The Posse List

Lawyers Reimagine Law Schools For A Changing Market

Titled “Future Ed: New Business Models for U.S. and Global Legal Education,” Harvard Law School and New York Law School kicked off a conference yesterday which will be a yearlong “contest of ideas” to bridge the gap between the high cost of a law school education and the tightening job market, and to give students the skills they need to hit the ground running. 

The key is a new business model for law school education, with an emphasis on experiential learning and global models.

 

Several U.S. law schools have experimented in recent years with providing students more practical skills training. At Washington and Lee University School of Law, for example, students will soon be required to spend the entire third year on experiential learning.

The 3Ls will spend their first two weeks of the semester in an immersion course in practical skills — one on office and transactional practice skills, the other on skills related to litigation and conflict resolution, said Robert Danforth, associate dean for academic affairs.  Then, they participate in clinics, externships or experiential modules designed to simulate live client experiences, in addition to a legal profession course that teaches students about work-life balance, ethics and other issues involved in being a practicing lawyer. They’re also required to do service, Danforth said.

For the full post from law360.com click here.

 

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