Legal Education
How should law schools prepare students and seasoned legal practitioners for a rapidly changing legal profession? What new skills do lawyers need for the jobs of the future? The Center's research on topics ranging from professional identity formation to law school curriculums shed light on the critical issues facing lawyers today—and tomorrow.
Research Projects
Professional Identity Formation
Do law students “drift” away from public-interest career goals during law school? To help answer this question, John Bliss, Former CLP Research Fellow and currently Assistant Professor at the University of Denver presents the first systematic empirical study of students’ identity-processes and job-path orientations throughout the law school timeline.
FutureEd Series
FutureEd is CLP’s research initiative examining legal education reform. Law schools are facing enormous challenges as they attempt to prepare students for a rapidly changing legal market. Globalization and technological advances are providing new opportunities for the legal profession, while at the same time many legal employers are hiring far fewer graduates than in the past. How should lawyers be trained in this dramatically new environment?
Law School Course Survey
What courses should students take? This online survey of attorneys at major law firms sought to learn how HLS can better advise and train its students. The survey focused heavily on business-methods courses (e.g., accounting). The survey is meant to assist students in selecting courses by providing them with data about the relative importance of currently offered HLS courses and to provide faculty with information about how to improve the curriculum and advise students.
Opportunities
Want to get involved in our work? Check out our opportunities.