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UC Irvine Law School - Chemerinsky Wrap up

The National Law Journal files a wrap up story on the mess at the new UC Irvine law school in connection with the hiring, firing, and rehiring of Erwin Chemerinsky as its founding dean. I’m quoted as expressing doubts that the place will be able to attract an intellectually diverse faculty:

Stephen Bainbridge, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, said Chemerinsky could have difficulty recruiting legal scholars with conservative viewpoints to a school focused on public interest law.

“I would be very worried about going to that law school, speaking as a conservative,” Bainbridge said. “Erwin has his work cut out for him to make it a place that is a hospitable working environment across the spectrum.”

Chemerinsky quickly countered those concerns. “I expect the new law school won’t have any trouble getting people of all views, and vehemently disagree that public interest and public service is liberal,” he said, noting the several public interest groups are conservative.

With all due deference, Chemerinsky’s response is a red herring. While it is true that a small minority of public interest law firms have a center-right agenda, we’re talking about public interest law school programs. As Karen O’Connor wrote (7 Harv. J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 483):

[M]any liberal [public interest] firms are either headquartered in a law school or closely affiliated with one. These law schools not only provide additional, inexpensive legal services but also train liberal attorneys.

Granted, she wrote that article 20 years ago, but it remains the case that public interets law programs in law schools are almost universally left-leaning in their agendas and faculty and student politics.

Also:

… critics question Chemerinsky’s ability to attract donors from Orange County’s conservative residents, who “may not be all that enthusiastic about providing funding to hire people who are going to help give the law school an even stronger left, liberal tilt than most law schools,” said Bainbridge, at UCLA.

Posted on Saturday, October 06 2007 | Permalink