Top Law Schools

Harvard Law School recently held a conference discussing reforms to legal education (the Global Legal Education Forum).

While the main issue in the conference was how law schools must respond to globalization, participants also discussed the overall problems they perceive with law school.

There are 35 videos, most from overseas deans and professors. The ones of most interest to TLSers might be the American law school deans'. You can see how they think and what they view as the "crises" in legal education. The main flaw in US legal education they identify is a lack of education in foreign law. Also, practical legal skills are not emphasized enough. (The cost of law school barely comes up as a "problem"). Some highlights:

Dean of Yale Law School: There's an "undersupply" of lawyers in America
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/02/13/dean- ... education/

Dean of Indiana U Law School - Alfred C. Aman: Cost is a problem but no solution proposed
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/02/10/alfre ... in-crisis/ (article, not video)

HLS' David Wilkins on the legal profession
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/01/30/faceglob/

Terence Blackburn, ABA mandarin, Dean of Michigan State and Dean of some place in Kazakhstan: "Law students aren't taught to think like lawyers, but rather how to think like appellate judges"
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/03/28/dean- ... education/

HLS' Noah Feldman: Incoherent
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/03/28/profe ... education/

HLS' Duncan Kennedy: Not enough activist lawyers to offset the corporate lawyers just out to make a buck
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/03/25/profe ... education/

HLS' Roberto Unger: Marxist analysis in a Fascist dictator speaking style
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/01/28/next-revolution/

How about these star professors and deans lead the charge to cut law school tuition in half rather than talk about the undersupply of lawyers and their lack of understanding of foreign law. Wouldn't that be revolutionary?

What possible incentive do they have to cut tuition in half?

Law schools are massive moneymakers for universities.

encaenia wrote:HLS' Noah Feldman: Incoherent
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/03/28/profe ... education/

Academia is a helluva drug.

kalvano wrote:What possible incentive do they have to cut tuition in half?

Law schools are massive moneymakers for universities.

Bring in a little over twice as many students, create a part-time program, and dilute the faculty with cheaper people, and maybe allow more transfers.

(Not a veiled shot at any particular school, just a business idea)

What incentive do they have?

Law school faculty love to talk about the commitment to public service, the need for more lawyers to get involved in underserved communities, and greater engagement with society. Wouldn't lower tuition levels allow more lawyer to become full time "public interest" lawyers? Wouldn't "for profit" lawyers, feeling less financial pressure, possibly be more inclined to do part-time pro-bono work?

And what about legal academics' anti-capitalist rhetoric. Many think private businesses and their lawyers are just greedy money-grubbers who reinforce existing power structures. What about law schools charging 150k in tuition, more in other fees? Is that greed too? Is legal academia greedy?

Its somewhat amazing to me that law professors think that the biggest problems facing lawyers are a lack of interdisciplinary academic analytical skills and lack of knowledge of foreign legal philosophies. Yes, the conference focused on globalization, but still. How on earth can a graduate of a US law school afford to go overseas, learn a language, probably earn less practicing/teaching, and generally engage with the world abroad? With 200k in debt, its very very hard to have such an experience after law school.

Would lower costs for tuition also lower the price of legal services for the poor and underserved?

,

encaenia wrote:Harvard Law School recently held a conference discussing reforms to legal education (the Global Legal Education Forum).

HLS' Noah Feldman: Incoherent
http://hlsorgs.com/sjd/2012/03/28/profe ... education/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0