The students and lawyers don’t represent a majority of the law school enrollment of some 248, which is roughly half female, but each shared or confirmed troubling accounts about their time there.
Students said they waited months for problems they raised with Dean Paul Kirgis and Associate Dean of Students Weaver to be resolved, feared retaliation for raising concerns, and struggled academically from the accompanying stress despite being top performers in their academic careers. Some walked in the door joyful to pursue their dream careers but walked out disillusioned about being lawyers. Some left before earning degrees.
The students’ stories come at a time the university faces separate allegations of gender discrimination by four women, one current and three former high ranking employees, in a federal case filed last month. At least 18 additional women have raised similar discrimination allegations, according to an amended complaint requesting class action status for the female employees. UM has described the claims as “baseless and without merit.”
Weaver and Kirgis both declined in-person interviews with the Daily Montanan but responded in writing to questions about incidents students discussed. UM confirmed Kirgis and Weaver both are mandatory reporters by campus policy, required to report possible sexual misconduct involving students to the Title IX office within 24 hours “in order to enable UM to respond effectively.”
Title IX is a portion of a federal education law that prohibits discrimination or harassment based on sex by any institution that receives money from the federal government.
In emailed responses, Weaver said she has never dissuaded any student from filing a Title IX complaint, and she said trauma survivors often have difficulty accurately reporting their experiences.
Kirgis defended the law school: “The School of Law has and continues to accurately educate all employees and students about their rights and responsibilities under UM’s Title IX policy and procedures, including the mandatory reporting policy.”
Investigation completed, findings appealed
The students’ allegations are related to a series of complaints investigated by a private firm last school year. In July 2020, UM hired Grand River Solutions, which describes its specialty in part as providing Title IX support services to institutions of higher education, to investigate multiple allegations by women in the law school.
One law school student has been at the center of the women’s complaints: Jacob Elder of Helena.
The Daily Montanan previously reported Grand River Solutions investigated Elder, a Missoula mayoral candidate, on an allegation of sexual assault. Elder has not been charged with any related crimes, and UM investigations are not criminal proceedings.
Elder, a Grizzlies redshirt at UM in 2011, maintained his innocence in a May 5 call with the Daily Montanan. At the time, Elder said the university already had informed him that he had not violated the student conduct code, but then UM hired a private firm to investigate the same matter.
Read full article: https://missoulacurrent.com/montana-today/2021/09/law-students-misconduct/
