Q: How does Stanford Law produce lawyers prepared to address today's multidisciplinary problems?
A: Recognizing that today's lawyers must solve problems that cut across disciplines and areas of expertise, Stanford Law now offers 25 formal joint degrees — with plans to expand to 27 in 2007–2008 — that allow students to take advantage of the unparalleled number of internationally top–rated graduate programs and departments at Stanford University, all within walking distance. (Stanford University ranks in the top 10 in all academic categories; in the top five in 15 academic categories; and in the top three in 13 categories — a record matched by no other university in the world.)
Students interested in environmental litigation, for instance, can complement their JD with an MS in environment and resources. Likewise, aspiring patent lawyers can deepen their expertise with an MS or PhD in bioengineering or management science and engineering. And for students with more specialized career aspirations, opportunities to customize a joint degree are virtually limitless.
Joint degrees are merely one facet of a program that is oriented around giving students a three-dimensional multidisciplinary education. Because Stanford Law believes lawyers need to be educated more broadly—with courses beyond the traditional curriculum that deepen their subject-matter and problem-solving expertise—it makes it easier than any other law school in the world for all students, including those seeking less than a joint degree, to pursue substantial coursework outside the law school. (Joint Degrees)
How does Stanford Law prepare students for a world in which lawyers must work collaboratively with other professions?
A: In addition to leveraging the expertise of the wider university by offering an almost limitless number of joint degree programs, Stanford Law has broadened its curriculum for second- and third-year students to include a wide variety of classes that mix students and faculty from different disciplines and require them to work together to solve complex, cutting-edge problems. From negotiations classes that involve law, business, and engineering students to simulation courses in which law students work with peers from the natural and social sciences to prepare for mock trials, there's growing recognition that today's students will be entering professions in which no one works alone or solely in one discipline—and in which they must be able to spot and solve problems that cut across multiple fields. (A "3D" JD: Stanford Law School Announces New Model for Legal Education)
Q: Can SLS students take classes at Stanford's other top-rated graduate programs and departments?
A: Absolutely. Stanford Law has seen a 10-fold increase in the number of courses law students are taking outside the law school. In the past, law students registered for 30 classes outside the Law School in a typical year. With the launch of our new program in 2006-07, there were 305 such registrations. The increase is, in part, due to lowered administrative barriers. As part of the law school's push to educate students more broadly beyond the traditional legal curriculum, the school is aligning its academic calendar with that of the university and changing various other rules that make cross-registration difficult at most schools so as to make it easier for law students to enroll in courses outside the school—and, conversely, for non-law students to enroll in law courses. (The Stanford Graduate Program)
Q: How is understanding law like learning music?
A: "Law is more art than science," according to Larry Kramer, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean. "It's like learning music. In music, there are a limited number of foundational notes and chords that one learns to combine in ever more complex ways to create different melodies and different styles of music. So, too, in law there are a limited number of concepts and forms of argument that law students learn to use and that make up the underpinnings of different fields of law." (Originalism, Music, And The Constitution)
Q: What opportunities do Stanford Law students have to work on international human rights issues?
A: Students enrolled in the International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) explore international human rights, represent clients in humanitarian matters, and help implement the rule of law in developing countries. Most recently, the program has focused on the complex, volunteer dispute resolution system in Buduburam, a Liberian refugee camp in Ghana. In spring 2008, the IHRC will launch a clinic in Namibia, Africa that will consist of nine weeks of in-class teaching during the spring semester and five weeks of work in Namibia.
The clinic is being led by Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor of Human Rights Barbara Olshansky, known for her groundbreaking work on the 2004 Rasul v. Bush case, in which the Supreme Court found that American courts have jurisdiction over claims brought by Guantánamo detainees who are foreign nationals. (International Human Rights Clinic)
Q: How are Stanford Law students participating in the fight to address global warming?
A: Stanford's Environmental Law Clinic is deeply involved in efforts to effect changes in law and public policy around global warming. In February, the clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of U.S. Senator John Kerry and U.S. Representative Jay Inslee in support of environmental groups suing the Bush administration. The brief contended that the administration failed to issue critical data about climate change in violation of the Global Change Research Act of 1990. In August 2007, the district court granted summary judgment to the plaintiffs, ordering the government to prepare and issue the missing data. In another case, the clinic successfully represented the Center for Biological Diversity in a suit brought against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alleging that the NHTSA's new mileage standards for light trucks violate the National Environmental Policy Act. The November 2007 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling found that the Bush administration violated the law by ignoring global warming when it set gas mileage standards for SUVs and pickup trucks. On a more local level—and with a potential ripple effect nationally—clinic students are representing clients grappling with the implications of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which requires the state to turn back greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels and also to prevent utilities from buying energy from high-pollution producers. (Environmental Law Clinic)
Q: How can Stanford Law students work on problems relating to immigration law and policy?
A: The Immigrants' Rights Clinic (IRC) at Stanford Law School is committed to protecting the human rights of all non-citizens regardless of immigration status. Led by Associate Professor of Law Jayashri Srikantiah, students engage in varied efforts, including seeking humanitarian relief from deportation on behalf of non-citizens with criminal convictions, obtaining asylum protection for non-citizens fleeing persecution, and assisting immigrant survivors of domestic violence in gaining lawful status in the United States. Case in point: In late 2006, IRC students Hilary Ley '06 and Liz Morris '07 successfully prevented the deportation of their client, Francisco Ancheta, a 29-year-old man who came to the United States from the Philippines over twenty years ago, and who the government had sought to remove based on past minor criminal convictions.
In addition to representing clients, IRC students collaborate with immigrants' rights organizations on various advocacy projects, from developing "know-your-rights" materials for foreign students affected by post-9/11 restrictions to helping to launch an on-site law clinic at a local domestic violence shelter. Students also gain valuable experience on broader policy-setting cases. For example, the clinic recently filed an amicus brief on behalf of Human Rights Watch arguing that U.S. immigration policy mandating the deportation of two legal immigrants who committed drug crimes in their youth violates international human rights standards. The case was heard by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C this July and is pending. (Immigrants' Rights Clinic)
Q: How can Stanford Law students get hands-on experience fighting for education and civil rights?
A: The Youth and Education Law Project—aka YELP—offers Stanford Law students the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of educational rights and reform work, including direct representation of youth and families in special education and school discipline matters, community outreach and education, school reform litigation, and policy research and advocacy. Case in point: YELP recently celebrated a win for one of its client—a deaf child with autism who was excluded from the California School for the Deaf (CSD) because of her additional disabilities—when the case against the school was settled out of court in August 2007. As part of the settlement, CSD will create an environment for developmentally delayed students at the school that should provide a model for similar schools nationwide. YELP is led by William Koski, Eric and Nancy Wright Professor of Clinical Education at Stanford Law School. (Youth and Education Law Project)
Q: What is Stanford Law School's commitment to public service?
A. "From the very first day of law school we want this spirit of commitment to public service to be part of the DNA of the law school and part of what our students identify as the professional ethos of lawyering." ―Lawrence C. Marshall, David and Stephanie Mills Director of Clinical Education and associate dean for public interest and clinical education at Stanford Law
Toward that end, Stanford Law offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to engage in public service, from clinical courses to loan forgiveness for students pursuing public interest careers to the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law—recently established to foster enthusiasm for public service in all students, no matter what their career trajectory. To provide this exposure, the Levin Center offers, among other things, an in-house pro bono project focused on Social Security disability claims, faculty lectures, a Public Interest Awareness Week, personalized career counseling, and a mentor-in-residence program. This February, the Levin Center will co-sponsor a symposium, Education as a Civil Right. (John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law)
Q: What is Stanford Law School's role in sentencing reform efforts?
A. The Stanford Criminal Justice Center (SCJC) is working on the issue of sentencing reform on several fronts. It partnered with the Little Hoover Commission on its Sentencing Reform study—a complete review of the opportunities for sentencing reform in California within the broader context of the state's correctional policies—and launched the Stanford Executive Sessions on Sentencing and Corrections, an innovative working group that brings together criminal justice experts and reseachers to discuss policy issues and develop strategies for reforming California's sentencing and correctional systems. Additionally, SCJC has held or co-sponsored a series of conferences on such varied topics as white collar crime; sentencing and parole; search and seizure law in the digital age; and race, inequality, and incarceration. (Sentencing and Corrections Policy Project)
Q: How is Stanford Law School's Fair Use Project shaping the copyright debate?
A. The Center for Internet and Society's Fair Use Project (FUP) provides legal support to projects designed to clarify—and extend—the boundaries of "fair use" in order to enhance creative freedom. Since being established in 2006, the FUP has scored several major victories. In March, it announced that it settled a copyright case against the Estate of James Joyce for its client, Stanford University Acting Professor of English Carol Shloss. The case sought to establish Shloss's right to use copyrighted materials in her writing under the fair use doctrine. This May, FUP won the dismissal of a copyright infringement action brought against its client, musician Brian Transeau. Additionally, FUP formed a unique partnership with Media/Professional Insurance and intellectual property attorney Michael Donaldson to provide legal support for documentary filmmakers who rely on the fair use of copyrighted material. The initiative was announced at the International Documentary Association's 25th Annual Celebration of Academy Award Documentary Nominees in Beverly Hills. (Center for Internet and Society, Fair Use Project)
Q: How many Stanford Law alumni count themselves as former Supreme Court clerks?
A: Stanford Law School records date back to 1949 when Warren Christopher '49 clerked for Justice William Douglas. And many have followed in his footsteps—from Marshall Small '51 (BA '49) to Alan Austin '74 to Buzz Thompson JD/MBA '76 (BA '72) to Susan Creighton '84. And, of course, one famed former clerk rose to Chief Justice—the Honorable William Rehnquist '52 (BA '48, MA '48), who clerked for Justice Robert H. Jackson. Today, approximately 110 Stanford Law School alumni count themselves as former Supreme Court clerks. (Clerking at the Supreme Court)