The Profession

Minnesota Lawyer Disbarred For Servicing Client

Thomas P. Lowe has been disbarred for 15 months.

Eagan, Minn. ~ Thomas P. Lowe, a divorce lawyer in Eagan, Minn., has been barred from practicing law for 15 months. Lowe admitted to having sex with a client — and then billing her for his time.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Lowe and the woman had known each other since 1985, but that affair took off in August 2011, when she approached him to represent her in a divorce. Several days after agreeing to represent her, Lowe reportedly asked if she would be interested in having sex.

After their sexual encounters, Lowe billed the client for his time.

Lowe had his license revoked Jan. 10 by the Minnesota Supreme Court on the grounds of “professional misconduct, namely, engaging in a sexual relationship with a vulnerable client and billing the client for meetings in which they engaged in sexual relations.”

New England Law Dean Reportedly Paid $867,000 A Year For Fourth Tier Law School by Jonathan Turley

John F. O’Brien, Dean, New England School Of Law

There is a surprising piece this week on the New England Law, Boston. New England has long been ranked in the lower ranks of law school — ranked 154th in the country according to TaxProf though this site shows the school as unranked with the lowest schools. Either way, this is a school that continues to fall well-below the standards of most law schools. However, the school appears to achieve the top spot on one ranking: Dean salaries. The school’s longtime dean, John F. O’Brien, is reportedly making more than $867,000 a year in salary and benefits, including a [$650,000] “forgivable loan” for a Florida condominium. The school is in Boston.

O’Brien’s salary is equal to that of Harvard’s president and three times the average for law deans. In the meantime, students are paying roughly $42,000 a year for what is considered by many to be a substandard education. Only 34 percent of students even got jobs in the 2011 graduating class. Yet, former Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor honored O’Brien for his contributions to legal education. Read, New England Law Dean Reportedly Paid $867,000 A Year For Fourth Tier Law School by Jonathan Turley