IT WAS A BAD WEEK FOR … Spending the summer abroad after Emory Law student Ilan Grapel was arrested in Egypt and accused of being an Israeli spy. Grapel, a 27-year-old rising 3L at Emory, was being paid a small stipend by the law school for his legal aid work in Egypt. He is a dual Israeli and American citizen, and did serve in the Israeli army before being wounded in combat in 2006. After his arrest in early June, Grapel’s mother and law school friends said he is not a spy, but rather traveled to Egypt because of his love for the people and their culture.
… Law students’ online presence after a study by Kaplan Bar Prep showed that almost half (44%) of all responding 3Ls had seen something on a fellow law student or lawyer’s Facebook page that could be illegal. This finding, coupled with a 2010 Kaplan survey that shows at least 20% of law school admissions officials personally visited an applicant’s social networking site, indicates it might be time for students to rethink their online profiles and pictures before heading out into the work world.
IT WAS A BAD WEEK FOR … Academic integrity after the California 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled against a law student who was kicked out of school for plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Katrina Yu was suspended from La Verne University College of Law after she and some other students copied part of an online contract to complete a class assignment. Yu refused to accept a failing grade in the class, and had her punishment increased to a suspension. The court of appeal’s ruling affirmed the lower court’s decision to deny Yu’s request for a preliminary injunction against the school.
