Law Exam, Rank Pressure Lessened

Attempts to ease the pressures on Harvard Law School students have resulted in a slight increase in honorary society membership and the institution of a reading period for first year law students.

The Legal Aid Society, which provides free legal aid to indigents involved in civil cases, last week approved a plan to consider for membership all law students who volunteer for the Legal Aid summer program. At present, Legal Aid membership is open only to students who ranked above 55th in their first year law class.

According to Legal Aid President Davis R. Robinson, the new plan might increase membership from the present 38 to as many as 50 students. "It is primarily an attempt to strengthen the weak link of our summer program," Robinson said. "It will allow students to be elected to membership on the basis of demonstrated interest and ability, rather than on grades alone," he noted.

Last fall, several law students protested the sole use of class rank in selecting members of honorary activities such as the Harvard Law Review and the Legal Aid Society. Since such membership often aids in obtaining choice employment offers, the protestors claimed that it added greatly to the strain on law students.

In another attempt to ease the pressure on law students, the Continuing Faculty Committee on Legal Education has approved the institution of a week-long reading period for first year law students.

In the past, first year classes met until the beginning of exam period, although the pace tapered from three down to two meetings per week.

Reading Period Popular

Committee chairman Derek C. Bok, Professor of Law, said the pressure for a reading period came "ultimately from the students." "The faculty felt their sentiments both from talks with individuals and from polls of a year ago which showed that 85 per cent of those polled favored the reading period," he added.

Law school upperclassmen will not be given a reading period because of the volume of material which must be covered in second and third year courses.