A White Paper on the Recession, Practical Legal Education, and the New Job Market

NALP presents a special white paper forthcoming in the Journal of Legal Education on the influence of the current economic recession on the legal profession by Daniel Thies, the law student member of the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Of special interest to NALP members, Part I provides an excellent summary of the changing market for legal services, the impact on the traditional large law firm model, and the implications for legal education. Part II examines the difficulties law schools have had in developing the kind of practical training the new market will require — and suggests ways the recession may produce a change in priorities. Part III concludes with suggestions about how the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar can facilitate a transformation in law schools and legal training — and what that transformation might look like.

Download paper here (PDF)