Student Sues Law School Over Failing Class
Stephen Young is getting a legal education the hard way.
After failing his torts class, Young sued his law school for access to the other students' exams to determine whether he fell below the curve. He also wants externship credit for filing the lawsuit and a letter of recommendation.
Not to prejudge the case, but something says Young has a long road ahead him. As a first-year law student, he has just begun.
Snowball's Chance
To be fair, Young may actually have a snowball's chance at the William S. Richardson School of Law in Hawaii. (If you didn't know, it snows atop Mauna Kea.)
In Young v. The University of Hawaii System, Young says he has a right to the student records under the Uniform Information Practices Act and related rules and regulations. The UIPA is codified in Hawaii's revised statutes, which provide that government records be made public but "tempered by the recognition of the right of the people to privacy."
The problem for "Tommy Torts," as Above the Law calls him, is that the University of Hawaii has a "host of privacy concerns." That's why the university denied his administrative request before he sued. In his lawsuit, Young says the student records can be anonymized. Besides, he says, the university's administrative response was tardy.
Stranger Things
Young could get lucky and get the records. Stranger things have happened in legal education, but let's not talk Kim Kardashian studying to become a lawyer right now. Odds are that Young will not get externship credit for suing the law school, however. If that were possible, a lot of pro pers would have their law degrees by now.
But the biggest mistake in Young's case may be asking for a letter of recommendation. The dean may write one, but then what happens? Aloooo-ha!
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