"There is an important question of leadership at the Center," Arons said. "The response to our letter [to Sacks] will be some kind of inquiry, but the conditions of the inquiry are now at issue."

The lawyers feel that any discussion of the CLE's administration should include faculty from the Law School and Ed School not involved directly with the Center.

Problems at the CLE came to a head last fall when Kirp removed Paul Diamond, a staff lawyer, from a desegregation case in Detroit on the night before the case was to be tried.

Kirp explained his move by saying that the CLE should not become entangled in lengthy litigation.

A confrontation between the CLE staff lawyers and Kirp the following week resulted in the Center's reentering the Detroit case and in the institution of weekly staff meetings aimed at broadening basic policy decisions to include the entire staff.

After five staff meetings, Kirp made his decision to dismiss the five lawyers, and only one meeting-at which Krip explained his action-has been held since.

His explanation apparently did not satisfy the entire staff, and the letter to Sacks followed in short order.