may change how it calculates its law school rankings -- and some deans aren't happy about it. The magazine is considering pooling part-time students' scores after hearing claims that some schools move students with lower grades and test scores into part-time programs so they can report better data, said the magazine's director of data research. Deans warn that a slot on the list is so important that some schools would drop part-time programs rather than slip in the rankings.

The Justice Department has made an extraordinary statement of regret for its handling of the case of , in which the Supreme Court last month ruled that the death penalty for non-homicide child rape was unconstitutional. In a significant omission, no one told the Court in briefing the case that under a law passed by Congress in 2006, child rape was made eligible for the death penalty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. But why is the DOJ taking responsibility?

The battle over the Justice Department's policy on waiver of attorney-client privilege in corporate probes seems to be heating up. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy has issued an ultimatum to the Justice Department to change its policy, threatening to resort to "legislative options." A week ago, Sen. Arlen Specter reintroduced his bill to change the policy, and a coalition of business, civil rights and defense groups is pushing for legislation, which it says is the only practical option.

As summer associates struggle to answer obscure research questions over the next couple of months, they may find an answer to their late-night prayers in JD Supra, a free online service that provides access to legal documents including memoranda, briefs and unpublished court decisions.

ITV's new legal chief Andrew Garard has already hit the ground running, ushering in internal changes, beginning an adviser review and facing a baptism of fire thanks to the broadcaster's Ofcom investigation. Garard's role as a hands-on counsel, involved in the business of the broadcaster, is indicative of a new breed of legal chiefs aiming to take a broader role within their employer rather than a narrowly defined legal brief.