Between three years of intense study, hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition, and 12 weeks of grueling bar prep, you’d think law students graduate practice-ready. We don’t — not even by a mile. One of the recent shifts in legal education has been the inclusion of more “practical” courses — hoping to help future lawyers develop the skills they will need in their daily lives on top of the subjects students will study for the bar exam.
That being said, adding more requirements to already-overwhelmed students doesn’t make the situation better—it just gives them more things to worry about. Perhaps the scales of “practical v. necessary for the exam” should shift even further toward the use of practical-based courses — after all, a good bar prep program covers all the subjects you need; even if the Rule Against Perpetuities isn’t something you covered in class.
Below are four subjects that, if taught in law school, would make life a lot easier for everyone.
- Understanding the hierarchy of a law firm, including the differences between an associate, partner, and senior partner; learning to effectively prioritize assignments from different partners; how to appropriately collaborate with an administrative assistant; how to bill for your time; what to wear to various law firm mixers; etc.
- Email etiquette. You’d be surprised at the number of attorneys who don’t know how to send an email—or at least an understandable one. One of the hardest things about transitioning into the professional workforce (in any capacity) is learning the email habits of your new workplace. Are after-hours messages permitted? Do people set an automatic “out of office” response? If not, do they still answer emails while out on PTO/vacation? How does one identify the communication culture? One of the biggest differences (that I’ve seen) between younger and more senior attorneys is in the use of punctuation: younger attorneys tend to use exclamation points and semi-colons quite regularly. As my boss once said, “Exclamation points don’t belong in a professional email. Period.” I disagree—maybe we’re just happy to be here!
- Contract Drafting. Thankfully, a lot of law schools have a class to teach students the basics of contract drafting—but the material just isn’t comprehensive enough. These courses should cover things like: when is it ok to use the other party’s paper instead of ours? How do I redline in Word, DocuSign, and other contract management software? How do I respond to an opposing party who strongly objects to (and/or flat-out refuses to include) our edits? What types of contracts pose the most risk and why? And most importantly: how do I determine my company’s risk-tolerance level in contracting?
- How to take advantage of professional membership and organizational resources. No matter what type of law you practice, your state and/or local bar association likely has the resources to support you. To be honest, there aren’t as many practical benefits for joining these associations in law school: yes, you can sit in on various CLE to determine if the area you’re thinking of practicing in is a good match; and yes, you can sign up for a mentoring program if it’s available — but once you make the shift to a licensed attorney, these associations become exponentially more valuable. Bar associations often offer on-demand CLE, networking events, practice-area resources, state legislative updates, and even discounts on frequently-used legal software. Students should be informed of these many benefits as early in the legal education process as possible as they can often receive a discounted membership and potentially some nice (and practical) swag.
Law school, like any academic institution, has room for improvement. While significant progress has been made over the last few years, lawyers and law students alike have been calling out for an increased focus on the practical components of being an attorney. If one considers law school a type of trade school, what good is it to pay all that tuition and graduate being unable to do your job?
