undefined | Better HN

0 pointstrollbridge1d ago0 comments

I think the lawyers in a straw-man imaginary world where they say a university can't e-mail any FERPA-covered data to a student (which includes such basic things as what times a student's classes are) don't contribute anything to society. But that's because they're just a figment of one person's imagination.

Actual, real lawyers who work for or at real universities often do contribute quite a bit of valuable work. I enjoyed the one I worked with and think she did a great job of putting the brakes on over-regulating or using legal compliance as an excuse for just not doing work.

0 comments

ndriscoll1d ago

That's great to hear. As I agreed elsewhere in the thread, their true purpose is exactly to shield other workers from this sort of nonsense FUD and make-work.

Of course I presume it's also not a strawman because it's not in any way some unique thing to lawyers.

trollbridgeOP1d ago

The general counsel at my last university job actually tended to cut through the red tape and excuses of “can’t do this due to legal”.

Lots of fun if a department had been stonewalling for “legal reasons” and she was summoned to a meeting.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse