Staging for Lady Gaga?

The dramatic upsurge in Cornell Law School applications this year (52%!) has the Wall Street Journal comparing the school to Lady Gaga (here, and here).  We’re intrigued by the intuition of “CLS grad”, who commented on the WSJ’s second post by saying:

I believe that it is Cornell’s ever-increasing online presence – through the Legal Information Institute – that has created an awareness of the school that surpasses those other names.

We’re happy to claim a share of the credit.  The LII has been placing primary law materials and statutory supplements online since 1992 — roughly the time that this year’s applicants were entering kindergarten.  We’ve long been a resource for K-12 teachers and college professors, so perhaps it’s not such an extravagance to claim that, for a lot of people who are now thinking about law schools,  we’ve shown the school in a good light.  And LII Director Tom Bruce’s checkered past as a roadie and lighting designer might make you think that using the LII to throw a spotlight on the Lady Gaga of law schools is, well, fitting, somehow.

We’re interested in investigating this a little.  How about it, readers?  When did you first encounter us, and how?  Do  we make the  Cornell Law School a more interesting place?