News & Updates

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…

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which gave rise to Educating Lawyers and its findings and recommendations for legal education reform, recognized the launch of Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers.

Denver Post covered the launch of Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers, highlighting the innovative approach taken by University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Colorado Public Radio's Ryan Warner watches a clip from The Paper Chase with Dean Martin Katz, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and takes a look at the changing landscape of legal education.

The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver today launches 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.

The National Law Journal previewed Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers, which is set to officially launch on August 22, 2011.

Law school once set the pattern for modern professional education. In his study of Christopher Columbus Langdell, originator of the case method of teaching law, historian Bruce A. Kimball credits him with the invention of meritocracy as a system for…

With this post, Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers begins a series of reports on legal education: the what, who, and how of innovation. These reports will document the range of current innovations in the areas of curriculum, teaching and learning, faculty, and assessment. They will draw on a number of sources of data, including the American Bar Association/Law School Admissions Council (ABA/LSAC) Official Guide, but the primary source will be the results of Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers’ new survey of innovations currently underway.

This article, which we discovered here, looks at the opportunities in teaching a real estate class "from the dirt" and discusses a class in which students interact with a parcel of land from the perspective of practicing lawyers. Click here to read…

"Delegates approved a series of resolutions pertaining to the financing and curriculum of legal education, although the ABA's legislative body lacks the power to compel law schools to make changes or control over how student loans are administered."…

"The ABA House of Delegates voted Tuesday to adopt a resolution to urge law schools to more adequately prepare law students for the real-life experience of practicing law and bolster CLE training to better bridge the gap between law school and actual…

LawWeek Colorado interviewed Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Director Bill Sullivan about the initiative's goals: “It will give people some models and examples and a community of people to talk to,” Sullivan said. “That’s what’s been missing. It’s not so much there’s no one doing these kinds of comprehensive changes, it’s that no one’s sure who’s doing it.”

This is a survey of deans and associate deans conducted at the 2011 Conference on the Future of the Law School Curriculum by Franklin A. Gevurtz, of the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Click here to read the survey results

Douglas G. Scrivner is former General Counsel of Accenture, where he worked for 31 years, 14 of which as General Counsel. In his Voices from the Field interview, Scrivner outlines the shift in the legal profession away from providing on-the-job training, and how law schools can and should embrace this shift by changing the way they teach students. Scrivner also talks about the kinds of innovation that law schools need and that law schools deans would be wise to incorporate.

Rich Baer is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Liberty Media Corporation, where he is responsible for overseeing the company’s legal, regulatory, and compliance matters. Baer recently sat down with Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers to talk about legal education and how law schools can better prepare students with the practical skills they need upon graduation.