Innovation is not limited to programs on new technology and social justice. Many law schools are introducing other new curricula to help prepare students for the future.
Southern University Law Center
Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is making a name for itself with video gaming. The school is breaking new ground with the launch of its Esports Innovation Lab.
The lab creates opportunities for students to engage with this burgeoning industry through professional development, a certificate curriculum, programming and more.
The Esports Innovation Lab has developed activities such as The Bluff Open Tournament, which featured Fortnite, and the Esports Summer Camp. The lab’s goal is to be a hub of creativity that develops pathways into the entertainment, gaming and esports industries.
Indiana University Maurer School of Law – Bloomington
Last fall, Indiana Law’s Center for Intellectual Property Research announced the Name, Image, Likeness Initiative in which law students and student athletes work together to navigate NIL deals.
As student athletes navigate the still-emerging complexities of the NCAA’s new policy surrounding name, image and likeness, they now have a homefield advantage: one of the country’s top intellectual property clinics. Law students can hone their skills under faculty supervision while student athletes have a free resource to assist them in evaluating potential NIL deals.
“Our goal is to serve students who are negotiating NIL deals that might involve significant rights of the student but aren’t likely to generate enough revenue to justify hiring expensive specialized legal counsel,” said Mark Janis, director of the center.
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
The first of its kind in the nation, the Leadership in Outdoor Recreation Industry Program is a new interdisciplinary program at University of Denver. It combines coursework from the Daniels College of Business, Sturm College of Law and Josef Korbel School of International Studies.
One its goals is to increase the diversity of the talent pipeline for the outdoor industry. The program aims to transform the talent pipeline by recruiting, supporting and retaining minorities in the outdoor industry.
The online program includes asynchronous and synchronous content.
University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
University of Utah has launched two new clinics focusing on environmental law.
The Environmental Justice Clinic works with low-income communities and communities of color to challenge the inequitable distribution of environmental burdens and increase these groups’ participation in environmental decision-making.
The Environmental Policy Accelerator Clinic provides legal analysis to assist policymakers facing environmental challenges.
This year the clinic will focus on water conservation and the environmental challenges surrounding the Great Salt Lake.
South Texas College of Law Houston
South Texas College of Law Houston began offering a part-time, online J.D. program this fall. Students entering the law school can now select from three degree paths: a full-time, on-campus J.D. program; a part-time, on-campus program; or the new part-time, online J.D. program.
Much of the online program will be conducted synchronously, while some components will be asynchronous.
The part-time program is limited to students who are unable to attend classes in person at the Houston campus. They will spend some time on campus at the beginning of each academic year.
Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University has been at the forefront of promoting licensure reform. The Salem, Oregon, law school has assisted with design of the Oregon Experiential Pathway, currently under consideration by the Oregon Supreme Court.
Students who choose this path would build a portfolio of experiential work during their second and third years that would enable the Board of Bar Examiners to assess and license graduates. All students pursuing this path would be required to take a capstone course that would help them demonstrate their readiness to practice.
This pathway to licensure is without precedent in the history of the American legal profession.
Willamette Law has already started to build a program for students interested in taking this path. It will focus on developing skills needed for practice, rather than on skills necessary to pass a standardized test.
