at the same time means personal injury and insurance defense firms are still hiring.

Fun With The Boyd InfoServe

From time to time we here at Wild Wild Law receive tips from current law students attending everyone's favorite second-tier punching bag, our own Boyd School of Law. The majority of these tips refer to postings on the school's InfoServe, an inter-school email system that can be posted to by any student or faculty member, and is subsequently forwarded to ALL students and faculty.

We begin this series with the sad, sad tale of a law student whom, despite apparently making it through his 1L year, still failed to "get it." From the aforementioned InfoServe:

Hello students,

I am a 2L and want to purchase or trade for outlines in the following classes:

Professor Lazos' Constitutional Law II

Professor Grant's Real Estate Finance Law

Professor Gordon's Employment Law

Like you, I am about to finish my outlines for the semester. However,
due to a less-than-desirable GPA last year, I want to augment my
chances of higher grades by studying others' outlines for a different
perspective on the material. I am offering $50 cash for an outline in
any of these classes. Alternatively, if you want to trade outlines
(including my Anderson's Bus Orgs outline), we can just do a
one-to-one trade if we each find the other's outline sufficiently
comprehensive.

Outlines must be completed and ready for trade in person on campus (or
another mutually-agreeable location) by 1:00PM (PST) on Wednesday,
November 26th. I reserve the right to view the entire outline(s)
and/or compare to the syllabus to ensure comprehensiveness for up to 5
minutes before I decide whether to finalize the purchase. Payment
will be made in cash immediately after the complete outline(s) is/are
successfully sent as an attachment to my email address and opened by
me to ensure the correct document was received. If I do not make
payment at such time, you have the right to assault me until I pay.
That is, of course, a joke, as such a right is precluded by public
policy, regardless of consent. If interested, please email me the
following:

1. Subject line: "Outline for [class and teacher]",

2. The first page of the outline's content,

3. A word count for the document, and if it is not complete, an
estimate of how complete it is,

4. The date the outline will be finished (if not complete already),

5. Whether you are taking the class this semester or took it
previously (in such case, include what textbook(s) was/were used), and

6. Whether you prefer cash or a trade.

I have no qualms about paying a single person $150 for the three
outlines if each is thorough and comprehensive. I prefer Word
documents. I highly prefer outlines from this semester but may
consider previous semester outlines.

Finally, at your option, I am willing to sign a contract, created by
you (but perhaps blue-pencilled by me), stating this is a single user
license and may not be used commercially or for purposes other than my
own personal (1) exam preparation and use during the exam (if
permitted), (2) bar preparation, and (3) general knowledge.

Thank you, and good luck with your exams.

[name redacted]

I appreciate the generous souls who offer their outlines for free, but
I prefer to compensate you for them. If you don't hear from me, thank
you for interest but I have chosen another outline. By making me an
offer, you certify you are the owner and creator of the outline(s) and
have the right to sell or license it/them. Furthermore, you certify
the finished outline is complete and comprehensive to the best of your
knowledge, and covers all materials covered this semester in and out
of class, as well as all materials you have reason to know should be
tested on the exam, for the corresponding class.

Well, he certainly was detailed and thorough, two attributes that should one day make him very attractive as a faceless document review monkey at an insurance defense firm junior associate. Perhaps some of our more experienced readers can offer this young whipper-snapper a little advice in the comments. Good luck to you, my friend, good luck.

Thanks to DS for the tip!

Weekend Roundup

The RJ reports about the Innocence Project at the Boyd School and the law student, Lucy Flores, who helped start it. (Review-Journal) Through the program, students investigate the crimes for which a defendant has already been convicted in the hopes of proving the person's innocence.

Meanwhile, one defendant who was pronounced innocent, but most people think is guilty (O.J.) is ready for his second trial. (Review-Journal). His co-defendant, however, is appealing to the NV Supremes for a separate trial or a delay in the hopes that either procedural maneuver would prevent his being found guilty by association with O.J. (Review-Journal)

Congratulations to Jason Jeskey, who was hired as an associate by Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (Review-Journal) and Deanna Brinkerhoff who was hired as an associate by Holland & Hart (Review-Journal).

Friday Roundup

The Nevada Supreme Court denied the Motion for a Stay of the O.J. trial [pt 2] brought by O.J.'s co-defendant a.k.a. That Poor Soon to be Found Guilty Bastard. (ESPN) So the trial will start Sept. 8. (Review-Journal)

Congratulations to the Latino law student organization at Boyd School of Law: La Voz won Law Student Organization of the Year from the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Trouble at UNLV's Boyd School of Law

An article in last week's In Business Las Vegas suggests that state budget cuts could send UNLV's Boyd School of Law "into a free-fall, causing the Boyd School of Law to drop out of national rankings, lose vital community legal aid programs and leave students paying much more for a lot less education." The law school has already increased tuition from $9,800 last academic year to $20,000 (in-state) in 2011.

In Business Las Vegas reports:

[Tuition] increases were proposed to bring the law school's tuition on par with similar law schools across the West. They would enable the school to fund further growth in faculty, staff and other essentials.

The goal was to make the Boyd School one of the best law schools in the country.

But the combination of higher tuition and decreased state funding could turn the now
well-regarded Boyd School into a "diploma mill," informed sources said. Diploma mills, which are usually privately owned, accept law school applicants no one else will admit, often charge very high tuition, and have high rates of attrition and low rates of bar passage.

If this were to happen, the community service mission currently at the core of Boyd School's curricula would likely disappear along with a top 100 ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

Nevada Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, executive director of Clark County Legal Services, has suggested that the budget would change the nature of Boyd School, eliminating the school's innovative legal services programs and altering the curriculum. She suggests the changes would result in fewer Las Vegans going to law school here and a reduction in pro bono services provided to Nevada's poor.

Ouch. Boyd School just recently lept into the Top 100 law schools. If the cuts are as drastic as projected, the school may drop through the rankings like a rock. Combine that with an $11,000 increase in tuition and I'm not sure who's going to enroll.

Old malpractice suit against Judge Miley and her prior firm to be unsealed

In 2005, as Family Court Judge Stefany Miley was being sworn in, a widow sued the judge and her law partners for malpractice. The lawsuit was sealed by District Judge Doug Herndon at the time.

The Review-Journal reports:

[Judge Herndon] said last week that he sealed the matter by mistake and plans to unseal the lawsuit unless attorneys can convince him to do otherwise. Judge Doug Herndon said he didn't realize he had sealed the case in error until the Review-Journal inquired about it, and that he plans to call the attorneys on the Miley case back into court to justify the sealing of the case.

The sealed case alleges Miley and her old firm failed to file records with the court before a client's death:

The lawsuit, which was quickly sealed from public view, alleged that Carr-Blum's
husband, at the time of his impending death, signed legal documents to keep the couple's home out of probate, but that the law firm didn't file the records at the courthouse before he died, as required for Carr-Blum to assume sole ownership of the house.

The man died five days after he signed the documents in the presence of the law firm's paralegal, according to court records.

Kate Kruse, a law professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who teaches
professional ethics, said that for a lawyer to miss a deadline at court, resulting in a client being hurt, is a "pretty serious oversight." In a situation like the Miley case, it's possible the law firm had no way of knowing when its client would die and, therefore, had no idea that its deadline was imminent, Kruse said.

Even with just five days between execution and the client's death, it seems like the firm screwed up here. That said, consider the story in context: Miley's competition for the District Court judicial seat is Judge Halverson. Not a tough voting choice there.

Thurs Roundup

The Plaintiff in the Sands Corp. case delivered closing arguments to the jury yesterday, requesting they award $100 million in damages. (Review-Journal)

Why did all the a Federal Judge from Washington have to be brought in for the Noel Gage trial? Apparently Chief Judge of the U.S. District of Nevada Roger Hunt decided their involvement with Gage through Inns of Court would require all Federal Judges in the state to recuse themselves. (Las Vegas City Life--below the piece on Robert Downey, Jr.) George Knapp suggests it might have more to do with the desire of many judges not to be involved in trying a prominent local Plaintiff's hero. (Las Vegas City Life)

Clark Co. has joined all the other governmental entities challenging the Nevada Supreme Court's ruling that limits taxes on restaurant food. (Las Vegas Now)

Nevada's anti-Yucca legal hero Joseph Egan may have passed, but the fight goes on with his firm Egan, Fitzpatrick & Malsch still carrying the mantle. (Las Vegas Business Press)

Clark Co. is going after residents who are delinquent on their property taxes by publishing their names and the amount owed to the county in local newspapers. (Las Vegas Now)

Whoops. Clark Co. School District may end up paying more than $5 million to a construction company over an unpaid debt when it could have settled for $175,000 in 1997. (Las Vegas Sun)

In other lawyers-are-expensive news, the Clark Co. Library District and the non-profit Friends of the Library have realized their dispute is not worth the $44,000 in legal bills (Las Vegas Sun) [Interesting to note, they still haven't settled]

The Clark Co. D.A. has finally received notice that Charles Barkley paid his Wynn debt. (Las Vegas Sun)

In Business Las Vegas has an interview with UNLV Boyd School founding Dean Richard Morgan about his career, new position with Lionel Sawyer, and his opinion of Boyd grads as attorneys. (In Business Las Vegas)

Congratulations to Holly Fic for her new Associate position with Jolley Urga Wirth Woodbury & Standish here in Vegas. (Review-Journal)

[thanks to VD for the Richard Morgan tip]

Hump Day Roundup

The Nevada Parole Board's backlog will grow in June. (Nevada Appeal)

Harmful Error notes that Boyd School added four new faculty members. (UNLV Press Release)

Uh . . . Judge Halverson named "Hot Slut of the Day" by website. (dlisted.com)

Yucca Mountain dump opponent Joe Egan asked that his remains be spread over the proposed nuclear waste dump site and that the following eulogy be read: "Radwaste buried here only over my dead body." (KSBY)

A profile of Gordon & Rees, the San-Francisco-based firm (with a Vegas office) that has opened 10 offices outside of California in the past five years and now has more than 350 lawyers in 16 offices. (Lawjobs.com)

Endoscopy News

Dr. "Needles" Desai and his colleagues are expected to "plead the Fifth," which will stall the civil suits for years. (Las Vegas Sun) [it's a good legal tactic. maybe the plaintiffs should repay Dr. Needles by filling his Mercedes Benzes with used hypodermic needles--you know, just because it's an efficient way to dispose of medical waste and keep costs down].

Meanwhile, state legislators authored a letter criticizing state medical board Executive Director Tony Clark for refusing to comply with a police investigation and being misleading about his agency's response to the Hep-C crisis. (Las Vegas Sun) And the Governor says he will not name special counsel to investigate the doctors in the Hep-C crisis because that is the job of the state medical board. (Nevada Appeal)

The civil rights/sexual harassment case involving the state highway patrol has settled for $480,000. (Review-Journal)

Up north, Judge Steinheimer set the execution date for the rapist and killer of a 16 yr old girl (Reno Gazette-Journal)

Nevada Bar--too hard for New Yorkers?

Over at Abovethelaw, the editors posted an open thread about bar results. Amazingly, our tiny little hideaway known as Nevada became a topic of discussion, when at 1:35 p.m. (EST) a reader wrote:

I passed the NY bar the first try, but just found out I failed the NV bar by less than a point. They're running a scam out here in the desert. If you ever contemplate coming out here, give it a second thought. They have no reciprocity, they don't want you, and they won't make it easy for you to practice here.

The author's comment received the usual mature responses. For your entertainment, here they are:

[at 1:39 p.m.] 1:35, I think they just don't want retards to practice there.
[at 1:45 p.m.] Actually, Nevada sounds like the only intelligent state bar. How many attorneys are in NY now, 700 million?
[at 1:48 p.m.] 1:35, over a third of UNLV grads are retards!
[at 2:26 p.m.] 57% pass rate in NV (nvbar.org/admissions). Pretty low considering we have plenty of tards practicing out in the desert--we just try to keep out the east coast retards.

Ouch. Calling the Nevada State Bar exam a "scam". Those are some hard feelings.

Buck up people who failed the Nevada Bar. First, only 57% passed, which means you have a lot of company. Second, it could be worse. You could be in Louisiana, where they try to liven things up by posting a fake list of all the people who failed.

Thurs afternoon roundup

Congrats to the Boyd School of Law: 77% of their first time bar applicants passed the Feb. 2008 bar exam, which had an overall pass rate of 57%. (UNLV press release)

The suspect in the Minxx shooting has accused Pacman Jones of masterminding the shooting that resulted in a death at the club. (ESPN)

The Sullivan Square developer is suing an Irish development company on a case of "economic bullying" (Review-Journal)

The state's AG won't rule on whether the Governor's move out of the Gov. mansion is legal (Las Vegas Sun)

Former local tv show host in Reno got some jail time on false pretenses (Reno Gazette-Journal)

And don't get road rage with an off duty cop or you'll get jail time (Nevada Appeal)

Boyd Employment Woes Solved--jobs available

A debate has been raging based on yesterday's post about whether tough times are coming for newly-graduated attorneys looking for work in Vegas. Some people say Vegas firms believe law California, Arizona, and East Coast law school grads are considered before Boyd School grads looking for work. Others say Boyd School grads just aren't trying hard enough.

As of yesterday, the Boyd School grad woes are over thanks to an email from Councilman Wolfson's office:

From: Someone in Administraion
Date: Apr 16, 2008 2:31 PM
Subject: [Info] A message from Councilman Wolfson
To: boyd listserve
[I forward the message below at the request of Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Wolfson, who, as some of you know, also is a former federal and state prosecutor who now has a criminal defense practice. The Councilman is looking to address a critical need for school crossing guards in our city and seeks our assistance . . .]

-----
Forwarded by UNLV on 04/16/2008 01:52 PM -----
Dean ******:It was great meeting with you last week. We appreciate your time. Councilman Wolfson would like to encourage any William S. Boyd School of Law student interested in earning a few extra dollars, and helping our community, to consider applying to be a school crossing guard, through Metro's Crossing Guard program.There is a great need for crossing guards at the intersections of Maryland Parkway and Twain and at Twain and Swenson. The pay is $8.91 per hour and they are guaranteed 2.5 hours per day (just a little over $22 per day) . . .

Sincerely, ****** ***** Liaison to Councilman Steve Wolfson

See. Cheer up graduating 3Ls, the opportunities to put your legal education to use are endless!

[Thanks to JL for the tip]

Tough times coming to Vegas law?

Tough times appear to have hit the legal market. The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog posted an article recently suggesting that large firms on the east coast are cutting back their summer associate programs--shortening the weeks, trimming the summer salary, and hiring less summer associates. In addition, at least one large east coast firms rescinded its offers to incoming associates.

Now, I've been receiving some emails from Boyd School students complaining that they are graduating without any offers. Now, I know the knee-jerk reaction is to assume the students without offers must be at the bottom of their class, but I'm now getting emails from students claiming to be law journal editors with high GPAs who are unable to get an offer from a Vegas firm.

So, what's going on out there Vegas law? Have the firms slowed down hiring in town or is this a Boyd School-specific problem? Let me know at nevadalegal@gmail.com or by posting a comment.

On a side note, even Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez is still looking for work (ABA Journal)

Wed Roundup

Vegas is a hub of child sexual trafficking (Reno Gazette-Journal)

A prison chaplain in Carson City has been put on leave, which she alleges is because of her complaints about prison conditions (Review-Journal)

The Nevada Supreme Court called the legality of the Vegas "Downtown Initiative" into question. The initiative tells police to arrest, rather than cite, any suspects of illegal activity who have a prior criminal record (Review-Journal)

And Nevada's Attorney General has called the state's illegal immigration law unenforceable (Review-Journal)

The Las Vegas Sun celebrates the contributions of Boyd School graduates to Vegas on the 10th anniversary of the school (Las Vegas Sun)

Good Job Boyd School!

A leaked copy of the US News and World Report Law School Rankings for 2008 shows UNLV leaping up to a tie for #88! (awful scanned copy of the rankings availble on Above the Law)

Congratulations to Boyd School, leaping up 12 spots from #100 in 2007.

[thanks to William for the tip]