Foundations for Practice 2.0

IAALS' original Foundations for Practice project produced several reports as well as an instructional design guide for educators and a hiring guide for legal employers. All resources are available below.

IAALS developed Foundations-based Model Learning Outcomes—measurable standards that describe and assess the knowledge or skills students should acquire by the end of a particular assignment, course, or program—to instill the desired characteristics, competencies, and skills in future lawyers.

Foundations Model Learning Outcomes form a set of principles and recommendations geared toward assisting in the application of data-informed, standards-based instruction. Our Model Learning Outcomes can and should be adapted, following the guidance provided in this report, to match the specific objectives and goals for individual educators and law schools.

Importantly, implementing Foundations-based learning outcomes does not mean a complete overhaul of everything a law school is already doing. On the contrary, most law schools already have a curriculum that reflects many of the foundations. What this process urges schools and educators to do is comprehensively define what it is that students should be learning using the IAALS’ Model Learning Outcomes as a guide, then map the existing curriculum onto that adapted model. This will allow law schools and educators to identify where the foundations are already being learned, where there are gaps, and—where there are gaps—to understand what needs to be added to the curriculum.

As employers know, hiring based primarily on grades or law school attended often does not meet the needs of an evolving profession and society. In addition to leaving out other key indicators for success, such as practical judgment and interpersonal relationship building, this process lacks a robust assessment that employers can use to identify candidates who align with the work, goals, and vision of the employer.

Alternatively, Foundations provides employers with the ability to evaluate a broader set of criteria, including the demonstrated competencies, individual paths into the legal field, and background experiences. Foundations for Practice—the most comprehensive study of its kind—reveals that the abilities employers value most among new lawyers tend to be based in professional competencies and characteristics, abilities that traditional hiring criteria do a poor job of prioritizing. A different hiring process is needed to spot where these abilities present themselves, and the extent to which new lawyers have developed them. 

A Foundations-based approach allows employers to look beyond credentials to competencies and capabilities—to measure the qualifications of a candidate. By expanding the lens of candidate assessment, a Foundations-based approach strengthens hiring decisions, leading to better outcomes for employers and new hires alike.

Read about the "IAALS Effect" on hiring at Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP:

For more information about bringing Foundations to your firm, please contact Logan Cornett.