Nashville School of Law Forum

[TheGreatNorthwest]

Yesterday I was up in Nashville for the Georgia vs Vandy Football game with an attorney friend of mine and he mentioned

I would be interested in knowing what the form knows and the Nashville School of law?

All comments appreciated...BTW I know it is very easy to get into.[/img]

[orangeswarm]

No ABA accreditation. You can sit for the TN bar, but that's about it.

A decent amount of Nashville attys went there, but you definitely won't be getting into a decent private firm out of there.

[neskerdoo]

Never heard of it before, but i just did some research....

The Dean has a rather unfortunate name.....

[edgarderby]

Joe Loser?

This can't be real.

[Pyke]

LoL@that.

[Haribo]

Ooh I actually laughed out loud at that website.

And that's Joe C. Loser, Jr. to you!

[neskerdoo]

maybe he says it "Closer" as in "Joe Closer closes yet another deal"

[Pyke]

Haha, so there was a Joe Loser Sr.?

[TheGreatNorthwest]

But seriously, does anyone know anything about it?

[Smart4anIdiot]

From the little I know, it is geared to working adults who want a JD for career advancement. Classes are primarily offered at night, and this is a big factor in thier non-acredidation. I don't believe acredidation is even a goal for the school, but I could be wrong. The only reason to go there is if you already have a job lined up, or really good connections, and you need a JD to take the next step, or maybe if you want to go solo in TN.

[jimboriot]

My grandfather taught there for 32 years I believe. It is not a bad school in that you are going to be taught by practicing attorneys and judges. The reason for the lack of ABA accreditation stems from the fact that the board has consistently refused to institute a full time program, instead focusing soley on the working adults. ABA requires a full time program, so they will be consistently at odds.

In terms of jobs out of the school, it's by no means a T1 or T2, or even a T3, but if you do well and rank high, you'll get good offers.

In regard to practicing, yes you can only practice in TN, however look to your state's reciprocity laws. Most say that after 3, 5, etc, years practicing in TN, you can sit for their bar exam.

[TheGreatNorthwest]

In regard to practicing, yes you can only practice in TN, however look to your state's reciprocity laws. Most say that after 3, 5, etc, years practicing in TN, you can sit for their bar exam.

Jimbo, thanks for the response.

Everyone else, does that sounds about right to you?? If someone graduated from Nashville School of Law, passed the Tennesse bar and practiced for 5 year in Tennessee that they would likely be eligible state reciprocity laws to practice in anotehr state, such as Georgia. Please advise.

[orangeswarm]

I'm pretty sure you can't get reciprocity because the Nashville School of Law isn't ABA Acred. Pretty sure NSL is only good for working in TN, and it isn't very good at that either.

[Me112233]

I'm pretty sure you can't get reciprocity because the Nashville School of Law isn't ABA Acred. Pretty sure NSL is only good for working in TN, and it isn't very good at that either.

I live in KY, and the Nashville School is accepted by Kentucky after 3 years of TN practice. The lack of ABA accreditation is an real issue because of geographical constraints placed upon graduates. I understand that some federal government agencies won't recognize the degree, either, if seeking employment with the feds even inside Tennessee. But still, like graduates of every law school in the country, the students have to pass the bar to practice law; and among those passing the bar, you can't really demonstate a deficiency in any lawyer simply because he/she attended the Nashville School of Law. I mean, even the the UT grads seem to have made it OK, even though both books were destroyed when their law library burned to the ground earlier this summer.

[jack duluoz]

Haha, so there was a Joe Loser Sr.?

It's a cruel world we live in.

[pohboydomer]

Yes, another unaccredited law school is just the ticket.

[LoyolaLaw2012]

I'm pretty entertained by the photo gallery. I especially like the three computers with sticky notes in the computer lab.

[stratocophic]

I'm pretty sure you can't get reciprocity because the Nashville School of Law isn't ABA Acred. Pretty sure NSL is only good for working in TN, and it isn't very good at that either.

I had an engineering professor who did some work with NSoL grads. He was not complimentary.

[Me112233]

I'm pretty sure you can't get reciprocity because the Nashville School of Law isn't ABA Acred. Pretty sure NSL is only good for working in TN, and it isn't very good at that either.

I had an engineering professor who did some work with NSoL grads. He was not complimentary.

Let's see here, your ENGINEERING PROFESSOR did some work with NSL grads? and was unimpressed? I guess I must acquiesce on this one -- NSL does a poor job of preparing its students to be professional engineers, and, factually, very few NSL grads have ever passed the PE exam. (But it has happened.)

[Me112233]

Yes, another unaccredited law school is just the ticket.

Um, NSL was around BEFORE there was such a thing as ABA accreditation. Thus, NSL is not properly classified as "another unaccredited law school." More like the ABA is "another accrediting body" that is just the ticket. (No law school was accredited by the ABA prior to 1921.) Let's see here, I don't think NSL has ever had a consent decree issued against it for not being accredited (I'm not a lawyer, so my research skills are limited), yet, the ABA has had a consent decree isssued against it, along with a fine a few years later for violating that decree, for anti-trust violations specifically related to its accrediting practices. Surely the ABA wouldn't violate the law? At least the poets find justice in that.

Just realize that that the ABA also claimed that Darth Vader "You-don't-have-the-right-to-have-a-gun-in-your-own-house" Ginsberg was a “well qualified” lawyer who would understand the constitution and properly apply it in rendering decisions. And to think that she even went to one of those fancy ABA approved schools; yet she never learned how to read law, at least not at or above the kindergarten level. I mean, the constitution is the ultimate foundation of the law, right? Using the Supreme Court as a sampling unit, it seems that four out of nine lawyers (44%) that graduate from ABA accredited schools are literally unfit, as they cannot read sufficiently well enough to understand plainly written law. What part of “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” don’t you ABA-approved graduates understand? Me thinks the whole accreditation deal is a wee bit overrated.

[bigben]

Yes, another unaccredited law school is just the ticket.

Um, NSL was around BEFORE there was such a thing as ABA accreditation. Thus, NSL is not properly classified as "another unaccredited law school." More like the ABA is "another accrediting body" that is just the ticket. (No law school was accredited by the ABA prior to 1921.) Let's see here, I don't think NSL has ever had a consent decree issued against it for not being accredited (I'm not a lawyer, so my research skills are limited), yet, the ABA has had a consent decree isssued against it, along with a fine a few years later for violating that decree, for anti-trust violations specifically related to its accrediting practices. Surely the ABA wouldn't violate the law? At least the poets find justice in that.

Just realize that that the ABA also claimed that Darth Vader "You-don't-have-the-right-to-have-a-gun-in-your-own-house" Ginsberg was a “well qualified” lawyer who would understand the constitution and properly apply it in rendering decisions. And to think that she even went to one of those fancy ABA approved schools; yet she never learned how to read law, at least not at or above the kindergarten level. I mean, the constitution is the ultimate foundation of the law, right? Using the Supreme Court as a sampling unit, it seems that four out of nine lawyers (44%) that graduate from ABA accredited schools are literally unfit, as they cannot read sufficiently well enough to understand plainly written law. What part of “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” don’t you ABA-approved graduates understand? Me thinks the whole accreditation deal is a wee bit overrated.

180. No, seriously.

[Grizz]

Just realize that that the ABA also claimed that Darth Vader "You-don't-have-the-right-to-have-a-gun-in-your-own-house" Ginsberg was a “well qualified” lawyer who would understand the constitution and properly apply it in rendering decisions. And to think that she even went to one of those fancy ABA approved schools; yet she never learned how to read law, at least not at or above the kindergarten level. I mean, the constitution is the ultimate foundation of the law, right? Using the Supreme Court as a sampling unit, it seems that four out of nine lawyers (44%) that graduate from ABA accredited schools are literally unfit, as they cannot read sufficiently well enough to understand plainly written law. What part of “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” don’t you ABA-approved graduates understand? Me thinks the whole accreditation deal is a wee bit overrated.

I'm as conservative as they come, but I don't see LS working out well for you.

[observationalist]

One interesting point about ABA accreditation, per the panel I sat on with Dean Loser (it's pronounced "low-sir," but I agree it's an unfortunate name): the lowest a private law school can charge for annual tuition and comply with all of the ABA's requirements for accreditation is around $25,000 per year. For a lot of schools out there, gaining ABA accreditation means raising tuition well above what's reasonable for the market. For someone who has a fulltime job, has connections to the legal community in TN, and knows they want to stay in TN to raise a family, NSL isn't a bad option.

However, I'm not at all confident that a NSL law degree is adding value right now. Dean Loser estimated that perhaps half of this year's graduating class have jobs lined up (which is comparable to many, if not most, ABA-approved law schools). I'm a little concerned because usually more than half the students at NSL already have jobs, and it's possible the school counts them as employed at graduation even if they don't hold legal jobs. My best advice is that anyone considering NSL should contact the school to get a list of all employers that hired Class of 2010 grads this year, and then research those employers to see what their hiring criteria is from NSL. You can also contact the Tennessee Association of Justice and ask if they're willing to provide you with the materials distributed at this year's Tennessee Judicial Conference about the state of legal practice in TN. Both the Bench and the Bar are extremely concerned about the number of law school graduates that are attempting to enter the market, not only because competition is getting tougher but also because of how indebted most graduates are and how difficult it is to properly mentor them and keep the bar collegial.

Whether you think a state bar association should be collegial is a different matter, but I'm glad they're concerned about the level of debt new graduates face. One of Dean Loser's strongest arguments was pointing out the value of attending a public school like Alabama for half the price.

K back to bar study... Me112233, I apologize in advance if the discussion turns into a fight between you and everyone else. Just recognize that Nashville School of Law, like every other law school in the country, is trying to figure out how to adjust the cost of their programs down as it becomes more and more obvious that there are not even close to enough employers out there willing to train and mentor new graduates. Ask about NSL's mentoring program, and more importantly be sure to request some concrete employment info for 2010 grads in deciding whether to attend.

[observationalist]

I'm pretty sure you can't get reciprocity because the Nashville School of Law isn't ABA Acred. Pretty sure NSL is only good for working in TN, and it isn't very good at that either.

I live in KY, and the Nashville School is accepted by Kentucky after 3 years of TN practice. The lack of ABA accreditation is an real issue because of geographical constraints placed upon graduates. I understand that some federal government agencies won't recognize the degree, either, if seeking employment with the feds even inside Tennessee. But still, like graduates of every law school in the country, the students have to pass the bar to practice law; and among those passing the bar, you can't really demonstate a deficiency in any lawyer simply because he/she attended the Nashville School of Law. I mean, even the the UT grads seem to have made it OK, even though both books were destroyed when their law library burned to the ground earlier this summer.

Also, I didn't hear about this... what books were destroyed?

[manbearwig]

I'm pretty sure you can't get reciprocity because the Nashville School of Law isn't ABA Acred. Pretty sure NSL is only good for working in TN, and it isn't very good at that either.

I live in KY, and the Nashville School is accepted by Kentucky after 3 years of TN practice. The lack of ABA accreditation is an real issue because of geographical constraints placed upon graduates. I understand that some federal government agencies won't recognize the degree, either, if seeking employment with the feds even inside Tennessee. But still, like graduates of every law school in the country, the students have to pass the bar to practice law; and among those passing the bar, you can't really demonstate a deficiency in any lawyer simply because he/she attended the Nashville School of Law. I mean, even the the UT grads seem to have made it OK, even though both books were destroyed when their law library burned to the ground earlier this summer.

Also, I didn't hear about this... what books were destroyed?

In case you're asking this in all seriousness, Me112233 is attempting to make a joke in which she implies that the UT law library only had two books.