During a four-day period, an artist works on four paintings — D, E, G, and H — and four sketches — V,W,X, and Y. the artist works on exactly one painting and one sketch each day, and each day the artist works either in the morning or in the afternoon, but not both. The artist’s work schedule is subject to the following conditions:

The artist works on two mornings but does not work in the morning on consecutive days.
The artist works in the afternoon on the second day.
The artist works on W in the afternoon but does not work on Y in the afternoon.
The artist does not work on E and G on consecutive days.
The artist works on G on the day immediately following the day on which the artist works on W.
The artist works on D on the day immediately prior to the day on which the artist works on G.
If the artist works on G on the same day that the artist works on V, then the artist works on H in the afternoon.

Which one of the following could be true of the artist’s work schedule if the artist works in the afternoon on the fourth day?

A.) The artist works on G before the artist works on Y.

B.) The artist works on H before the artist works on G.

C.) The artist works on W before the artist works on E.

D.) The artist works on X before the artist works on E.

E.) The artist works on Y before the artist works on V.

The answer is posted in the comment section!

In order to qualify for the Olympic team, a distance runner must be able to run a mile in less than five minutes. Only ten percent of the population can run a mile in less than five minutes, but fortunately Roderick is part of that ten percent. Thus Roderick will certainly succeed in his effort to become a distance runner on the Olympic team.

Which one of the following most accurately describes an error of reasoning committed by the argument?

A.) It relies on evidence that concerns only percentages of a population to draw a definite conclusion about a single member of that population.

B.) It fails to specify the distance of the Olympic running event for which Roderick is seeking to qualify.

C.) It draws a conclusion about a future event on the basis of evidence concerning past occurrences of similar events.

D.) It interprets statements as ensuring an outcome, which merely fail to exclude the possibility of that outcome.

E.) It ascribes to an entire group some attribute that can only properly be ascribed to the individual members of that group.

The correct answer is posted in the comment section!

Legal Job Market Shrinking

American law school graduates are struggling with the highly unsettling job market for the first time in years.

Not long ago large law firms were scrambling to scoop up top law school graduates with summer internships and generous salaries.

Law firms across the nation have delayed start dates for incoming first-year lawyers because of the sharp drop in legal revenue. The delays are ranging anywhere from several months to a year.

However, public-interest legal organizations have prospered because of the delayed hiring. Young graduates are working for these groups instead, helping with the often large caseloads.

This does minimize available positions for those law school graduates who aimed to work in public-interest law.

Also the public-interest legal organizations are typically thinly-staffed and are having trouble training the new lawyers. Karen Buck, executive director of Philadelphia’s Senior Law Center, does not see this as a big problem.

“The reality — just like any other brand-new lawyer, they are the newbies, and it will take some time before we see the benefits,” said Buck.

Most students working in the public-interest groups have had experience with volunteer legal services during law school.

It is safe to assume that all current and future law school graduates are hoping the economy picks back up and the job market expands again.

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Current Economic Downturn

A recent Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey showed that 40 percent of the students preparing for the Law School Admissions Test were motivated by the poor economy.

The survey also found that law schools are getting highly competitive in part due to the economy.

Kaplan Senior Communications Manager Russell Schaffer said students were surveyed just after completing the February 2009 LSAT.

“Forty percent said that indeed the current economic crisis had affected or motivated their decision to apply to law school,” Schaffer said.

Schaffer said an increase of students applying for graduate and professionals schools is typical during economic downturns.

“Following September 11, law schools saw a 17 percent increase in applications,” he said.

Schaffer also said students should remember that graduate and professional schools are not simply a goal, but a means to an end.

“When you go into law school, it’s an investment of time and an investment of money,” he said. “You need to realize what you’re going to do.”

Source: The Exponent Online

State Representative Charlie Geren

Fort Worth State Representative Charlie Geren said he will oppose legislation to create the University of North Texas College of Law.

Geren said Texas has enough law schools and cannot afford another one.

“I’d be opposed to one in Fort Worth,” Geren said. “I don’t care where it is. At this point it’s a waste of state resources.”

Geren’s opposing view comes after the Texas Senate approved legislation to authorize the University of North Texas to open a law school in Dallas.

Currently the Dallas-Fort Worth region has two law schools, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas and Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth.

Geren said our region should focus more on creating more nursing schools instead of adding to the abundance of law schools in the state.

“We’re short nurses,” Geren said. “We aren’t short lawyers.”

Geren said he will vote against the creation of the new law school.

He also said the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board concluded that there is no need for another law school.

Texas has nine American Bar Association accredited law schools and only two of them are public universities; the University of Houston Law Center in Houston and Texas Tech University School of Law in Lubbock.

The proposed school would open in 2011 with an initial enrollment of 50 to 75 students. It would be housed in an academic center until the $16 million renovation of the Old Dallas Municipal Building is complete.

Source: Fort Worth Star Telegram

University of North Texas

The Texas Senate approved a bill creating the first public law school in the Dallas-Fort Worth region on Wednesday. The measure to establish the UNT System law school was approved 29-1.

Now the bill must pass through the House before plans can begin for the school.

However, the proposed law school needs money. The legislation going before the House requests $40 million for the school.

This is the second time this law school proposal has gone before the House. Just two years ago it was thrown out due to a technicality.

Dallas Democrat Sen. Royce West authored the bill and hopes the school is approved even if it does not receive the necessary funding.

“I think we can still get some money from private sources to do what we need to do.” West said. “However, we haven’t given up on getting some funds from the Legislature.”

The law school will be housed in the old Dallas Municipal Building. The City of Dallas plans to donate the building and pay for half of the remodeling costs.

Old Dallas Municipal Building

The UNT law school would be the third law school in North Texas, joining the private schools at Southern Methodist University and Texas Wesleyan University. Tuition at those schools is nearly three times that of most public law schools in the state.

UNT is hoping to enroll their first students in the law school in 2011.

Source: Dallas Morning News