Feb 28, 2020
The legal industry has changed. It stands to reason that legal
education should too. But, that's a big ship to turn around and
it's taking more time than the unrelenting pace of business today
can easily accommodate. To be fair, it's not just legal education
under scrutiny here, it's the whole higher education sector but
within it, many would readily agree that law has been one of the
most reluctant to embrace change! And, while some of the issues are
undeniably complex and rightfully demand careful consideration,
that in and of itself cannot be a reason to refrain from
experimentation, especially in experiential and practical legal
education.
So, what will the new practical legal education regime look
like? That's a question being debated across the world right now.
It's on the agenda as much for the early adopters of practical
legal education models like Australia, through those preparing new
entrants for new legal practice models like the UK, to those in
transition to different models by state versus nationally like the
US. The approaches being considered or implemented are also
different. Some providers offer stop gap measures, and some are
building bridges. Some of these models will stay and some will go.
Some are working on their models in isolation and others through
collaboration. And then there's the legal education
innovators, a small group who are thinking outside the box -
reimagining, reinventing and embracing a new way of thinking about
the function, role and importance of the rule of law, access to
justice and the different ways to practice law - and creating
education opportunities to prepare people for that reality!
Legal Innovators (LI), a Washington, DC based organisation, has
created one of these new practical legal education opportunities.
It bridges the gap between law school and legal practice. Its own
business and education models draw on the significant real-world
experience of its founders. LI has created an alternative legal
education model for law students and early career lawyers - one
that emphasises and embraces the importance of diversity and
inclusion in contemporary legal practice, is founded on providing
relevant learning opportunities, mentoring and supporting law
students in their transition from law school to legal practice.
It's an organisation leading by example, getting on with solving
the practical legal education gap in the US and making a
difference. It's a new model for legal education - more connected
with industry, focusing on learning on the job and, getting a job
at the end of the day.
We spoke with Jon
Greenblatt, Co-founder and Chairman of LI to learn more about
the US legal education sector, the issues LI sought to solve and
how it has gone about doing it.
Thank you so much, Jon - congrats to you, Bryan
Parker and Team LI for changing mindsets, changing lives
and doing legal education differently!