We've been MIA

Dear Readers,

Just wanted to bring you up to date on happenings around these parts.  As many of you have noticed the blog's been down for the better part of the last five or so days.  Our host, typepad, has been hit by DDOS (distributed denial of service attacks).  (Details here.)  We appreciate your coming to visit with us -- and comment -- in the faculty lounge.   There's nothing we can do about the problems at typepad, but we have been tweeting some @FacLoungeBlog.  

We hope the semester's coming to a good conclusion for you -- and wish our law student readers the best of luck on finals.  And we're looking forward to being back up and running soon.

Respectfully yours,

 

Comments

[Kim Krawiec]

Yay, we're back!

[Alfred Brophy]

Yes we are!

[anon]

MOAR ARTICLES ABOUT AWESOME EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS BY FREEDMAN!!!!!

[anon]

Again, there is more than one anon ... this anon, for one, would prefer to see more posts in which the legal academy can honestly and effectively engage, without rancor, to understand the way to many paths of necessary improvement.

The employment numbers, at this point, are a symptom, but not the cause of the majority of the present woes that beset so much of the law academy - though certainly not all of it.

[Enrique]

Hey,why don't you guys consider switching to WordPress?

[Alfred L. Brophy]

Enrique--that is probably worth considering. There'd be a lot to migrate at this point and my sense is that changing platforms this far into our life as a blog would hurt us, perhaps badly, in searches. We've had a very good experience with typepad up until now and I'm not sure that one bad week should cause us to jump ship.

Anon at 11:09 -- would you expand a little bit on what types of posts you'd like to see. I generally stay focused on posts in my areas of expertise, so I'm not sure that I'm going to be the person to fill the gap you've identified. However, I'd like to have a better idea of what you're thinking about.

Anon at 10:32 -- welcome back.

[Kim Krawiec]

Enrique, I also prefer WordPress

[Anon]

I for one wish you would stop providing a forum for the disgruntled to snipe at law professors based on little or no knowledge or understanding.

[anon]

Prof Brophy

Thanks for responding.

In general, the recent exchanges with Ben Barros resulted in an evolving understanding about what qualities of legal education are most important and should be under review. Reading the last few pages of the comments section there, I believe, will point the way to subjects that deserve further attention (and more attention, in my view, than the economic value of a legal education has received of late).

In this, I believe Ben Barros might agree, at least insofar as he indicated he intends further posts along those lines.

To Anon | April 23, 2014 at 11:52 AM, you too would benefit from actually following the discussion on the most frequently commented upon posts here in the FL. Your comment reminds me of the student who sits in the back of the room, doesn't do the reading, doesn't listen to the classroom discussion, but every so often raises his hand to say, in so many words: "This is all bs, and you all are full of it."

Of course, this hypothetical student probably has a bunch of excuses: youth, emotionally immaturity, a sense of entitlement garnered from a sheltered and privileged background, etc. One can only be patient and polite and try not to respond in kind.

But, ignoring this student would be a mistake, as the others hear it, and there will always be some who agree.

So, Anon | April 23, 2014 at 11:52 AM, would you prefer to hear only good news about state of law schools and the legal academy in general (i.e., eliminate all arguments about the economic benefits of a legal education and stick only with positive assessments, eliminate discussion of declining enrollments and the reasons therefor, eliminate discussion of faculty reductions because of poor revenues, etc.)? Should more posts be focused on comparisons to determine who is the fairest of them all? Or, scathing attacks that blister enemies of the status quo with an intent to punish? Or, should posts focus solely on topics involving substantive issues?

What is it that you would prefer? Light a candle in the darkness!

PS Of course, many enjoy the occasional diversion from all of the negative stuff out there. That doesn't mean, however, that serious issues haven't been seriously discussed here in the FL, and to so brazenly cast aspirations is wrong when anyone so engages, including "disgruntled law professors who snipe at their critics based on little or no knowledge or understanding."

[Ben Barros]

Still planning on it. My blogging time earlier in the week unfortunately got shut down.