Mercer and Vanderbilt Honored for Professionalism Programs

The ABA recently honored Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law and Vanderbilt University Law School, both Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Consortium schools, with their 2014 E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Awards. The award is bestowed annually and recognizes excellence and innovation in professionalism programs by law schools, bar associations, professionalism commissions, and other law-related organizations.

Mercer was honored for its Inside the Legal Profession program, spearheaded by Dean Daisy Hurst Floyd, who spoke at ETL's first conference, and Professor Patrick Longan. The program “exposes law students to a close, highly personal examination what professionalism means, and how it manifests itself, in the lives of accomplished and prominent practitioners, in a live, student-audience interview conducted by the program director.”

Vanderbilt was honored for its Professionalism in Practice program, which “is a thoughtfully designed and well-balanced offering that stimulates exploration and development of professional identity from the first days of a student's law school career. In delivering perspectives on the legal profession and exemplars of professionalism, the Vanderbilt program encourages students to view law school in the larger context of a professionally satisfying and principled career, through meaningful dialogue and close exposure to model practitioners.”