Clinical Legal Education
The Practice
January/February 2020
Clinics have exploded over the past decade, with law schools recognizing the need for experiential education. But what do clinics give students? And faculty?
January/February 2020
Clinical Legal Education and the Replication of Hierarchy
This article explores two major unintended consequences—or, perhaps more accurately, aspects of collateral damage—resulting from the triumph of clinical education. The damage relates to the replication of hierarchy, in both the structure of the academy and the provision of legal services.
First Impressions
Law clinics are intended to help cultivate “practice ready” lawyers. How closely does intention align with impact? To what extent do lawyers attribute their own practice readiness to their clinical experience? To what extent do legal employers factor such experience into their hiring decisions?
Teaching Hospitals and Teaching Teachers
The cases of Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) program challenge the legal profession to consider: How might we approach clinical legal education differently?
The Standardization of Law School Clinics
In 2008 the ABA announced it was undertaking a review of its accreditation standards “to think comprehensively about whether the Standards are appropriate and accomplishing their objective of assuring a sound program of legal education that will prepare law school graduates to become effective members of the legal profession.” The eventual result was the ABA’s revised Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, 2014–2015.
What’s in a Clinic?
Clinical offerings across law schools have exploded in recent years to include a wide range of subject areas and practice settings. In addition to traditional law school clinics in legal aid, family law, and housing, we now also see offerings in areas like media law, animal rights, and entrepreneurship.
Surveying Clinical Education
Robert Kuehn, associate dean for clinical education and a professor of law at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, sat down with David B. Wilkins, faculty director of the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession, for a conversation on the past, present, and future of clinical legal education.
