Law Students Getting a Welcome Dose of Reality

So many law firms make the same two complaints about young lawyers that their observations have become as familiar as the punch line to an old joke:

1. Too many J.D.s come out of law school with too little understanding of the legal work they need to perform as associates; and
2. Too many of them are leaving firms too soon, often because of disillusionment with the day-to-day realities of law practice.

Now there are several law schools and firms that are taking innovative approaches to addressing these shortcomings.

Harvard Law School is reportedly considering introducing its students to a more practical, problem-solving approach to law than they get through its traditional case study method. There is no hint that HLS plans to eliminate case studies, which are regarded as an excellent way to familiarize students with the law as a body of knowledge. However, an HLS committee is said to have been consulting with law firms, judges, legislators, business leaders and students about the skills and perspectives that J.D.s need to bring to the workplace along with their legal knowledge. The committee's recommendations for curriculum review are now under consideration by HLS faculty and staff and may be implemented later this year.

Summer internships are an important part of most law students' education, with internships at the biggest law firms being a much-sought-after prize. However, critics have complained that these internships often amounted to a summer-long entertainment for prospective hires rather than a substantive learning experience. Several firms are now changing course by giving their interns both structured training and more work responsibilities. One large Washington, DC-based firm goes so far as to send its best interns to a two-week-long litigation 'boot camp' where they act out roles in an imaginary patent case. Other firms conduct in-house training programs for their interns. Law firms hope that these initiatives will result in prospective hires who have a better grasp of the work they will do as associates, and who are able to perform at a higher level earlier in their careers.

How do the interns feel about this? By all accounts, they're pleased. They feel they're getting a more realistic picture of the work they will be doing after graduation, and they appreciate gaining skills that will help them advance in a competitive field.

Sources:

"In a Battle against Attrition, Law Schools Revamp Old Strategy" - the International Herald Tribune, May 9, 2006

"Summer Law Associates Get Down to Business" - the Wall Street Journal College Journal, May 26, 2006