Comments for Best Practices for Legal Education

Comment on THE ELECTION AND BEST PRACTICES by Isabel Pietri

Isabel Pietri — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:25:09 +0000

Not fraudulent voters? What about ACORN? What about recruting drug addicts and homeless to register to vote?
It is all joy for now. The truth will come out soon or later. Then the big blue ballon will just pop.

Comment on THE ELECTION AND BEST PRACTICES by Antoinette Sedillo Lopez

Antoinette Sedillo Lopez — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:14:00 +0000

I am so glad you found a way to link Best Practices and the election. I volunteered in the “war room” working on Election Protection from 5 am to 9pm the day of the election. I had the privilege of working with many UNM law grads and other wonderful lawyers young and not so young! We answered phones and dealt with miscellaneous issues called in by Election Challengers from around the state. I loved working with such a fabulous group of caring, committed, professional and ethical lawyers. And, I am pleased to say, there did not seem to be any kind of voter suppression conspiracy or fraudulent voters. Just human errors…

And the results of the election could not be more inspiring!

Thanks for the post!

Comment on Bar Passage and Best Practices for Legal Education by Antoinette Sedillo Lopez

Antoinette Sedillo Lopez — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:43:42 +0000

I asked my colleagues who are teaching praticum this year for information about this year’s course. Since it is a new topic, I will post it on a new thread.

Comment on Best Practices and Math for Lawyers by Tina L. Stark

Tina L. Stark — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:26:37 +0000

Emory believes that a sophisticated business and accounting background are critical foundation knowledge without which a transactional lawyer cannot practice properly. To implement this conviction, we changed our accounting course this year.

Firms are not interested in associates being able to make bookkeeping entries. Instead, their focus is on the ability to use financial statement concepts in practice. Accordingly, we have structured our three-credit course into three parts. In Part 1, students learn the basics of the three financial statements and the line items making up each statement. As students learn about a line item (say, receivables), they learn about the business and legal issues associated with them. In addition, we try to provide context whenever possible. So, for example, this year, when the students were studying receivables, a guest lectured about how factoring can provide a company with working capital.

In Part 2, students learn financial statement analysis, so they can understand their client’s financial condition and how it affects their long-term strategy and immediate needs. (Also helps in an acquisition to be able to understand the other side’s financials.)

In Part 3, students study provisions in agreements that include financial statement concepts such as earn-outs, purchase price adjustments, cash flow ratios, and royalties.

Comment on Bar Passage and Best Practices for Legal Education by Debbie Maranville

Debbie Maranville — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:09:06 +0000

I’d be interested in hearing about your 1 credit practicum, Antoinette. I’ve long been interested in ways that we can provide more context for 1Ls, in part with the thought that would help them learn the analytical skills and basic doctrine better.

Your post is a reminder that just saying the first year is fine, thank you, as the Carnegie Report largely does, leaves a segment of our students “at risk”.

Comment on Bar Passage and Best Practices for Legal Education by Antoinette Sedillo Lopez

Antoinette Sedillo Lopez — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:01:33 +0000

Albany’s approach seems to make a lot of sense. And, of course, CUNY has been a leader in preparing students in knowledge, skills and values for law practice as well as the bar. I agree Sue, we need more research on teaching effectiveness. I wonder where we can get funding for that? And, of course, as Mary, Chris Glen and others have pointed out., we could examine bar admission approaches that focus on the knowledge, skills and values identified in the MacCrate Report, Best Practices and Carnegie. This different approach to bar admission would help ensure that the bar admits qualified lawyers as opposed to qualified exam takers!

Comment on Bar Passage and Best Practices for Legal Education by Susan bryant

Susan bryant — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:06:35 +0000

Just another example of changing legal education with no empirical proof that taking clinical courses interferes with bar passage or that taking more traditional doctrinal courses with tests improves bar passage. The only empirical work that I am aware of finds no correlation between bar passage and courses taken whether clinical or not. Most schools’ research shows Law School GPA to have the highest correlation with passage.

Antoinette it would be interesting to compare institutions with similar students to New Mexico in terms of academic strengths at entering and compare results. Of course — there are many things to keep constant — as bar passage differs from state to state. Our own study shows that we do better with similarly situated students than other schools that do not emphasize or require clinical courses but we also have a very substantial academic support program as well.

I think schools that have students who take clinic and those that don;t could do this research as well. A few good studies would go a long way to debunking the you will only pass the bar if you take doctrinal courses.

Comment on Bar Passage and Best Practices for Legal Education by Mary Lynch

Mary Lynch — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:10:46 +0000

This “two-tiered” approach to legal education does seem backward and quite foolish! I think there is some conflated thinking which leads to this “false Solution.” For example, some students who test out near the bottom of the class DO need to learn not to overcommit, how to focus and how to prioritze. Counselling such students on limiting unnecessary extra-curricular activities may be wise. However precluding such students from learning situations which will more likely play to their strengths is counterintuitive.
Academic support programs can address time managment issues as well as develop skill buidling in reading cases, outlining, organizid thinking and analysis. Such programs evidence real success. Coincidentally, the skills emphasized in academic support programs are put into context in properly supervised clinical program and courses taught using best practices. These programs need to build on each other - not compete! At Albany, we have been fortunate to have our Academic Support Program spearheaded by Professor Kathe Klare, a former clinical prof. Kathe views the clinical program as a continuation of training particularly helpful for the very students who need support. Particularly, in upper level courses, most faculty are not focused on skill development but on enhanced knowlege aquisition. Kathe works closely with clinical professors so we can provide a continuum of teaching and support for all students. I may be biased but this informal collaboration really works!

Comment on Interactive Assessment Program at the AALS Annual Meeting by Antoinette Sedillo Lopez

Antoinette Sedillo Lopez — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:40:08 +0000

I will be sure to let you know how it goes! Thanks for the post!

Comment on Interactive Assessment Program at the AALS Annual Meeting by Lisa Bliss

Lisa Bliss — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:06:21 +0000

This sounds like a great program. I hope you will report back afterwards so those of us who cannot attend will be able to learn more about the experience. The interactive nature of the program makes it especially appealing.