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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Dec. 16, 1964
Straw Vote in Law Class Favors Change to J.D. Degree
By Suzy Tichacek
A straw vote taken in a senior law class yesterday was unanimously in favor of a change from the Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B. to the Jur)is Doctor degree (J.D.) which is now being discussed by the Law School.
This vote indicates the general feeling among the Law School faculty, students, and also some people outside of the University about the change in degrees.
With the recent decision of the Washburn Law School to change from the LL.B. degree to the J.D. degree, the Law School faculty will carefully study a similar proposal, James K. Logan, dean of the Law School, said.
We're going to take it up at our next faculty meeting," Dean Logan said.
"AT LEAST FOR THE time being, we have to take a position whether we are in favor of the change or not," he said. "With Kansas and Missouri schools changing to the J.D. degree we will have to decide whether we want to be the only school in the area with the LLB.—this might be good but perhaps we should change to the J.D."
John Howe, dean of the Washburn Law School, said the KU Law School should change to the J.D. degree.
"I think it would be a good idea for KU to change," Dean Howe said. "For the first reason, the American Ear Association recommends that the law schools should have the standards of other professional schools which use the doctorate degree.
"FOR ANOTHER REASON," Dean Howe continued, "in certain areas job classifications are run based on degrees and they put doctors on a higher level even though they do the same amount of work."
With the difference in degrees offered by the KU Law School and Washburn Law school, Dean Howe did not feel there would be any competitive advantage felt by Washburn.
"With most people they pay little attention to the degrees." Dean Howe said. "The people who work with degrees will have no confusion."
RONALD KULL, executive secretary of the Kansas Bar Association, felt the change would be "a real good idea."
He also pointed out the fact that some government agencies show a preference for lawyers holding doctor degrees.
"Many people feel that when you go to medical or dental schools you get a doctor's degree and that it is wrong for a lawyer to get just a Bachelor in Laws," Kull said.
"I'd like to see the schools all agree on one degree," Kull said. "Harvard will come around to it and Yale is talking about a four-year law course already."
WILLIAM A. KELLY, associate dean of the Law School, was personally in favor of the change of degrees because he felt the LLB. degree was inappropriate and confusing.
"For a number of years we have been a degree school, requiring all students to have a B.S. or B.A. degree before they enter the law school." Dean Kelly said.
"They then pursue a course of study for three years which then culminates in an award of another bachelor's degree," he added.
DEAN KELLY POINTED out that the National Education Association equated the LLB, with something less than a master's degree, and in a report several years ago, it was stated that the percentage of law teachers having a low level of preparation of law, which the association defined as less than a master's, was 40.5 per cent.
"Schools are reluctant to adopt the J.D. degree," Richard Dyson, assistant professor of law, said, "because it is being adopted from the bottom up. However, it seems to be the coming thing and I think the students would like it. We're not competing with Harvard," he said.
Robert Casad, professor of law, who holds a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School also believes the Law School should change to the J.D. degree.
"THE J.D. DEGREE carries a more accurate impression of the level of academic work required for graduation from the Law School." Prof. Casad said.
"The intellectual maturity of the law graduate is on the same level as the doctors or Ph.D. candidates," he said. "However I'm not sure we should change unless the bulk of the other schools did, but I feel this will come soon."
Lawrence Blades, assistant professor of law, who also holds a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School, disagrees with his colleagues.
"WHEN I CHOSE MY law school,
I didn't consider what degree I
would get. I doubt if students would
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choose a school because of the alphabetical symbols that denote a degree. Prof. Blades said.
Prof Blades explained that the whole argument started out as a quibble and all the law schools were caught up in it because they felt those who offered the J.D. degree had an advantage.
"I don't think it is going to give Washburn any competitive difference," Prof. Blades said. "If KU was one of the few that did offer the J.D. degree then it might be a handicap—right now it's not a handicap but just a quibble."
"I don't feel that students will choose Washburn over KU merely because of what degree is offered. They will make up their minds on subjects which have more substance," Prof. Blades said.
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