News & Updates

When we discuss legal education reform, some of the more jaded members of our community often ask, “Why is this time any different?” They rattle off a list of dust-covered reports about proposed reforms for legal education, often dating back several decades, and wonder how we can be optimistic about the prospects for meaningful reform now. The answer is that we are in the midst of a perfect storm; one in which several powerful forces are driving law schools toward reform.

As described in an earlier post, Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers initiated a unique, far-reaching survey of 210 U.S. and Canadian law schools. Now completed, the survey has a 58% response rate. Before presenting the findings in a series of future posts, we face a key prior task – describing the responding schools and seeing how closely they resemble all schools and the non-responding schools.

Law School Transparency reports that 15 more law schools will find themselves in litigation with recent graduates who claim that the schools misrepresented job placement statistics and violated state consumer protection laws.

Some schools, including American University Washington College of Law, are using technology—specifically, video conferencing technology—to facilitate simulated negotiations in experiential law classes.

In a segment on experiential legal education, the National Jurist featured the work of Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers and one of its consortium schools, Washington and Lee University.

Through its foundation, Kirkland & Ellis is donating $2.75 million to Stanford Law School to support expanded clinic programs, new student awards and a series of discussions about the legal profession.

Jordan Furlong, who wrote last week about what he called " the decline and fall of law school," came back to the topic of legal education. This time he focused on new lawyer training and looked at, among other ideas, the "teaching law firm." Click…

Law schools saw a decrease in applications this year and some believe prospective students are becoming more skeptical about the value of a law degree. Click here to read the article.

In a move prompting widespread criticism, the American Bar Association's 2010 law school questionnaire will not require schools to report the percentage of graduates in part-time jobs or in jobs that do not require a license. Click here to read the…

Jordan Furlong, who writes often on the future of the legal profession, has turned his pen on law schools. In the article, he laments the current state of legal education, but cites a number of initiatives undertaken by legal educators to address this, including Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers.

The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law received a $1 million gift from the Moser Family Philanthropic Fund "to establish the Moser Ethics in Action Endowment, which will fund projects and courses centered on ethics, pro bono and professionalism.

IAALS has launched a unique, national initiative to change the way law schools educate students. “Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers” provides a platform to encourage law schools in the U.S. to showcase innovative teaching to produce more practice-ready lawyers who can better meet the needs of an evolving profession

In the first blog for Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers, Bill Sullivan argued that legal education is more than meritocracy – that while academic merit is essential in the training of lawyers as professionals it is not enough. It is necessary, but not alone sufficient for professional excellence.

Chairman Emeritus of Duane Morris recently asked how, if tables were turned, students might grade their law schools. He ends with five suggestions for schools to improve, including a two-year plan, a three-year plan with advanced classes in a second…

This opinion piece by ALM's editor-in-chief argues that change in legal education won't be driven by universities, professors, students or employers, but rather by the client community and the organized bar (specifically, the American Bar Association…

Some law schools, including City University of New York (CUNY), are offering "solo incubators" to support recent graduates who are launching solo practices. CUNY's program offers office space and access to experienced solo practitioners. Click here…

Professor David Thomson wrote a guest post for CBA-CLE Legal Connection discussing the Carnegie Report, his own experience as a young lawyer, and why he created this course.

Recently, Brad Borden and I wrote a paper titled “The Law School Firm” (forthcoming South Carolina Law Review). The article idea is simple: Law schools should own and operate affiliated law firms where graduating students go to get trained in the practice of law for a fixed duration, similar to a judicial clerkship or analogously a residency for new doctors. The law firm would be run by senior attorneys who develop books of business, and it would be economically sustainable. Since the article’s public release, it has garnered significant attention.

IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis responded to questions from the ABA Journal about Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers.

The New York Times laments the growing justice gap and looks to bridge it through increased funding for the Legal Services Corporation, required pro bono, and reformed legal education that allows students to gain experience in public advocacy. Click…