Not many weeks go by where the legal components of stories don’t dominate the news cycle. In focus this week is the much-discussed U.S. News & World Report law school rankings alterations, with many unamused by the resulting chaos and controversy. It’s prompted a flurry of analysis and speculation, but at the heart of it, the breakdown lies in the new methodology introduced in the rankings.
In a somewhat heated debate, it’s been suggested that certain responsible parties took the new metrics to break the existing ranking system, rather than to improve the technique of evaluating institutions. A deeper look at the discourse surrounding these rankings can be found here.
Another key story this week revolved around tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who recently attended a deposition defended by Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel. The outcome of this legal interview, however, spiralled into somewhat shocking territory, with Musk earning a motion for sanctions.
Within academic circles, a protest at Berkeley Law has generated viral attention, with a considerable amount of discourse on ‘free speech.’ A full account of the events and their implications lies here. However, some discourse suggests the narrative is missing the underpinning foundation of the law.
As these stories continue to unfold and develop, it is clear that understanding the law and its nuances is not only the foundation of legal practice and education but also crucial to the lens through which we interpret these cases—an eventful week, indeed, for not knowing the law. For a comprehensive overview of these topics, follow the detail on Above the Law.