Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• The Absurdity of Legal Casebooks

  E.Spat brings us this gem of a rant on legal textbooks. Dear Mueller and Kirkpatrick, Your evidence book SUCKS. What's the point of having a problem on every other page if you never give any indication of what the answers are? I am reading your book because I DON'T KNOW ABOUT EVIDENCE. And would you cut it out with the notes that consist entirely of questions? "The court was right, wasn't it, in saying this wasn't hearsay? It would be odd, wouldn't it, if they had decided the other way? It's true, isn't it, that the statement was under oath?" Just TELL US SOMETHING. Your book makes me want to tear my hair out. No, it makes me want to jump off the nearest bridge, shaking my fist at the sky and yelling, "Damn you, Mueller and Kirkpatrick!" It would be melodramatic, wouldn't it, if I did that? Having used Meuller last semester, I can empathize... and I've ranted about this in the past too. Many legal textbooks are 1,000 pages of cases, often with very little additional insight and questionable... Posted May 11 2006, 05:09 AM by Tim with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Rants, Law School

• Did you hear the one about the lawyer and the software engineer?

  phosita points to a post claiming that software engineers are stupid - at least when compared to lawyers. The author's underlying premise is that the legal profession has a high barrier to entry that, in turn, guarantees high salaries. Each step is a filter. For example, only 66% of students finish high school. Fewer complete a university degree. Even fewer are admitted to law school, and even fewer complete it. 30% of law school graduates are going to fail the bar exam, and only about 10% of these students will land a job at a good law firm. Finally, only about 20% new associates in a good law firm are likely to make partner. As a result, very competent people who could certainly serve as excellent lawyers are barred from giving legal advice to anyone (for example, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Michael Dell, and Rush Limbaugh). Also, the legal bar has an adverse effect on minorities, limiting the number of minorities available to serve as potential judges and legal advocates. But, these... Posted Mar 14 2005, 12:40 PM by Tim with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Rants, Law School, Things that amuse me