Is Stanford Law School at the Head of the Pack on Legal Education Curriculum Reform?
By: Steve Grumm
Particularly in the Great Recession’s wake, there has been much discussion about whether and how to make fundamental changes to the way we train new lawyers. But this debate far predates the recession. Stakeholders in legal education have for several years been examining the current orthodoxy, especially in asking whether we should be de-emphasizing the “casebook” model in favor of additional experiential learning opportunities and teamwork exercises.
In 2006 Stanford Law School undertook several measures to alter its education model. Six years later they’re eager to tell us about their progress. Here’s an excerpt from a detailed press release highlighting SLS’s expansion of team-oriented coursework, clinicals, joint degree programs, etc..
Stanford Law School today announced the completion of the first phase of comprehensive reforms to its legal curriculum that began in November 2006—successfully transforming its traditional law degree into a multi-dimensional JD, which combines the study of other disciplines with team-oriented, problem-solving techniques together with expanded clinical training that enables students to represent clients and litigate cases while in law school.