New law Ph.D. meets national scrutiny

Lauren Edelman and Robert Berring quoted in Yale Daily News, September 13, 2012

“The point that Robert Post makes about the possibility of there being a study of law that is independent of other disciplines, I think, is a hard point to make,” said Lauren Edelman…. “It’s somewhat unclear to me what it means to say that [the new Ph.D.] is wholly about law, given that law itself is a field very much populated by Ph.D.s in other disciplines, and much of the legal scholarship takes into account many of the fundamentals and methods represented.”

Bob Berring, a former interim dean of Berkeley Law, said the brand of legal education taught at Yale is already so academic that many in the profession consider it impractical. “I’ve been to five law schools in my time, and, of course, graduates of Yale dominate the legal academy,” Berring said. “But whenever someone from Yale comes up in conversation, someone always makes the joke, ‘But they didn’t go to law school, they went to Yale.'”

UC Berkeley takes novel approach to card game

Robert Berring quoted in China Daily USA, August 3, 2012

“Sanguosha is very popular in China because it’s related to its cultural heritage,” UC Berkeley law professor Robert Berring, the faculty sponsor of the course, said…. “China has such a rich and special history. If you don’t understand that, you cannot possibly understand China,” he said.

UC Berkeley takes novel approach to card game
Robert Berring quoted in China Daily USA, August 3, 2012
“Sanguosha is very popular in China because it’s related to its cultural heritage,” UC Berkeley law professor Robert Berring, the faculty sponsor of the course, said…. “China has such a rich and special history. If you don’t understand that, you cannot possibly understand China,” he said.

Marjorie Shultz, Robert Berring Discuss Professional Skills

Yale Daily News, January 19, 2012 by Daniel Sisgoreo
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/jan/19/law-professors-stir-national-debate/

There are students at every school in the country who had top scores on [the LSAT] and they’re highly polished applicants — but they bomb,” she said. “Every law firm will tell you that: that they’re not good at lawyering, that they can’t get along with people, that they can’t manage stress.”

Robert Berring, a professor at UC Berkeley’s law school, compared the proposal to an essay published by a pair of law professors after World War II. The essay, which called for several changes to legal education, was highly controversial at the time. “But none of that ever got taken up, and that will probably happen with this too,” he said.

Robert Berring Notes Changes in Legal Research

Slaw, October 31, 2011 by Robert Berring
http://www.slaw.ca/2011/10/31/legal-research-training%E2%80%99s-end/

In the 1980s many law students had never used a computer. As the databases took over, the class morphed. LEXIS and WESTLAW became the standard source of research for the students. Personal computers became ubiquitous. Laptops and smart phones soon followed. The Internet pushed us further. Now Google and Wikipedia rule the land.

Bob Berring Notes Impact of E-Books on Publishers

Public Broadcasting Service, Mediashift, October 3, 2011 by Barbara Hernandez
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/10/did-apple-collude-with-publishers-to-fix-prices-on-e-books276.html

“It’s difficult for the publishing industry to change over from the traditional model that it’s developed over the centuries,” he said, “and to adapt is really, really hard.”

Robert Berring Says Libraries Must Adapt to New Technologies

NBC Bay Area, September 22, 2011 by Barbara E. Hernandez
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/blogs/press-here/Libraries-to-Start-Checking-out-iPads-130369693.html

“There’s been a profound shift in how people consume information,” said Robert Berring, a law professor who specializes in the publishing industry at the Berkeley School of Law. “My undergrads don’t read in paper form anymore. (If I assign a book) they ask if they can get it on Kindle. . . . It’s going to kill libraries.”

Robert Berring Values Small Bookbinderies

The Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2011 by Cari Tuna
http://on.wsj.com/iiI7co

Bob Berring, a University of California, Berkeley, law professor and book collector, said small bookbinderies serve an important role, making high-quality bindings for $100 to $200, compared with upscale book artists, who charge up to $5,000 a book.

Robert Berring Searches for a Visionary to Lead Journalism School

The Daily Californian, March 20, 2009 by Arielle Turner
http://www.dailycal.org/printable.php?id=104964

Berring said the committee is looking for someone with a line of respected work and experience in the journalism industry. “You want a visionary that can come and make sure that the journalism school at Berkeley, which has been a leader in the field, stays a leader in the field,” Berring said. “Someone who … can help raise money to make that a reality.”

Robert Berring Seeks Best J-School Dean, Hires Search Firm

Editor & Publisher, February 2, 2009 by Joe Strupp
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003936922

“It is seldom done,” Berring admitted about the use of a search firm. “We wanted to be sure we were finding the best person we could. The committee has been asked to submit three names to the vice chancellor of the university.”

Robert Berring Points Out Downside of Online Research

Boston Globe, Nov. 23, 2008 by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/11/23/group_think?mode=PF

In online searches, the researcher tends to follow hyperlink to hyperlink, in a journey that resembles “a plunge down a rabbit hole,” in the words of Robert Berring, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley who has studied the impact of electronic media. “If you get to an index, a table of contents, you see the environment that surrounds it. In the culture of paper, a lot of these signals are important.”